Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald – Currently enduring an international travel ban, Newt Scamander is trapped in London but when the evil Grindelwald escapes his captors and makes his way to Paris, Newt is asked by Albus Dumbledore to go there covertly to stop him. Credence Barebone is still alive and is Grindelwald’s target, Newt must find him first but Credence’s desire to discover his origins may push him further away.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) – Director: David Yates

Rating: 12

Running Length: 134 mins

Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Johnny Depp, Katherine Waterson

Genre: Fantasy

REVIEW: ‘FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD’

‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ introduced us to Newt Scamander, an unassuming young wizard who has a special affinity with unusual and misunderstood creatures. His friend, Jacob Kowalski, was ‘obliviated’ at the end (all his memories of their adventures were wiped) and Grindelwald had been captured. Now, in ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Newt is still caring for his creatures, Jacob’s memories have conveniently been retained and it is only a matter of time before Grindelwald escapes and, of course, despite his evil nature being famous, no plans are put in place for this eventuality.

‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’ doesn’t seem to see the need to make a whole lot of sense. It is unclear why Newt is sent to find Credence (and be put in harm’s way as it is known that Grindelwald is also looking for him). Grindelwald’s supposedly seductive voice is never shown to be anything special; his followers never show any signs of doing anything against their will and he talks to plenty of people who don’t follow him. Queenie’s love of Jacob at the beginning of the movie is so strong that her actions at the end simply don’t add up. And it is a real shame that despite being in many scenes, Johnny Depp only gets the chance to shine as Grindelwald at the very end of the movie when he’s making his impassioned speech.

However there are plenty of good things about the movie, for instance new character, Yusuf Kama (William Nadylam), is suitably mysterious, his loyalties being unclear and the reveal of his story being genuinely intriguing and of course the movie as a whole looks absolutely stunning. It is good to see Newt’s ‘fantastic beasts’ being central to the plot and his ability to relate to new, seemingly dangerous creatures, is a joy to watch.

It’s nonsensical elements may let it down but ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’ is a feast for the senses and will no doubt entertain those who love the Harry Potter franchise.

CONTENT: IS ‘FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

The first scene shows Grindelwald imprisoned, silently watching, his captors explain that ‘he’s very persuasive so we removed his tongue’. He is put into a carriage which flies high into the air to be transferred to another prison, he is inevitably able to escape his bonds and attack the guards inside the carriage. Wands are seen to hover in front of two of the guards before they are magically pushed into their necks, there is no blood and the camera cuts before much suffering is seen. Grindelwald throws a creature out of the carriage, presumably killing it. He then pushes a man out of the carriage who falls a long way towards a body of water, however he is saved at the last second before being dropped into the water and survives.

Because this scene is set at night and there is a lot of lightning flashes, there is intense strobing for around 4 minutes.

Grindelwald and his followers enter an apartment, occupied by a family. From a distance, the camera shows the man walking towards a noise he has heard and a woman’s voice, presumably his wife’s, is heard. A green flash is seen and it is implied that they have been killed as a coffin is then loaded onto a hearse which was previously seen parked outside (so the murders were planned). When they are inside the apartment, a baby is discovered, calling for its mother. Grindelwald and the other men leave the room as a woman raises a wand towards the baby, the camera then cuts to a close-up of Grindelwald’s face as a green flash is seen behind him, indicating that the baby has also been killed.

When trying to find someone, Newt licks the pavement, knowing this person has walked along it. We mention this in case it is imitable for some kids.

Throughout the movie, there are several mentions of two male characters having a homosexual relationship. Nothing explicit is shown, however one character says that ‘We were closer than brothers’ and there is a scene where this character sees their former selves together and there is a strong sense of intimacy between them.

A man has a parasite in his eye and it is pulled out with tweezers. The camera is positioned at the man’s feet and those helping him stand in the way of anything unpleasant being seen. However, the man’s feet shake and he is heard groaning in distress. This only lasts a few seconds so isn’t too upsetting.

A man tells the story of his mother who was bewitched and seduced by a man who abducted her. She later died in childbirth.

Grindelwald surrounds himself with a blue fire to stop himself from being captured. Those who are loyal to him are able to pass through it unharmed, however those he doesn’t want with him try to go through but are consumed by the flames. This is shown onscreen as the fire engulfs them and they scream in pain (although there are no physical injuries).

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD’ FOR KIDS?

It may not make a lot of sense but ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’ is fun, exciting and beautiful to look at. There isn’t too much graphic content but as the movie is quite difficult to follow, we feel it is most appropriate for kids aged 10 and over.

• Violence: 3/5
• Emotional Distress: 3/5 (a baby dies due to the ship it is on sinking. The clothing it is wrapped up in is seen sinking into the water but the actual baby is not shown. An established character sacrifices themselves in order to save their loved ones)
• Fear Factor: 2/5 (Newt and some friends are attacked by large, black cats that have bright glowing eyes. They chase after them for around 2 minutes but the characters are able to escape unharmed)
• Sexual Content: 1/5 (Newt has an assistant who clearly has feelings for him. When he goes to jump into some water, she suggests ‘perhaps you should take off your shirt’)
• Bad Language: 1/5 (some mild, infrequent blasphemy)
• Dialogue: 1/5
• Other Notes: Deals with themes of caring for animals, understanding the misunderstood, love, going against authority for the greater good and fighter a stronger foe.

Words by Laura Record

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