Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

The Potter Prequels progress with Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. I questioned Warner's plan for a five-film series after the convoluted The Crimes of Grindelwald. Believe me, I still do. But this film's less cluttered (despite being longer) plot relieves some of my perplexedness.

That Dark Lord Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen, tagging in for Johnny Depp) is out to take over the Wizarding World. He takes the relatively peaceful route by running for Supreme Mugwump (Wizard World Leader). But he gets current Mugwump Anton Vogel (Oliver Masucci) to expunge his criminal record. He also needs a Qilin (pronounced Chillin), a Fantastic Beast whose goodness detection is vital to the election. His goons steal a newborn but forget its twin.

Magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) and company are sent by Dumbledore (Jude Law) to topple Grindelwald before he gets elected. Dumbledore could do it himself, but as Grindelwald's former friend (and more), he's magically unable to. Our heroes' attempt to thwart Grindelwald in Berlin accidentally enables his Kill the Muggles campaign. They'll have to try again in Bhutan, the site of the actual election. All the while, they have to keep the other Qilin safe. Meanwhile, Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller), who is actually Dumbledore's long lost nephew Aurelius, is on the fence about reconciling with the family.

While David Yates returns to direct a script by JK Rowling herself, they're now joined by the Potter films' head writer, Steve Kloves. It's got quite a few subplots, some more developed than others. The best one involves Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler) and his girlfriend, reluctant Grindelwald follower Queenie (Alison Sudol). They're more compelling than Newt, who comes across as a pinball protagonist here. He still gets a tense set piece as he rescues his brother Theseus (Callum Turner) from a German prison. Our heroes' climactic trek through Bhutan involves some clever magical cloak-and-dagger work; this includes a strong payoff for Dumbledore Double Agent Yusuf Kama's (William Nadylam) subplot.

We have some compelling figures driving the plot. Mikkelsen as Grindelwald is a formidably charismatic Dark Lord whose rationality rarely falters. Law as Dumbledore is a reluctant hero who still proves himself a crafty wizard. They have good moments apart and better ones together. It's evident right from the start when Dumbledore and Grindelwald meet. There's so much palpable tension as the two reminisce about their youth. They still care for each other despite their ideological differences. Their mutual tension explodes in a final wizarding duel. 

The technical wizards still know their craft. The production designers and visual effects team collaborate on more amazing locales. The German prison is a cave made more menacing by the monstrous Manticore and its creepy offspring. Bhutan itself is the most impressive locale the film visits. The CGI creatures are another fantastic menagerie of beasts. Pay close attention to the Qilin for a visual clue on the extent of Grindelwald's plan. It didn't hit me until he got exposed. The magical books used for teleporting are nifty effects, too. A few more points are awarded to George Richmond's cinematography and James Newton-Howard's score.

This was conceived as a five-film series. But The Secrets of Dumbledore has a clear ending in case it doesn't conjure up major money. If so, then it ends the series on a decent note. It's a bit rushed especially considering the much-hyped final duel between Dumbledore and Grindelwald is still years off. Ironically, its central figures are so compelling that I wouldn't mind one more movie to show that duel. Key word: ONE. I'll leave it to you to decide if you want to see this current film or not.