Warner Bros. Pictures presents Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore in UK cinemas on April 8, 2022.
Synopsis
Professor Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) knows the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) is moving to seize control of the wizarding world. Unable to stop him alone, he entrusts Magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) to lead an intrepid team of wizards, witches and one brave Muggle baker on a dangerous mission, where they encounter old and new beasts and clash with Grindelwald’s growing legion of followers. But with the stakes so high, how long can Dumbledore remain on the sidelines?
Review
Things have been a little off in the Wizarding World of late, both in front of and behind the camera. So the arrival of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore arrives in a time of uncertainty for its characters and for fans of the long-running franchise.
Admittedly my own journey through Hogwarts has been patchy, I came to the books late and often played catch up with the films. Though I enjoyed the first Fantastic Beasts film, I struggled with the second and so appreciated much of Dumbledore‘s exposition to catch me up on what I had forgotten.
The addition of co-writer Steve Kloves, a long-time producer on the Potter and Beasts franchise, is the most welcome change between films. Kloves influence in steering the ship back towards the magic of old is apparent all across this third film in spin-off franchise. Grasping at many of the complex plot threads and capably weaving them together into something much more coherent and satisfying for the audience.
Clocking in at a whopping 144 minutes, Dumbledore is the longest film in the franchise. But with a huge ensemble cast and plenty of ground to cover, the film needs its bloated runtime in order to pull off a Herculean task. Thankfully for all the witches and wizards in the audience, The Secrets of Dumbledore is easily the most entertaining outing of the Fantastic Beasts franchise to-date.
In his seventh outing as a Wizarding World director, David Yates’ understanding of the visual language of the Potter-verse is like second nature. Fantastic Beasts detractors no-doubt felt the second film suffered for drastic change in direction to the first. But Dumbledore capably steers the ship in to an adventurous middle ground. It’s part adventure, filled with spells and magical creatures, but it’s also still a story of one man (Grindlewald) and the proliferation of his racial bias.
The Secrets of Dumbledore is arguably the most well balanced script we’ve seen these characters inhabit. The Crimes of Grindlewald seemed to push Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) to the side in favour of Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law). But here the two share the film like co-leads. Scamander is able to go back to his core mission of exploring magical realms, whilst Dumbledore is heavily wrapped up in the core conflict with Grindlewald (now Mads Mikkelsen). If ever the franchise were to reconcile those two elements it was now and I’m glad to see that Kloves has been able to shepherd that to the screen.
At the core of the story are Scamander, Dumbledore, Grindlewald and the returning Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudol), Theseus Scamander (Callum Turner), Lally Hicks (Jessica Williams), Yusuf Kama (William Nadylam), Credence (Ezra Miller) and, of course, Bunty Broadacre (Victoria Yeates). Then there is a huge supporting cast of new and returning characters. All of the above has a reason to be noted as a standout with the script giving plenty of beats to each. Somehow The Secrets of Dumbledore is able to turn its attention to each in ways which would have seemed impossible in the previous films.
If I were to highlight one, Jessica Williams absolutely commands the screen in every scene. From her distinctive character voice to her charismatic performance, everything about Lally screams for attention in the best way possible. Further exploration of her character is a must.
The standout, as with so many films set in this world, is James Newton Howard’s score. Once again Newton Howard has created a stellar soundscape for the story to inhabit. From recalling classic themes to his new original beats, every note is utter perfection and the highlight of the film.
At a reported $200M budget, The Secrets of Dumbledore looks every big at magical as it should. Light touches of magic are well realised on screen and magical creatures appear to be a mix of practical and visual effects. Some of the wider effects shots, such as the mountainous location for the final conflict with Grindlewald look a little less polished. But on the whole The Secrets of Dumbledore looks best where it really matters.
Verdict
Pulling on the threads of both the previous films, The Secrets of Dumbledore far surpasses its predecessors. Recapturing the magic of the Wizarding World, co-writer Steve Kloves has injected a healthy dose of emotion and peril back in to the franchise.
⭐⭐⭐.5
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