In 1999, George Lucas released the first of his Star Wars prequel trilogy, The Phantom Menace. The film was a financial success, but critics gave it a lukewarm response and die-hard fans of Star Wars were left with a sense of crushing disappointment. Now it seems that celebrated Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling is going down the same path as George Lucas with her Fantastic Beasts franchise, which takes place roughly seventy years before the birth of the iconic boy wizard. Following on from 2016’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Crimes of Grindelwald follows magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) as he attempts to find the mysterious Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller), the strange boy who is also being targeted by the dark wizard Grindelwald (Johnny Depp), who has escaped incarceration and is trying to recruit more witches and wizards to his cause.

2016’s Fantastic Beasts was J.K. Rowling’s first foray into screenwriting, and it showed: the plot was unfocused, the tone all over the place. But the film still had a certain charm. It did not recapture the magic of the Harry Potter franchise, but it was a mildly entertaining, though forgettable fantasy adventure. Sadly, J.K. Rowling has not learned from her mistakes. Instead she seems to have made even more. The Crimes of Grindelwald displays a terribly unfocused screenplay. The film bombards you with far too many characters and subplots that will leave casual audiences and even die-hard Potter fans (myself included) scratching their heads in befuddlement. The film is so bogged down in family lineage and backstory that the film actually grinds to a halt at the end of the second act, so the characters can stand around and essentially explain the plot to one another.

What’s especially frustrating is that, like the Star Wars prequels and The Hobbit trilogy, the film relies too heavily on foreshadowing the original series that audiences already know and love rather than focusing on its own story. The Crimes of Grindelwald is filled with lazy fan service, most of it more head-scratching than pleasing. Voldemort’s snake Nagini is revealed to be a human woman (Claudia Kim) with a blood curse. This subplot and character serves no purpose to the narrative, and only exists as a wink to fans who know the original series. And yes, it was nice to revisit the familiar Hogwarts once more, but all it made me realise was how much I’d rather be watching one of the Harry Potter films.

That isn’t to say the film is totally without merit. David Yates tries his best to create a flowing film out of J.K. Rowling’s convoluted screenplay, and it’s a reasonably admirable attempt. He has crafted a gorgeous-looking film, with some fun visual effects and an arresting score by James Newton Howard. He has also assembled a cast that tries its best to salvage the material. Eddie Redmayne is charming as the socially awkward hero, Newt Scamander. Johnny Depp gives a surprisingly subdued and almost sophisticated performance as our villain, Grindelwald. Despite the fact that he looks as if he walked off the set of a Tim Burton production, Depp brings a surprising gravitas to the role. A sequence in the third act where he tries to rally a crowd of witches and wizards to his cause is surprisingly chilling. Jude Law is also a worthy casting choice as a young Albus Dumbledore. He captures Dumbledore’s charm and intelligence very well, even if he doesn’t get a lot of screen time. Dan Fogler also returns as muggle (er, no-maj) Jacob Kowalski. He was the stand-out character in the first film, and he is once again delightful, but sadly his character isn’t given much to do, buried by the sheer amount of characters and subplots.

Director David Yates tries his best to create a flowing film, but J.K. Rowling’s overly dense, convoluted screenplay makes this impossible. The film is well-acted and visually terrific, but whether you’re a casual audience member or a die-hard Potter fanatic, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald will leave you scratching your head in both confusion and frustration. The Crimes of Grindelwald is The Phantom Menace of the Harry Potter franchise. And we have three more movies to go. Maybe J.K. Rowling can take a screenwriting class before starting the next one? We can only hope.





