Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore Early Review

With all the bad press for J.K. Rowling and rightfully so, it’s easy to forget that there’s a third Fantastic Beasts film coming soon. That being said, it’s hard to be excited for another film after the franchise’s last subpar entry, 2018’s The Crimes of Grindelwald. However, the drama behind the production of the franchise’s latest entry, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, went beyond that of Rowling, the film’s writer and of course the writer of the Harry Potter series for which this franchise was adapted from. While the stumbles of the previous entry took a toll on this film and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic disrupted this film as well countless others but then there’s Johnny Depp who was fired and replaced with Mads Mikkelsen. All things considered, the likely biggest concern among most audiences is can the franchise somehow recover. The answer to that question for at least those who still care, following everything mentioned, is yes. Going back to basics, this film is not as flashy this time around, utilizing its great cast in a much better way.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore found fugitive wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Mikkelsen) looking to take control of the wizarding world in his war against the wizards and muggles alike. Therefore, it was up to Newt Scamander (Redmayne) and the rest of the gang to stop him but to do so, it will take all of their cunning to defeat a wizard who can foresee their next move before they make it. Thankfully for them, Albus Dumbledore (Law) has a plan and in order to prevail, everyone would need to work together. Their mission took them across the world where they encountered new beasts and Grindelwald’s increasing squadron of followers as a means to keep up. Those waiting for this franchise to intersect with the mothership will also not be disappointed. Meanwhile, the mission was arguably personal for Dumbledore as it meant facing the sins of his past and his complicated relationship with Grindelwald, each representing opposite sides of the same ideological coin that drifted apart over the years. Though there was some resentment there, each appeared to still care about one another.

Despite all the moving parts, each cast member has a chance to shine as each of their subplots all work towards the main story in a compelling way while also repositioning them in terms of the franchise as a whole. Being the longest film in the franchise thus far, this direction definitely contributes to that as the film does drag at times but it is entertaining enough to make up for that. Not as flashy as the previous incarnation, this version of Grindelwald was a strong villain. However, he was merely a plot device for the characters to rally against as a means for what was truly the focal point of The Secrets of Dumbledore which was that aforementioned character development, himself included.

Nevertheless, the film still offered plenty of thrilling and lighter moments along that journey involving both individuals and groups of characters as they enacted Dumbledore’s plan that he mostly kept close to the vest. He’s Dumbledore after all so he knows what he’s doing and he believed in the group he put together. On a technical level, the special effects and sound effects were of course still there and solid this time around in creating the standard blockbuster-type scale while its epic score accentuated that scale. All of it may be standard fare but it works here.

What ultimately holds The Secrets of Dumbledore together was the sum of its performances and the chemistry of its cast. Everyone was good for the most part with what they were given with Redmayne and Law leading the way as Scamander and Dumbledore. On one side, there was the team aspect with Dan Fogler and Callum Turner returning as Jacob Kowalski and Theseus Scamander. Joining them was Jessica Williams and William Nadylam joining as Eulalie Hicks and Yusuf Kama with the former being a scene-stealer. They were a blast to watch together as their dynamic led in a huge way. On the other side, there was Dumbledore’s solo journey as Law displayed some calming strength in the face of surprising vulnerability in the midst of the deepest exploration of the character so far. However, a wavering accent undercut his impact albeit slightly. Finally, Mikkelsen’s Grindelwald may not be as flashy but was nonetheless effective thanks to his effortless charisma and screen presence alone.

At the end of the day, The Secrets of Dumbledore is what the Fantastic Beasts franchise needed in order to move forward more confidently into the future.

 still courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.