The first reviews for Warner Bros.' Harry Potter prequel-sequel Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald are in, and they're ... more of the same. The majority of the early reviews feel like a rehashing of the original film in this new prequel series: Too many characters, too little focus, and the saving grace of charismatic performances and truly magical effects work. There are a couple of outliers here who found FB2 to be pure magic, but it sounds like fans might want to temper expectations.
Written by J.K. Rowling and directed by David Yates, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald stars Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Johnny Depp, Ezra Miller, Claudia Kim, Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler, Zoe Kravitz, Callum Turner, William Nadylam, Kevin Guthrie, Carmen Ejogo, and Poppy Corby-Tuech. The sequel opens in theaters on November 16th.
Let's take a look at some samples from the early reviews making the rounds:
The Verge - Tasha Robinson
For the serious fans who this series is meant for, the promise of at least six more hours of Fantastic Beasts action likely means a lot more thrilling beasts, barriers, and beats to explore. Everyone else may find that all the little personal bits of character business and frantic complications aren’t much of a substitute for a clear and compelling plot with a single meaningful protagonist ... By taking the focus off of Newt and putting it on the vast world of his background characters, Crimes of Grindelwald takes a few troubled steps away from any sense of a center.
iO9/Gizmodo - Germain Lussier
[U]ltimately, all the steps the film took to get [to the big reveal] amount to so little, that feeling is as fleeting as its narrative. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is chapter two in a longer story that may look better once we see the rest—but, on its own, it fails to live up to its Harry Potter roots.
Polygon - Karen Han
As it turns out, the true crime of Grindelwald was wasting the audience’s time ... The Crimes of Grindelwald isn’t a breeze by any definition of the word, and it becomes exasperating when so much of it turns out to be filler, drawing out plot points that could easily be resolved in a 30-second conversation (a habit held over from the Harry Potter books, though those could hold their own ground). The movie dangles cohesiveness and satisfying conclusions in front of an audience that must return for a third installment of the series — if one that would be building off of the series’ weaknesses rather than its strengths. Please, for next time: more beasts, and fewer crimes.
IndieWire - Kate Erbland
At least it all builds to a massive battle between the forces of good and evil — a Rowling staple if there ever was one — that tears apart some key relationships, establishes others, and sets the stage for more drama and trauma to come. As impressive as the final showdown is (it’s easily one of the most impressive setpieces in this fledgling franchise) and as shocking as the film’s closing revelations are (yes, they really are), this magic needs a spell of its own.
Grade: C+
Telegraph - Robbie Collin
The biggest riddle in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is working out what on earth the film is actually about. (2 out of 5 stars)
LA Times - Justin Chang
Should the Dumbledore-Grindelwald relationship ever make its way fully out of the narrative closet, the next three “Fantastic Beasts” movies might do well to explore that resonant subtext. With any luck, they might even be good.
TimeOut - Olly Richards
With its callbacks to the Potter universe and a lovely eye for detail, ‘The Crimes of Grindelwald’ has bags of charm and a warm familiarity, but too many characters and too much plot are weighing this beast down. (3 out of 5 stars)
NY Post - Johnny Oleksinski
Somehow less mangy-looking than Depp are the animals. Inside Newt’s Mary Poppins-style suitcase live hundreds of exotic magical creatures, all vibrantly designed and incredibly cute. The best is a new one — a lion-dragon blend that hails from Asia and enjoys a game of fetch.
Admittedly, it’s hard not to miss Harry and the sprawl of that eight-film epic: An entire generation’s favorite story is a hard act to follow. But in his second outing, Newt has proved himself a lovable lizard — er, wizard.
THR - Caryn James
Depp grandstands in one more gimmicky, costume-driven performance, with one more plummy accent. That routine grew tiresome many movies ago. Thankfully, the actor has limited time onscreen here. (Yates and Rowling have defended his casting in the wake of domestic abuse allegations, which Depp has denied; completely apart from that, he is no help to this film.)
As one secret is revealed, other mysteries pile up ... But this new, improved sequel suggests that even when Rowling seems to have gone astray, before long she knows just what she’s doing.
USA Today - Brian Truitt
The “Potter” saga is a rich, sprawling and beloved tale, and the inspired “Beasts” films are seemingly committed to filling in important nooks and crannies: Hufflepuffs and Slytherins alike will enjoy seeing Dumbledore as an emotionally troubled teacher decades before becoming Harry's eccentric mentor.
“Crimes” is missing some of the goofy appeal of the original “Beasts,” where stopping lovable creatures from making a mess of the Big Apple comprised much of the conflict. But the world keeps turning and the threats get bigger for heroic wand-wavers, even the resident magizoologist.(3 out of 4 stars)
Exclaim - Sarah Murphy
Ultimately, thrilling action sequences and the suspense of not having the plot previously divulged in a book series make for an exciting watch and another satisfyingly enlightening stepping stone toward the original Harry Potter series.
The Wrap - William Bibbiani
“The Crimes of Grindelwald” probably had enough plot to drive a four-hour mini-series, but even so, what we get is often absorbing and grand. The sense that this magical world is actually, well, fantastic is finally back in the series. Although the film turns grim, and eventually evokes truly uncomfortable memories of the build-up to World War II — and, frankly, today — the delightful cast, exciting new creatures and dazzling new spells make it an enchanting place to visit; it’s just so scary and confusing that you probably wouldn’t want to live there.
Keep an eye out for our own review closer to the November 16th release date.
