Lorena Lobo
Spoilers Ahead!
The third movie of the franchise Fantastic Beasts just came out and it’s already divided the critics’ and public opinion. Is it good enough to gain a sequel, or has the series come to an end?
After four years of waiting for the follow up of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. The franchise’s newest movie just came up to the theatres in early April. Aside from the controversies, The Secrets of Dumbledore made out and brought fans of the Wizarding World a little more magic.
The Magizoologist Newt Scamander, played by Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne, returns to another adventure but with a little less protagonism. As the plot focuses – or at least tries to – on the secrets of the famous professor Dumbledore (Jude Law) and Grindelwald’s (Mads Mikkelson) plan of igniting a wizarding world war, the Magizoologist becomes a side character.
However, we can not dismiss the fact that the young Magizoologist enchants the public with his nerdish boy personality. Even if his protagonism did not shine during the 142 minutes of the movie, he still is one of the favourites within fandom community.
The Plot
The movie begins with Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald having an afternoon tea. Although the scene had less than 10 minutes and only a short dialogue between the wizards, we were introduced to Dumbledore’s secret. He is homosexual, Grindelwald is the love of his life, and they have made a blood pact. So here we discover the titular character’s secret.
Following that discovery, the film introduces us to the main character of the story, not Newt, but Qilin, a creature who is the key to Grindelwald extending his life beyond death in his quest for ultimate power. Then, the film picks up where the previous one left us. Jacob is alone in New York, while Queenie is away with Grindelwald, and Tina Goldstein is currently working as an Auror in MACUSA.
Later on, we met professor Eulalie Hicks, one of my ultimate favourite characters so far, played brilliantly by actress Jessica Williams. Also, an honourable mention of Theseus Scamander, and Bunty, Newt’s brother and assistant in order, who gained slightly more screen time.
Overall, the plot dissolves in the ‘Dumbledore’s Army’ trying to stop Grindelwald from taking the Wizarding World. Still, the second half of the movie was very impressive with all the special visual and sound effects and comedic moments.
A comeback to Hogwarts
Besides all the drama and magical creatures, Potterheads were able to revel in nostalgia by returning to Hogwarts. This film follows the trend that many franchises have taken advantage of by referencing the Harry Potter movies and books whenever suitable.
Even though we already know that Albus is the headmaster of Hogwarts, we had yet to see the magical school in the previous Fantastic Beasts movies. Fortunately, that is no longer the case as the team have to go Hogwarts to meet with the headmaster and prepare to defeat Grindelwald. So we are treated with camera pans of Hogwarts school paired with the iconic Harry Potter films’ theme song playing in the background.
They also reference Newt and his brother’s time at Hogwarts, when Dumbledore says the words “3 points to Hufflepuff.” This will undoubtedly have any Harry Potter fan smiling in the cinema room (especially us Hufflepuffs).
The journalist Katie Kawamoto, affirmed in her review for ‘That Hashtag Show’: “Hogwarts and Harry Potter have an extraordinary place in the hearts of many people all over the globe, and the third instalment of Fantastic Beasts brings the audience right back into the world they know and love.”
Is This The End?
Unfortunately, the third movie of the Harry Potter spinoff did not get all the hype it was willing to. Secrets of Dumbledore has been harshly criticised since its premiere. Additionally, the film has been tainted by controversy with Johnny Depp’s firing, Ezra Miller’s arrest, and Rowling’s stance on trans issues.
Even if the fans like the movie and want a sequel, that’s not enough for Warner Bros. As reported by ScreenRant, while Fantastic Beasts is supposed to be a five-film franchise, Warner Bros is waiting to gauge the performance and public’s perception of Fantastic Beasts 3 before it greenlights the final two films.
Until then, we fans must wait and hope for the renewal of the franchise. We all want to see the story’s development and its characters after the chaotic end. And last but not least we need to see if our ship Newtina is alive after the encounter at Queenie and Jacob’s wedding.
After all, I truly do not believe that Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore was the close of the franchise.
Featured Image courtesy of Jules Marvin Eguilos on Unsplash . Image licence found here. No changes were made to this image.