When it comes to franchises, Hollywood has cornered the market. Seemingly, every other film is that of part of a franchise. Don't believe me? "Star Wars", "The Avengers", "Harry Potter", "The Twilight Saga", "Indians Jones", "Jaws", etc. It all started with "Airport" back in 1969. After that made a truck load of money, Hollywood jumped on the band wagon and started producing more. So now we have the second installment of the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise entitled "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald".
At the end of the first film, the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) was captured by MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States) with help of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), But, making good on his threat, Grindelwald escaped custody and has set about gathering followers, most unsuspecting of his true agenda: to raise pure-blood wizards up to rule over all non-magical beings. In an effort to thwart Grindelwald's plans, Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) enlists his former student Newt Scamander, who reluctantly agrees to help, unaware of the danger that lies ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family including Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), Seraphina Picquery (Carmen Ejogo), Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudol), Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston) and Arnold Guzman (Cornell S. John), in an increasingly divided world.
Others to round out the cast are Zoe Kravitz as Leta Lestrange, Ezra Miller as Credence Barebone, Callum Turner as Theseus Scamander, Newt's brother, Kevin Guthrie as Abernathy, Derek Riddell as Torquil Travers and Wolf Roth as Spielman.
This was adequately directed by David Yates ("The Tichborne Claimant" '98, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" '07, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" '09, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" '10, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" '11, "The Legend of Tarzan" '16, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" '16) plus TV and shorts. Considering this filmmaker's resume, it would be interesting to see what he could do with a project if the characters were a totally different type of people. The characters Yates works with are similar on many levels so it causes one to wonder what he could really do given an entirely different film to work with. He's adequate, however he could be more. If you like his brand of directing, not to worry: it has been announced that he will be helming "Fantastic Beasts" 3, 4 and 5 scheduled for release on 2020, 2022 and 2024 respectively. It was written by J.K. Rowling (The entire "Harry Potter" franchise, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" '16) plus TV and shorts. Speaking of working with familiar projects, Rowling is a talented writer and it would actually be interesting to see what she could do given a totally different project. She's a consummate pro with this genre and subject matter, but it doesn't showcase what true talent she holds. This installment of this franchise wasn't nearly as fresh and cutting edge as the first installment mostly because in this the storyline simply got bogged down with choppiness and the script meandered too much from one scene to the next. As previously mentioned, she is a talented writer, so I'm not sure what happened--bad day at the laptop? Not sure, but suffice it to say, hopefully the third installment changes and we receive the benefits of a much better script. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a wash, the characters are as rich as they are eclectic, but where the cohesiveness lacks, it harms the essence of what she is attempting to convey to the audience. As with Yates, she will be writing "Fantastic Beasts" 3, 4 and 5. With this ability to be a talented writer, it would be curious to see what she could do with another genre, say maybe a comedy. Perhaps one day we'll see.
If you liked "Harry Potter" or films like those, you'll love this. The makers of this franchise certainly play it safe, but they are definitely in good company. It's easy to stay in ones' comfort zone, whether it be directing or writing, but working outside the box has its benefits if you are willing to take the risk to see what you can accomplish. This is something we all can benefit from in all our lives.
Out of 4 Stars: 2.5 Rated: PG-13 134mins.
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