Movie Review: The Crimes of Grindelwald

‘Crimes of Grindelwald’ is Incoherent and Messy as the ‘Harry Potter’ Universe Grows

The second installment of the “Fantastic Beasts” saga, written by J.K. Rowling as a companion to her “Harry Potter” franchise, opened to the lowest box office numbers of any wizarding world film.

While the “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” is $12 million short of  2016’s “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” the film is tracking to still be a massive success for the Warner Brothers company, but one can assume that conversations on where the five-film saga is going are underway.

“Crimes of Grindelwald” follows Newt Scamander as he moves against the titular character, Grindelwald, in Paris on Dumbledore’s orders. The ensemble cast is heavy with various storylines all intertwining with little to no payoff to the plot. The original screenplay by Rowling can largely be to blame for the messy storyline and unreliable narrative that the film offers the audience. Fans of Rowling’s wizarding world will likely enjoy the newest film for what it is — a world-building device with lots of cool things to look at and fan-service moments.

Most audience members will feel about 15 minutes behind the entire time and will struggle to keep up with the events that aren’t fully fleshed out and the characters motives that never get explained. The acting and the CGI are some of the best in the wizarding movies, but the story itself is too jam-packed with unimportant moments and is incoherent at times.

Rowling makes the mistake of filling her story with tons of exposition that the audience is somehow supposed it understand even though it never gets fleshed out. A big (ridiculous) surprise that alters the in-universe canon at the end of the movie is revealed and if you’re like me, you will be sitting dumbfounded through the credits trying to figure out what you just watched. Had the film ended 30 seconds earlier, nothing of consequence would have been answered in the plot.

For those who are ride or die with Rowling’s work, should definitely go see the film. Anyone else who doesn’t want to be tormented with confusion for two years until the next one comes out can probably wait a while before watching the film on Redbox.

—erickwood97@gmail.com

@GrahamWoodMedia