This is the second film in the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Franchise, a prequel to the events of the ‘Harry Potter’ films. Here we follow Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) as he travels to Paris on Dumbledore’s (Jude Law) orders to find Creedence (Ezra Miller), a powerful young wizard unsure of his place in the world. While searching for him, Newt hopes to be reunited with Tina (Katherine Waterston) and stay out of the clutches of the villainous Grindelwald (Johnny Depp). Directed by David Yates (who made the last four Harry Potter films and the first Fantastic Beasts) and written by J.K Rowling herself.
I came to this film having been a big fan of the Harry Potter books and films and having enjoyed the first film in this series. I also really enjoyed this film. I review it having seen it twice and enjoyed it a bit more the second time around. I think this is partly as a result of being able to appreciate the intricacies of the plot more and the many characters involved (characters I didn’t even mention in my brief plot summary).
The look of the film is fantastic, with excellent effects both in recreating 1920s Paris and the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ themselves. There are nice references to the Harry Potter films whilst also being its own thing. The acting is all very good, with a mention to Johnny Depp being necessary, who has certainly returned to his best as the evil Grindelwald. There are also some quite dark moments (one in particular), which help create a genuine sense of threat, whilst not preventing the film from being a 12A.
My criticisms would be that because the film has quite so many characters, at some points (and particularly in the climactic sequence of the film), some get left behind and are a bit underused. Newt’s brother Theseus would be an example of this and Tina, both of whom could have done with a bit more to do perhaps.
Overall, I enjoyed the film and would recommend it to both Harry Potter and non Harry Potter fans alike, although watching the first Fantastic Beasts film is probably a good idea, before you see this one. 4 Stars.
Movie Night 