Hot take incoming, I prefer the two Fantastic Beasts movies to all of the Harry Potter movies! I know some of you just spat out your coffee, but truth be told the Harry Potter franchise never grabbed me the same way it did many other people. I do not hate it or anything like that, but I had way more fun with the two Fantastic Beast movies.
How to Stream or Download Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
You can stream it or you can download the film from a digital store. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. If you like the film, check out also Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
The Movie Review
The reason I told you that was so that you knew my hype for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore was pretty darn high. I will admit that the way Johnny Depp was unfairly cast aside left a sour taste in my mouth, but by the end of the movie, Mads Mikkelsen was probably my favorite part of it!
After the events of the second movie, Grindelwald is still making big moves to effectively rule the world of magic. Grindelwald has is devout followers and more dangerously, he is willing to do anything no matter what or who gets in his way. Grindelwald is a tremendous villain and a villain so dangerous that Albus Dumbledore himself has to step in and put together a team to try and stop him.
Eddie Redmayne once again is fantastic as Newt Scamander. Ezra Miller reprises his role from the last movie and without giving any spoilers, I was blown away by how his whole story arc went. One character that I loved being back in the movie was Jacob Kowalski, Newt’s muggle buddy! Newt and Jacob have amazing chemistry and it is a real highlight of the movie for me.
I have heard some mixed things about the movie in terms of the plot and I think much of what I have heard has been a bit harsh. My sister-in-law is a diehard Harry Potter fan and she does not consider these movies to be canon. So perhaps my not being a diehard Harry Potter fan is why I have been able to get so much enjoyment out of these, including this one here.
The movie moves at a pretty brisk pace. I think that there is a good mixture of dramatic moments and spectacular action scenes too. It is like you are on a ride at an amusement park for some of the scenes. I do think that it is starting to get away a bit from the “beasts” aspects of what I thought this series was going to be, but I guess that was always going to have to happen as the stakes got bigger.
Visually, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is truly remarkable stuff. The imagination at play here and the way this magical world is brought to life is just amazing and I tip my hat to the wizards who did all of the CGI and practical effects for this movie. I will say that things can get a bit dark and hard to see, but to be fair that could have just been the theatre I was in.
I, hand-on-heart, do not know why Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is not getting better reviews. I had a great time watching this with my wife and we both said that we are excited for the next one. Hopefully, this one makes enough money as Warner Brothers have not committed to making a fourth one just yet!
