Secrets Revealed in Fantastic Beasts Movie
By Jocelyn Cosgrove
By Jocelyn Cosgrove
Six years ago, “Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them” was released in theaters, the first wizarding movie to be released since “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II.” The newest installment of the Fantastic Beasts series, “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,” was released on April 15, after being delayed from its initial release in November 2021.
This newest film is set in 1932, a few years after the events of the second movie. Albus Dumbledore, played by Jude Law, puts together a team of a magizoologist, an auror, a faithful assistant, a wizard descended from a very old family, a Charms professor, and a Muggle baker, to stop Gellert Grindelwald, now played by Mads Mikkelsen, before he takes over the entire wizarding and Muggle world.
“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,” is a wonderful addition to the wizarding world, with its storyline. The best part of this movie is seeing the story unfold into something more than what has been discussed in the Harry Potter series. In those books, Grindelwald is only mentioned once or twice because he had the Elder Wand which he lost to Dumbledore in their final duel in 1945. So the story is far from over.
While the movie itself was really good, the plot was very confusing. Half the time, it wasn’t clear what was going on or what plan each character was following. By the end of the movie it became clear as to why Dumbledore’s plan was confusing. To stop Grindelwald’s rise of power, Dumbledore and his team have many plans inside one plan. Much like seen in the Harry Potter series, Dumbledore kept the most important information to himself, letting others go off part of the plan without much information to go on.
One thing this movie did really well was, like its title, revealed secrets that fans had only guessed. The true identity of Credence, or now known as Aurelius Dumbledore, played by Ezra Miller, the relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald and the events leading up to the final duel between those two wizards.
Another thing this movie does incredibly well, is tying up many of the loose ends from both this movie and previous movies. The ending gives room for a couple more movies, just to finish the story that has been told in the Harry Potter series.
Before the Fantastic Beasts movies, there wasn’t a lot that fans knew about Grindelwald and Dumbledore’s history. The most that fans knew were that Grindelwald and Dumbledore were close as young adults, that Dumbledore took the Elder Wand after their final duel and that was about it. In this movie, it goes deeper into what happened between the two, which is something that I really enjoyed watching. It gave a lot more insight into these two characters as individuals and the relationship they share.
Out of the other two Fantastic Beasts movies, “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” has gotten a lower Rotten Tomatoes score, as well as being low in the box office. For these reasons, Warner Bros. is thinking of discontinuing the Fantastic Beasts franchise. While the movie had a happier ending, there is still more of a story to be told. If the franchise is discontinued, it will end with questions still unanswered, like the events leading up to Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s final duel in 1945.
Cinematically, the Fantastic Beasts movies are much better than Harry Potter, a lot of it having to do with the fact that the Fantastic Beasts series is not bound by any book, but rather its own imagination. With that being said, “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,” was a confusing and amazing addition to the wizarding world. I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Harry Potter or to someone who needs a good movie series to watch.
This newest film is set in 1932, a few years after the events of the second movie. Albus Dumbledore, played by Jude Law, puts together a team of a magizoologist, an auror, a faithful assistant, a wizard descended from a very old family, a Charms professor, and a Muggle baker, to stop Gellert Grindelwald, now played by Mads Mikkelsen, before he takes over the entire wizarding and Muggle world.
“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,” is a wonderful addition to the wizarding world, with its storyline. The best part of this movie is seeing the story unfold into something more than what has been discussed in the Harry Potter series. In those books, Grindelwald is only mentioned once or twice because he had the Elder Wand which he lost to Dumbledore in their final duel in 1945. So the story is far from over.
While the movie itself was really good, the plot was very confusing. Half the time, it wasn’t clear what was going on or what plan each character was following. By the end of the movie it became clear as to why Dumbledore’s plan was confusing. To stop Grindelwald’s rise of power, Dumbledore and his team have many plans inside one plan. Much like seen in the Harry Potter series, Dumbledore kept the most important information to himself, letting others go off part of the plan without much information to go on.
One thing this movie did really well was, like its title, revealed secrets that fans had only guessed. The true identity of Credence, or now known as Aurelius Dumbledore, played by Ezra Miller, the relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald and the events leading up to the final duel between those two wizards.
Another thing this movie does incredibly well, is tying up many of the loose ends from both this movie and previous movies. The ending gives room for a couple more movies, just to finish the story that has been told in the Harry Potter series.
Before the Fantastic Beasts movies, there wasn’t a lot that fans knew about Grindelwald and Dumbledore’s history. The most that fans knew were that Grindelwald and Dumbledore were close as young adults, that Dumbledore took the Elder Wand after their final duel and that was about it. In this movie, it goes deeper into what happened between the two, which is something that I really enjoyed watching. It gave a lot more insight into these two characters as individuals and the relationship they share.
Out of the other two Fantastic Beasts movies, “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” has gotten a lower Rotten Tomatoes score, as well as being low in the box office. For these reasons, Warner Bros. is thinking of discontinuing the Fantastic Beasts franchise. While the movie had a happier ending, there is still more of a story to be told. If the franchise is discontinued, it will end with questions still unanswered, like the events leading up to Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s final duel in 1945.
Cinematically, the Fantastic Beasts movies are much better than Harry Potter, a lot of it having to do with the fact that the Fantastic Beasts series is not bound by any book, but rather its own imagination. With that being said, “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,” was a confusing and amazing addition to the wizarding world. I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Harry Potter or to someone who needs a good movie series to watch.