Whoever made the trailer for this did a great job. It really intrigued me with the espionage vibes. Who can say no to Jude Law and Johnny Depp in the same movie? Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald put the actual beasts on the bench. This time around they focus on the political war between the enigmatic Grindelwald, who wants pure-blood wizards to control the world. I love how they expand on the inner workings of wizard government. A little light is shed on Dumbledore’s mysterious history as well.

This is a perfect successor to everything the previous film set up. There is one story element I wish they left alone, the Obscurus, a destructive force created from repressed magical energy. Tired of Credence and his bowl cut. I honestly feel certain parts are contrived. Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) makes this entry interesting with his influence. He recruited pure-blood wizards with propaganda. It’s his execution that is so effective, with less intimidation and more facts. Don’t be fooled, he still a stone-cold killer.

A much younger Professor Dumbledore enlisted Newt to thwart the advances of Grindelwald. That’s when the narrative jumped off the rails in every direction. Wasn’t sure how the events connected or why they were happened. The writers thew everything at the wall. Love triangle, who-done-it, child murder, fantastic beasts, more child murder. The cool thing is they’re all wrapped up nicely at the end. I think that is worth praise for such a complex story. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is an improvement for the franchise and gets a 7.5 out of 10.