Home » Review | #CrimesofGrindelwald | Eddie Redmayne | Jude Law | JK Rowling

Review | #CrimesofGrindelwald | Eddie Redmayne | Jude Law | JK Rowling

Crimes of Grindelwald is the second installment in the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them franchise.

Cast and Crew:

Eddie Redmayne

Jude Law

Johnny Depp

Zoe Kravitz

Ezra Miller

Alison Sudol

Dan Fogler

Callum Turner

Claudia Kim

Written by JK Rowling

Directed by David Yates

Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander:

Redmayne returns as Newt Scamander, an oddball wizard who loves magical creatures and avoids human creatures. Redmayne’s interpretation of Scamander is someone who is on the autism spectrum. Redmayne barely makes eye contact, avoids hugs, fears ‘working in an office’. He has a problem following rules and social decorum. Redmayne’s jittery yet lovable energy does not get annoying for even a second. He remarkably brings the best of Rowling’s wizarding world to his character, someone that was merely a footnote in the main Harry Potter books. Scamander is also barely discovered in even Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them book. The book was mainly an anthology of magical creatures.

The Story:

The story opens from Grindelwald’s arc and moves on to Credence (Miller)’s quest to find his family. Newt is banned from traveling internationally by the Ministry of Magic. Newt’s brother, Theseus (Turner) loves Newt but is a little bit of a stickler for rules. Theseus’ fiance, Leta Lestrange (Kravitz) has a dark past. If you’re a Potter fan, the name should ring a bell immediately. Dumbledore (Law) is battling a few of his own demons.

Major Takeaways:

Since it is written by Rowling, the film takes generous twists and turns and speaks at length about various moral dilemmas that surround is. Rowling is a master of taking you down the philosophical loopholes of finding the grey, especially when it comes to making a choice. Thus, the beginning and the end of the film are practically flawless. However, the film loses its control of the plot in the middle and complex geographical plot points make it fairly confusing.

By the end of the film, the stage is set for the next installment but some of the ‘big’ reveals are too predictable, especially considering J. K. Rowling’s level of intellect. If you’re a Harry Potter purist, Crimes of Grindelwald will make you happy during the beginning and the end of the film. In the middle, it will confuse you or probably tick you off.

Law as Dumbledore is exceptional. His portrayal is the strongest part of Crimes of Grindelwald after Redmayne’s performance. However, we do hope that we see more of Law in the upcoming films.

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