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Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore Review

By Dave Griffiths @goodbaduglyshow · On January 10, 2023

The Gist

Professor Albus Dumbledore must assist Newt Scamander and his partners as Grindelwald begins to lead an army to eliminate all Muggles.

The Review

The Wizarding World is a world that simply just keeps giving to cinema fans and this time it has delivered a film that is going to be surprising for both fans and non-fans alike. In the past both the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films have been viewed as something that is largely for a family as a whole, but Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore moves away from that with a more adult-orientated film that rests heavily on the spy/thriller genre.

After the events of the previous film both Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law – Closer) and Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen – Doctor Strange) are both taking stock and preparing for the future. Dumbeldore has been putting together a small team, led by Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne – Les Miserables), to try to counteract anything Grindelwald can plan while Grindewald encourages the damaged Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller – Justice League) to kill Dumbledore but he devises a plan to be elected to become the most powerful Wizard in the Wizarding World.

Together as a team director David Yates (The Legend Of Tarzan) and co-screenwriters Steve Kloves (Wonder Boys) and J.K. Rowling (Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them) have created a film that brilliantly reminds the audiences of similarities between the politics of today and events of the past while still managing to move both Newt and Dumbledore’s stories along in an interesting direction.

As a film Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore takes on a darker tone as Grindelwald’s plan to gain power and destroy the Muggle world mirrors what Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party’s plans were back in the 1940s. To hammer that point home the filmmakers set a large chunk of this film in Germany while dressing various characters in outfits that are clearly based on the clothes worn by many in the Nazi Party.

That darker tone filters throughout the film and the result is a movie laced with suspense. Following on from the ‘supernatural massacre’ from the first film it is established early on in this film that Grindelwald will slit the throat of any creature no matter how cute it is while the audience is constantly placed on the edge of their seat and kept guessing at whether characters such as Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudol – Dan In Real Life) are double agents who are in grave danger.

Like the film itself the filmmakers have also given a darker edge to Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler – Fanboys). Gone is much of the comedy shtick that was present around his character in the previous two films. Here he is fuelled by both depression and anger that has been brought on by Queenie turning to the dark-side and as an audience member you can’t help but worry about the safety of a Muggle who seems determined to go up against a gifted wizard like Grindelwald and his followers.

The more intense screenplay also allows for some great acting performances by the film’s leads. Jude Law takes his portrayal of Dumbledore to a whole new level. We see a different side to the much loved character as his relationship with Grindelwald is explored more and Law further enhances the role by making it feel like he is playing a character stuck in the middle of a war thriller.

Likewise Eddie Redmaybe is at the top of his game here is well. He keeps the small nuances present that we have come to expect from Newt as a character. His shyness and awkwardness is still there but we still more bravery and determination when he realises that the lives of those he cares about – including his brother Theseus (Callum Turner – War & Peace) – are in danger. The fact that Newt is also kept relevant by incorporating his ‘creatures’ into the storyline is also a stroke a genius from Kloves and Rowling as well.

The Verdict

It was hard to imagine that films in the Wizarding World would ever reach the heights that some of the better Harry Potter films did but Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore shows that there is still creativity to be had with this franchise. The darker tone enhances the film and makes it lot better than a lot of people expected it would be. This film is a surprisingly well written and suspenseful affair.

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Related

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore Review
Dave Griffiths
January 10, 2023
4/10
4 Overall Score

David YatesEddie RedmayneEzra MillerFantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of DumbledoreJ.K. RowlingJude LawMads MikkelsenSteve Kloves
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Dave Griffiths

Dave Griffiths has worked as a journalist for over twenty years now -covering topics including film, television, music, travel and sport (with a main focus on AFL Football). That time has seen him host the popular X-Wired television program for seven seasons as well as write for various magazines such as Buzz Magazine, Heavy Mag, Stage Whispers, The Banner and Eternity.. He has even branched out into writing online for Subculture Entertainment, Media Search and The Book The Film The T-Shirt. He also worked as the online editor for Entertainment 360 for three years. Dave's radio work has seen him work on various radio stations including 3RPP, Triple R and Light FM. He is currently the resident film reviewer on Sydney's 2UE radio station and can be heard reviewing what is new at cinemas and on DVD each week on Wednesdays at 3pm with Ed Phillips. He is also the co-host of Melbourne's 94.1FM's breakfast show 'The Motley Crew' and he can sometimes be heard on J-Air's 'First On Film'. David is also the co-host of two popular podcasts - ‘The Good, The Bad, The Ugly Film Show,' and 'The Popcorn Conspiracy' As far as Film Reviewing goes David is an elected committee member of AFCA (Australian Film Critics Association and a member of IPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics)/FIPRESCI (Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique). He has also served as a jury member for a number of international film festivals and is considered an expert on cult cinema, horror movies and Australian films.

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