Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

Synopsis:Professor Albus Dumbledore knows the powerful, dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald is moving to seize control of the wizarding world. Unable to stop him alone, he entrusts magizoologist Newt Scamander to lead an intrepid team of wizards and witches. They soon encounter an array of old and new beasts as they clash with Grindelwald's growing legion of followers.

Movie Review:

“Fantastic Beast: The Secret of Dumbledore” is directed by David Yates who directed the last five Harry Potter films and is the third film in the Fantastic Beast franchise. This film has it all: great action scenes, comedy, and nostalgic moments with a fresh take on a political spy thriller in the wizarding world. The best character was Jude Law as young Dumbledore who is heroic throughout, and he has charm that makes him relatable. I also loved Mads Mikkelsen as the evil dark wizard Grindelwald who is terrifying, but he believes what he is doing is right and that is the best kind of villain. I loved the romance between Grindelwald and Dumbledore and how it started when they were young. The team that Dumbledore puts together with Newt played by the talented Eddie Redmayne who acts a little weird added to the plot. My favorite side character was Jacob played by Dan Fogler. He brought humor and heart to the film with his charismatic and funny scenes. Jessica Williams and Callum Turner play the members of Dumbledore’s army and they had great chemistry with Newt and Dumbledore. I am a huge fan of Ezra Miller, but his character Credence is boring, and he had a forced plotline that feels rushed and confused (they tried to tie his past with Dumbledore that makes no sense). Also, the second act was slow and some of the action scenes were repetitive of a Harry Potter film. And the third act was disappointing with limited wizard action but lots of political talking. This is an entertaining movie to watch, but it did not bring the magic back to the franchise. I am giving “Fantastic Beast: The Secrets of Dumbledore” a 3.5/5 stars.

Director: David Yates

Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Mads Mikkelsen, Dan Fogler, Callum Turner, Ezra Miller, Alison Sudol, Richard Coyle, Jessica Williams, Willliam Nadylam, Poppy Corby-Tuech, and Katherine Waterston

Runtime: 142 Minutes