Animales fantásticos. Los secretos de Dumbledore

The most useless film franchise proves that it can be even more useless. David Yates kick-started his career with Harry Potter, but even he and J.K. Rowling must know that this juggernaut they're working on won't win them much applause. Whereas the previous films were merely dull and uninteresting, this one is just a mess most of the time. Things happen that don't make sense, characters appear as it suits the director, and most of them are about as interesting as those faceless bad guys in Commando. Woefully empty. Dumbledore just has a plan, he doesn't tell anyone, and you as the audience must enjoy it, that’s it. The final quarter in Bhutan does offer a few ideas and an attempt at some closure to all this nonsense but I'm really not going to praise the film for climbing from drivel to mediocrity. If the water closes behind this bloodless void after the third film, I won't miss it. On the other hand, I'm glad Yates is dedicating his measly filmmaking skills to this franchise and not hurting anywhere else... (06.04.2022)

Worst cinema visit of the year so far. This is a huge disappointment. I'm a fan of Harry Potter, and I even of the first two Fantastic Beasts movies (which have been heckled by others), but I absolutely did not enjoy this one. Personally, I'm happy for any major fantasy film with monsters, wizards and spectacular VFX attractions as I love the genre and we don't get that too often. Fantastic Beasts definitely has the potential to fulfill all of that, but rather than a spectacular fantasy flick, I felt like I was watching a spectacular family drama with mild fantasy elements, and I certainly didn't order that. David Yates' whole world is crumbling under his feet and he doesn't really know what he wants to do. It's dull, uninteresting, overlong, overwrought and actually quite annoying. Mikkelsen as a replacement for Depp is sadly unworkable, Jude Law is perhaps the only good character and I was entertained by the mysterious Ezra Miller. The rest of the characters, including the protagonist, are both uninteresting and useless. I enjoyed the few references and the return to Hogwarts, along with the theme song, it did play nostalgically on emotions. There are surprisingly only three action scenes (spectacular, pretty but short, and they are few). 15 minutes of action in a 140 minute blockbuster is really a bad idea. I wish at least the humour worked, but it's childish and the few twists are not really engaging. Personally, I was bored waiting for the ending and I can't imagine a full house of kids being entertained by this film (I guess they won't be too interested in the political election). I found it strange that the main character didn't really show much of anything for the whole film, in fact I thought he was more of a supporting character and that probably wasn't the point. Well it was unsatisfying. Story 3/5. Action 3/5, Humour 1/5, Violence 0/5, Fun 2/5 Music 3/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 3/5, Suspense 2/5, Emotion 2/5, Actors 3/5. 4/10. (18.04.2022)

After the first movie, things went from ten to five with Fantastic Beasts. The second one was a real letdown for me, which I had just gotten over. The magic of Hogwarts has worn off, I got lost again for quite some time in the confusing and less than imaginative story of a group of unmatched characters. It was a completely unfortunate role for Mads. It's very nice that they cast him, but how about writing a role for him so he can actually act in it? So the lightest scene in the film for me remains Eddie's dance with the crabs and animals. (14.04.2022)

Nothing happens. Everybody managed to overcome the obstacles without any great trouble and it all ended up fine in the end. Rowling can tell a good story, but now she has nothing to tell, or else she’s saving up the entertaining stuff for her next two books. When will the wizards have to zig-zag between tanks on a Second World War battlefield? To make matters worse, Yates has no invention and has been humming the same tune since the fifth Potter. Dumbledore’s great secret is just a confirmation of what we long since suspected and Law has no material to work with. Mikkelsen has almost nothing to act and spends most of the time stroking a Chinese fawn. The rest of the gang traipse from place to place, sorry, relocate themselves according to Dumbledore’s secret plan which is so secret that nobody, including the viewer, understands it. Not even Dan Fogler makes it any better. Part four has to be tanks vs. wizards with a new director. Otherwise there’s no point in filming it. (11.06.2022)

Being part of the generation that grew up on the Harry Potter books, I'm always excited for every return to the world of witchcraft and wizardry (not just) at Hogwarts. However, I have mixed feelings about Fantastic Beasts even after the third installment. On the one hand, I'm glad that the mythology of the wizarding world is expanding, but on the other, this series reeks of milking a famous brand for profit. The Secrets of Dumbledore has more than one remarkable (and nostalgic) scene, but at the same time I felt that more than one well-intentioned or imaginative scene was lost in the tangle of the awkward script. The line with the qilin was great, though I couldn't help but think of the poor unicorn from The Philosopher's Stone at every mention of its purest purity. The depiction and reinterpretation of the relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald was perhaps a little too literal in places, but I quite welcomed the casting of Mads Mikkelsen (Johnny Depp may be my favorite actor, but he just wasn't a good casting choice). With the magic duels, I felt like the creators were inspired by the MCU, especially Dr. Strange, and I don't really know if that's a good thing or not. The character of Queenie was finally tolerable to me, while Credence didn't sit well with me this first time around. Thanks to the setting of the story in Berlin, among other places, the film features several German actors, which I welcomed, and I would especially single out Oliver Masucci (known from the series Dark). I'm obviously curious about the next (and hopefully final) sequel, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the third Fantastic Beasts in the cinema, yet as a viewer I it left me with a sort of bad aftertaste from the obvious plot overkill and disjointedness. Better three stars! (13.04.2022)