i dread to ask but,,, what was so bad abt crimes of grindelwald? i havent seen it yet and the overwhelming reaction ive seen from everyone is "EW WTF NO GET IT AWAY FROM ME"
Okay…..I’d like to preface this by saying that just because I personally didn’t like what they did with the film doesn’t mean I can’t see why some people have enjoyed it. If people can come out of the theater saying they loved the film, I glad of it, and I’m finding reading the more positive reviews very interesting. If/when you decide to see the film, I hope you can ignore all of my opinions and decide on your own lol
Personally what I didn’t like (in the vaguest, least spoilery way possible for me):
the tonal shift between the first fantastic beasts and the crimes of grindelwald. Oh my god, this movie is so incredibly dark (both in themes and in lighting and color choices lol). I’m not saying that these movies shouldn’t be dark because HP has always been dark and has pushed boundaries when it comes to what society thinks children can handle and comprehend and what they actually can handle and comprehend, wisely and maturely. And of course the subject matter they’re dealing with deserves to be taken seriously. But the first film was so incredibly wholesome and fun that the shift between the tone of that film and the tone of this one is so jarring and frankly disappointing. Again, I understand that they have to go dark with this, but I think very few films that are produced these days are able to address difficult subjects while still remaining fun and entertaining and gentle films like the first one did. I would never say it was a mistake to start off this franchise with Newt as the central character because I absolutely adore him, but I do think his kind nature set the series’s tone on a different note than what the creator’s are going for as far as the series as a whole. I simply personally prefer the original wholesomeness
some of my favorite characters were brought in directions that I’m really upset about. I can’t go into that more without being spoilery, but I think the resolve and the strength shown in these characters completely crumbled in this film and it broke my heart. One of them especially I understand has to play the long game with their character development, but that doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it lol. Also I think some character dynamics were developed too fast and they needed more time to breathe
going off of that last point, this is very much an “in-between” film. It’s a set-up for what’s really going to come later. Again, I would NEVER wish for the first movie to not exist, but I think, from the pov of a film student/critic rather than the pov of someone who’s emotionally attached to the first film, I think aspects of the first film and this film could have been combined into one film to make this plot seem more fulfilled rather than having this film be a stepping stone for the franchise
again, going off of that point, there are way too many storylines for this one stepping stone film to handle. Having had time to process the film, I now understand basically everything that happened, but while watching it they were jumping between like…..idk, seven different mini plots or something along those lines. It was confusing to watch in the moment and frustrating because all I could think was how I didn’t care about what they were talking about and how I wished they were developing the (imo) more important arcs. The pacing was just……not for me.
aGAIN lol, going off of that! There were too many minor characters introduced that I feel the film and the audience don’t have time to care about as much as those characters perhaps deserved. There’s one character esp that was extremely and pointlessly Deus ex Machina, which I really don’t think is necessary when you have several accomplished adult wizards and witches at your fingertips
canon? I don’t know her
TL; DR
the tonal difference between the first and the second movie is so jarring. They shouldn’t have started the series off with something so wholesome if they were going to go so dark so quickly
they’re taking some of my favorite characters in directions I’m personally really upset about
this film is only as good as how the plot plays out in later films. It’s too much of an “in-between” film that can’t stand on its own
way too many plotlines
way too many characters to focus on
canon? I don’t know her
That being said, there are some things I really really loved about the film. I’m not going to go too in-depth because if I leave things out on my list of things I loved, then you can put two and two together and start making spoilery assumptions about things I didn’t like
Some of my favorite things include:
Newt as always. He’s my angel and I love him to bits
Jude Law as Dumbledore. Just……………wow. I’m obsessed. I could go on and on but this post is already SO long
the opening scene. Anyone who’s been following me for awhile probably knows that I love dramatic gothic epicness, and oh my god that was thrilling to watch for me
While I’m angry that D*pp was cast and hate him as a person, I’ve been a fan of his work for most of my life and I think the character of Grindelwald is a great villain. I was never a fan of how Ralph Fiennes played Voldemort, so even though I think someone better could have been cast, this is refreshing (morals aside)
Thank you for asking and letting me get that off my chest 💙 now retcon all of that from your memory and watch the film with an open mind lol
