Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

After three and a half years, behind the scenes drama and controversy, recasting and speculation the Wizarding World returns to the big screen in the third installment of the Fantastic Beasts franchise. As a self-proclaimed Potterhead I scored my ticket first day of sell and jumped at the chance to see this one early. 

I’ll make this one short.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore contains all the high production value to be expected of these films.  The CGI, costumes, set decorations, cinematography, SFX work all stunning.  The films’ score soars and contains all the nostalgia of the original films.  Solid performances from favorite actors/characters as well as new ones. Locales return and connect the stories, and the setups from the first two films are resolved.  

Great, right?  Uh, not quite.

FBSoD is one of those odd films that on paper and at first blush should be thoroughly engaging, entertaining, and forgive the pun, a magical 2-hour 22-minute epic ride.   However, sadly I found that not to be the case.  With so many things going for it FBSoD somehow fails to deliver a movie worthy of the sum of its parts.  

All the elements are there, yet I found the film boring and far from exciting to the point of nearly drifting off a few times.  I got fidgety waiting for the film to kick into high gear and it never did.

There are bits and pieces that pay/play well but the gaps between are noticeable.  The overall narrative is messy and jumbled, needing more laser focus.  The film feels less like a fantastical wizarding adventure and more like a political wizarding campaign.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is like one of those meals you have at a restaurant that looks amazing, sates your hunger, yet leaves you far from satisfied.  

Definitely needs more oregano.

While not the film I wished for or that we deserve, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore still has its charm and definitely builds upon our knowledge of the Wizarding World.  Overall, it’s not great, but it’s far from a failure either.  

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore gets a 5.