Nerds That Geek Movie Review – ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

When we think of certain franchises, they immediately remind us of warm childhood memories, specifically the awe and wonder we first experienced when being introduced to said franchise, and we carry that joy with us everywhere we go, and we often discuss with others how every other entry in our favorite sweeping sagas, always manage to recapture the magic and the feel of the first story that we fell in love with. But as time marches on, I’m starting to notice a fascinating trend when it comes to these all-important stories in that, they’re beginning to mature and well…outright grow up.
 
It’s something we saw happen in 2017 with Star Wars: The Last Jedi, since that particular motion picture pushed iconic characters to new heights by having them deal with some surprisingly powerful adult related concepts instead of focusing on the fluffier moments as its predecessors did and I’m also noticing that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is beginning to grow up as well, at a much slower pace than the franchise set in a galaxy, far, far away of course, but make no mistake about it, the Fantastic Beasts spin off is definitely a more adult themed entry in this universe and the latest release in this storied franchise, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is proof positive of just how far this universe has come storytelling wise.
 
For when I was first introduced to the Harry Potter series of films, it was obvious they were catered to a far younger audience, and they peppered in just a smidge of more mature concepts to keep the parents present in the theater happy and while we did indeed watch Harry grow into a man and a powerful wizard at that, there was a level of gravity missing from the stories, at least for me, and that was something I didn’t find in the series until Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them since that particular film felt free of the trappings of Harry’s universe and it was able to explore darker themes and concepts. But it too still had a childlike, uplifting feel to it, which is why its sequel caught me so completely off guard. 

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​Because The Crimes of Grindelwald dives into some supremely adult concepts, the kind that I honestly didn’t think the saga was capable of digging into. Case in point, the fact that this film removes some of the mysticism surrounding wizards. While they were presented as noble yet capable of mistakes in the Potter series, here they are merely human beings who are in tune with the wonder and power of magic, and they harbor all the flaws that the rest of us do. Some wizards are full of fear and self-doubt in this tale, or they operate in grey areas where tough decisions are made, and this is the first time I’ve found any of characters in this universe supremely relatable and accessible.
 
However, what truly impressed me about this motion picture, is that it found a way to add commentary and relevance when it comes to the modern world we populate since Grindelwald serves as the perfect allegory for how fear controls modern mankind. For his silver tongued speeches and terrifying views of the world help stoke fear in the wizarding community and draw them to his side and well, some of the things he had to say and some of the things he does here are quite reminiscent of the silver tongued, fear mongering snake oil salesmen that run nations and quite frankly, his actions resemble the fears and misinformation we consistently see spread on social media these days since people were clearly quick to absorb and spread Grindelwald’s twisted messages without giving it a second thought.
 
If anything, I have to admit that I found myself supremely impressed with this motion picture. Because this one took some seriously bold chances with this storied and sweeping franchise and in my humble opinion, the gambits pay off. For the chances taken here draw you into the story, and leave you rooting for Newt and his friends to defeat the evil that is clearly taking root with the wizarding community and in all honestly, this is a movie that I likely need to see again, in part to feast upon the incredible visuals, but more so to properly dissect all the messages present in an angry and powerful wizard themed movie, one that tries to warn us that evil in this world sneaks up on us when we least expect it, and it’s up to everyone to fight it when it arrives on our doorstep. 

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