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For more than two decades, Muggle moviegoers have always been able to look forward to getting another glimpse into the Wizarding World—first through the Harry Potter movies and now through the Fantastic Beasts series. But the latest installment, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, may not provide the magic that they’re eagerly awaiting.
The Secrets of Dumbledore finds Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) building his own motley army to battle the dark wizard Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen), who’s determined to take control of the wizarding world and put Muggles in their place. Dumbledore enlists magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), along with a group of witches and wizards and Muggle baker Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler). And in order to stop Grindelwald from taking over the Confederation, they’ll have to face magical foes and deadly creatures along the way.
As Newt and his band of witches and wizards put their magical plans in place, they face all kinds of complications. They end up in some precarious positions, allowing for a mix of dark, tense moments and humorous situations—especially where lovably awkward Newt and non-magical Jacob are involved. In fact, Muggle baker Jacob gives the film some of its most enjoyable moments, thanks to his wide-eyed wonder and nervous determination as he generally bumbles his way through his magical experience.
Like its predecessors, the latest Fantastic Beasts installment is one for the fans. For those who can’t get enough of Harry Potter’s Wizarding World, it’s another touch of magic, another trip to Hogwarts. It’s more spells, more magical creatures, more insight into those beloved characters—all in a well-crafted 1930s setting. Here, fans get a glimpse into Dumbledore’s hidden pain—his old loves and past mistakes. And they get to experience the action and effects that they’ve come to love about the movie franchise.
Apart from that, though, the film feels longer than necessary and oddly distracted. The main storyline could have easily taken less than two hours, but the filmmakers chose to fill it with an extra half hour of unnecessary (and sometimes just plain confusing) fluff—just because fans expect Wizarding World films to have long runtimes. And the extra filler takes away from some of the film’s magic.
For fans of Harry Potter’s magical world, The Secrets of Dumbledore offers a little bit of nostalgia for those beloved days at Hogwarts. The magic and effects are still there, but in its third installment, the Fantastic Beasts films just don’t have the same charm as the original films.
This third Fantastic Beasts film arrives in theaters on April 15, 2022.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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