WHO will change the future? Sorry Harry, wait your turn.
In the second instalment of J.K. Rowling’s prequel, all eyes are on the awkwardly good-willed Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) and the dangerously, persuasive Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) but let’s not stop there.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald introduces a mystical character with a blank page on his identity.
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READ NOWWho could he be? No idea, could not say. The dense foreshadowing leaves many a question unanswered and builds suspense for events yet to come.
A twist of subplots on the themes of power and popularity verses family and love are influential in shaping the characters, but a certain detachment and lack of empathy is experienced when things go wrong.
Though rich in symbolism, flashbacks of the characters’ childhoods are not enough to fill the void.
The production is undeniably eye-catching and painted gothic, with crowded scenes of city workers rushing around in monochrome winter attire; giving a sense of two worlds living in one.
On the one hand, there are the magical people and on the other the ordinary.
For Harry Potter fans looking for a peak and resolution, this film may leave them hanging but then again perhaps that’s the point.
THE ESSENTIALS
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (M)
Three and a half stars
Review: Chloe Buchanan
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