Mikkelsen does a terrific job of portraying Grindelwald in his new role, and the resting look of disgust on his face does justice to the character. There are still plenty of good things to be said about this movie, however, as it proves to be a fun watch and return to the Wizarding World. Instead, they allowed this movie to be its own story - which proved to be a good decision, as this plot was easier to follow despite several hiccups.

With the return of “Harry Potter” screenwriter Steve Kloves, many expected the writing of this movie to supersede that of its predecessor: “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.” Although this is accomplished, that is not saying much, as there is a clear struggle to deliver a meaningful build-up to the hinted-at battle between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, which is expected to take place in the fourth or fifth installment of the series.Īdditionally, the writers did not seem to have any interest in patching up mistakes of the previous film or addressing some of its discarded subplots. The unlikely group attempts to prevent the rise of the powerful dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen), who aims to take over both magical and non-magical worlds by provoking a war between “muggles” - or humans - and wizards. “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” follows Hogwarts professor Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law), magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) and their team of witches and wizards. Raking in $43 million on opening weekend with a budget of $200 million, the movie proved to be the strongest installment in what still appears to be a dying series. “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,” released Friday, was the third installment in the ongoing “Fantastic Beasts” series of “Harry Potter” spinoff films. “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” proves that until the “Fantastic Beasts” series reaches its finale, it will continue to lack appeal. From left to right: Jessica Williams, Callum Turner, Fiona Glascott, Dan Fogler, Jude Law and Eddie Redmayne in “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.” Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Harry potter secrets of dumbledore