Review: 'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald' Petrifies the Once-Magical Prequel

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is ready to apparate into theaters, but witches be warned! This sequel isn't meant for the most casual of fans, and even longtime Potterheads will stumble away from the film feeling like they've eaten a nasty batch of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

It has been years since JK Rowling closed the book on Harry Potter's story, but the Wizarding World is back to its dark tricks. On the heels of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, this prequel series' latest venture makes the magical world uneasy, but its foreboding worldbuilding is hard to follow thanks to The Crimes of Grindelwald's overly busy plot.

The movie begins with a thrilling action sequence as fans see Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) make his leave from the MACUSA to face trial in Europe. As all things do, the dark wizard manages to escape custody with some help from his followers, and Grindelwald heads to Paris to locate Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller) to seduce him to his cause. After all, the powerful Obscurial is in need of guidance, and Grindelwald thinks he's just the man to shape his future.

With the Wizarding World reeling over Grindelwald's escape, Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) does his own business and tries to avoid the brewing conflict. However, the resurgence of his heroic brother Theseus Scamander (Callum Turner) and his mysterious fiance Leta Lestrange (Zoe Kravitz) weighs on him rather uncomfortably. When Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) appears asking for Newt to find Credence before Grindelwald can, the magizoologist agrees, but only does so after he learns Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterson) is an acting Auror in Paris.

As expected, this film brings together the key crew of Fantastic Beasts, but Newt's squad isn't strong enough to piece together this disjointed sequel. Despite Law's enchanting performance as a young Professor Dumbledore, The Crimes of Grindelwald fails to explores its heroes in any meaningful way, and their journeys are further convoluted by the film's overlapping plots.

In fact, the true crime committed by The Crimes of Grindelwald lies with its story. Though scattered with Harry Potter fan service, the sequel hops from plot to plot quicker than a Golden Snitch, and it does so without any of the fun that implies. The resulting pace makes for a clunky sequel, and it sacrifices The Crimes of Grindelwald's story to set up the future narrative of the whole Fantastic Beasts franchise.

Still, there are moments in this sequel that will remind fans of Harry Potter's old days. A few surprise characters from the original story make appearances in this sequel, and Fantastic Beasts has not abandoned its whimsical animals. Newt's breakout Bowtruckle is as cute as ever, and a slew of new creatures are introduced with great fanfare. In fact, these fantastical asides stand out as highlights in the film's otherwise dreary background, and audiences will wish they had seen more of them.

By the time the credits roll, The Crimes of Grindelwald bogs down audiences with its back-and-forth narrative, but it does lay the seeds for what's to come. Fantastic Beasts is expected to fill out a five-film arc, and this latest installment begs some intriguing questions. Shocking betrayals, blindsided deaths, and repressed romances are just the tip of what this prequel has to offer; it's just a shame The Crimes of Grindelwald petrifies its story in an effort to expand the Wizarding World's lush mythology.

Rating: 2 out of 5

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald arrives in theaters tomorrow, November 16th. Will you be seeing it? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!