Turn to ‘Fantastic Beasts’ for Benign Entertainment, If Nothing Else

I am aware that The Crimes of Grindelwald draw a parallel to the rise of authoritarianism in no uncertain terms — a charismatic leader rises to power by appealing to people’s deepest fears and desires through rhetoric, propaganda and scapegoating. I see this and it is good and important, especially in today’s climate. But also this second instalment of Fantastic Beasts is a bit boring, isn’t it? I even dozed off, like straight-up blacked out during a crucial scene. This could just be me and my erratic sleep schedule of late, but it doesn’t seem like an unequivocal endorsement either, does it?

Don’t get me wrong, this film is perfectly palatable. It has all the funny little quips you’d expect from the franchise (I am Jacob Kowalski’s biggest fan) and some jaw-dropping twists that mean I will absolutely watch the next film. It also does comparatively well diversity-wise, though there is some controversy around the portrayal of Dumbledore as straight-passing despite JK Rowling having confirmed that he is gay and the fact that we are clearly meant to understand Grindelwald as Dumbledore’s lost love (“more than a brother”). I also couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling after Grindelwald’s grand address that we — that I — could easily come out of the movie sympathising with his fascist ideology, as it is not subsequently countered nearly as explicitly as it should be. Not to mention the role could have gone to a queer actor who, you know, hasn’t abused anyone.

Shit, now I’m reconsidering whether I should in fact see the next instalment, as it appears there are grounds for boycott. So anyway, this is a mixed review. I won’t tell you what to do, but if nothing else, go for the jubilant joy of hearing the Harry Potter theme on the big screen again. I did a happy dance. It was mildly embarrassing.

6/10