Fantastic Beasts The Secrets of Dumbledore: Nonsensical, lacks magic!

Fantastic Beasts The Secrets of Dumbledore first reviews praise Mads Mikkelsen’s ‘simmering intensity’, criticise ‘nonsensical’ narrative

Movie Name: Fantastic Beasts The Secrets of Dumbledore

The review embargo for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore has lifted, and initial reviews praise the film as an improvement over its immediate predecessor, but are still dubious about the need for a Harry Potter spinoff series. The Secrets of Dumbledore is the third film in the Fantastic Beasts franchise, following Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

Like many Hollywood projects, Fantastic Beasts The Secrets of Dumbledore‘s release was significantly delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was supposed to hit theaters in November 2021, but was pushed to April 2022. The film was also hindered by cast issues as both Depp and Ezra Miller, who plays Credence Barebones, dealt with personal issues behind the scenes. Despite this, production pushed through with controversial Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling co-writing the script with Steve Kloves, while director David Yates returns to helm the project after spearheading the first two Harry Potter films. Specific plot details for the film are still unclear, but it will continue to explore Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s complex relationship intertwined with a bigger arc in which the wizards navigate the World War II era.

With a 60% ‘fresh’ score on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Fantastic Beasts The Secrets of Dumbledore has fared slightly better than the second film, which has a 36% score, but is lower than the first movie, which has a 74% score. The site’s consensus reads: “Fantastic Beasts The Secrets of Dumbledore avoids some of the pitfalls that plagued its predecessor, but lacks much of the magic that drew audiences into the wizarding world many movies ago.”

Critics also praised Mads Mikkelsen’s performances as Gellert Grindelwald. Mikkelsen took over from Johnny Depp after the actor was asked to resign following his legal difficulties. It’s important to note that Ezra Miller, who will also star in Warner Bros’ upcoming The Flash movie, has been retained despite numerous run-ins with the law.

“Someone break out a real wand and put a spell on this series. It needs all the help it can get,” IndieWire’s Kate Erbland wrote. “It’s good-natured entertainment, though there is still something weightless and formless about the narrative,” the Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw countered. Kevin Maher of the Times wrote, “Mikkelsen’s simmering intensity adds a new layer of menace to the character but also suggests a credibly torrid romantic history with Dumbledore.” Polygon’s Charles Bramesco wrote, “An evident attempt to right the ship has turned into a calamitous case of mission drift, as a property with no identity travels in nonsensical circles, looking for a sustainable new direction.”

Fantastic Beasts The Secrets of Dumbledore stars Jude Law, Eddie Redmayne, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler, Callum Turner, Jessica Williams and others. The film arrives in Indian theatres on Friday, a week ahead of its US debut.