Directed by David Yates (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them; The Legend of Tarzan; Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) and starring Eddie Redmayne (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them; The Danish Girl; The Theory of Everything), Jude Law (The Grand Budapest Hotel; The Talented Mr. Ripley; Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald), Ezra Miller (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them; The Perks of Being a Wallflower; We Need to Talk About Kevin), Callum Turner (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald; Assassin's Creed; War & Peace (TV series)) and Mads Mikkelsen (Riders of Justice; Hannibal; Doctor Strange; Casino Royale).
Fantasy; 142 mins; 12+
Created as a prequel to the Harry Potter series of films, based on the books by J.K. Rowling, the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise has taken on a life of its own. While some of the characters, e.g. Dumbledore, are the same, but much younger than when portrayed in the Harry Potter films, most characters are completely new.
Not that you will have to have seen the two preceding "Fantastic Beasts" films, not at all, but maybe it will help a bit. The first half of this third instalment may be a bit confusing at times, but not overtly so.
While the second instalment (The Crimes of Grindelwald) was set primarily in Paris, with the climax happening in the mountains of Bhutan, "The Secrets of Dumbledore" is set primarily in Berlin, with some scenes also in London and New York, as well as on the Cliffs of Dover.
The main protagonist, Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), a Magizoologist, ably abetted by his brother Theseus Scamander (Callum Turner) and other characters too numerous to mention here, as are the side plots, is astonished to learn that the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen who replaced Johnny Depp in the role) is absolved of his crimes without a trial. The German / Berlin references are telling in the right-wing extremism that we see from the baying crowd scenes, without referencing Nazism by name.
Sent by Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law), whose brother and other family connections feature strongly in this instalment, without a plan (for reasons that are made very clear during the film), the intrepid gang travel together and then split up with different tasks before them. But Grindelwald is surrounded by cronies, including Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller) whose background is unclear - was he switched for another baby shortly after being born?
With the backdrop of an impending election to become leader of the wizarding world, the threads of the storyline dissipate before converging once more, but not before the audience is treated to a myriad of spells and wizardry, including moving through invisible portals and using wands to cast spells and cause chaos. A return visit to Hogwarts will also delight Harry Potter fans, as will the myriad of magical creatures (Fantastic Beasts) that appear throughout the film, some from previous instalments.
An improvement on the first two instalments, leaving the audience wanting more, despite its nearly two and a half hours duration.
Currently screening in Luxembourg by Kinepolis and CiNextDoor.
