Fantastic Beasts Review

[author_by_night]

Okay, I don't think I can say anything else without a CUT FOR MASSIVE SPOILERS for Crimes of Grindlewald. The tl;dr is that I actually didn't hate the movie. In fact, there were parts I really liked! It's just that... none of those parts involved the main cast. 

So, here we go.



First, we need to talk about Queenie, Jacob and Tina. Good. Fucking. Merlin.  I kind of get the impression that where Queenie is concerned, they're positing her as the type who is really disheartened, and believes that going towards the worst possible option will help her, even though in reality, it's everything she's against.  Has she not spoken to Tina about Grindlewald? Clearly Tina knows what he's about. There's an offhand mention of Tina not approving of Jacob and Queenie's dating. That doesn't seem consistent with Tina as we met her, nor is this really discussed. In fact, like in the first film, nothing is discussed. I have no idea why I'm supposed to like Tina, especially if she has views consistent with the Malfoy family, for instance. It could be that she was simply protective of Queenie and Jacob for safety reasons -  that would be understandable. But we never learn that.

 Is Queenie going to just be a villain now, or is she going to have some sort of fall back into grace? There IS an American Quidditch player in one of JK Rowling's Daily Prophet writings she did a while ago with the last name Kowalski, so... that gives me some hope. Still, Jo seems to have sunk my ship.  For now.  Don't get me wrong - I can kind of see how Queenie was drawn into Grindlewald. I just don't buy it entirely, nor do I see how Jacob would forgive her. Maybe the idea will grow on me. Can I still go down with this ship? 


Also, Jacob is shown just strolling along to Hogwarts with our Big Damn Heroes. So... where was Tina's reaction to her sister becoming a Grindlewald supporter, since surely she must know? That needed a scene. Does Tina not exist outside of action sequences and the longing of Newt's heart? Then again, does Newt even exist? Are we going to end the movie series with a mad Jacob at St. Mungo's holding a snowglobe, because the whole thing was a fantasy he made up after reading Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them? I'm beginning to find that more credible. 

Okay, that's harsh. I just needed to be snarky. :P There are aspects of Newt I like. I think he realizes there's good in everyone, but isn't naive about it the way even Dumbledore can be. And I liked seeing him at his "normal" job, too, with his assistant. I've basically made it my headcanon that she's a Weasley or a Prewett, some sort of great aunt of the Weasley kids, and her stories inspired Charlie to work with dragons. I just... don't get a sense of their characters. Also, how much contact has he had with Tina if Tina doesn't know who he's really engaged to? Did they just reunite seven years later with all feelings intact? Why would Queenie just randomly visit him seven years later? ETA: Apparently I got that wrong; it's been 18 months.  

Moving on. For a character arc that Jo had had in mind for 20 years, Nagini... literally served no purpose other than to be a namedrop. I really want to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume she'll be important later, but at the same time... that's how I felt about Newt and co.  My guess is the implication will be that she is rendered into the Lestrange family, and then onto Voldemort. Then to be beheaded by Neville. I just didn't see the need. There's a lot of name dropping, but while some makes sense, some of it just feels like a wink. Flamel - get it? The Philosopher's Stone? McGonagall - get it? She's supposed to basically  be an infant about now? Others were fine - Travers was fine. McLaggen was fine. They're minor characters who clearly would have had ancestors running around. It's more when canon is altered for what really
seems to be a namedrop.

Which brings us to Credence, who apparently is really Aurelis Dumbledore. He's too young to be a Dumbledore brother. Right? I don't know, maybe it's a mislead. I'm going to trust Jo there. I know her math's bad, but even she must realize Jude Law's a LOT older than the guy who plays Credence. So fine. Jo, I give you this one. This one. And for one reason only. Because I actually  liked the Dumbledore storyline. The Unbreakable Vow with Grindlewald is maybe a tad convoluted, but not terribly so. Also, I think Jude Law was absolutely perfect as Dumbledore. I could buy that this man was the Dumbledore we meet in the books. 100%. Maybe a bit tweed; that's my only criticism. However, it might have also been a stylistic choice. This movie was, to be fair, not really a purple robes and hat kind of film. OTOH, that could've added some flavor. 

I was also dreading the Leta Lestrange storyline, and I actually didn't hate it. There were some holes, but honestly, I liked the nuance. Her character made sense to me. You expect her to GO evil, and she doesn't. I was so worry she'd basically become the Evil Former Love interest. So that worked. 

Another thing I liked were the visual effects. And the sound effects! The room seemed to move at times, and it wasn't even 3D. I loved it. I felt very drawn into the story. That's important. There wasn't a moment where I was bored, not even during the action sequences - and let me tell you, action sequences often do bore me.

ETA: One thing I failed to mention? I LOVED the score coming back as soon as we saw Hogwarts. I didn't get teary, but I definitely felt like I'd come home. So that was a powerful moment for me.  

However, for all the actually interesting action, effects and nostalgia, there's a very important element missing: The humanity. One of the things I loved about the books is that for all we see Harry fighting Voldemort or going on various other quests, we get to know the trio as people, too. And some of the other characters to an extent. We see a bit of that with Dumbledore in the classroom and Newt at work, but not a whole lot. I guess a movie has less room to devote to an entire chapter where they're all at Hogsmeade (just for one example), but even the movies still had those moments.
 
It's actually passable at worst, IMHO, and has very good parts at best. The problem, In my view, is that Jo couldn't decide if she wanted the story to be about the Lestranges, about Newt and his friends, or about Dumbledore and Grindlewald. I'm hoping that by the third movie, it comes together. But I'm also not sure how she can disentangle from what appears to be quite a mess. :/ I guess there's always fanfic.