FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE
***
Director: David Yates
Screenwriters: J. K. Rowling & Steve Kloves, based on a screenplay by J. K. Rowling.
Principal cast:
Jude Law
Mads Mikkelsen
Eddie Redmayne
Ezra Miller
Dan Fogler
Alison Sudol
Country: UK/USA
Classification: M
Runtime: 142 mins.
Australian release date: 7 April 2022.
The Secrets of Dumbledore is the third in J. K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts series, having been preceded by Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in 2016 and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in 2018. The plan is for two more films in the franchise which, like the first three, will be directed by David Yates. Most of the same characters are back for this outing but not all the same actors: Johnny Depp as the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald has been replaced by the Danish star Mads Mikkelsen. Depp was asked to leave the series after the bad press he received when he lost his libel case against News Group Newspapers in the UK but, as it’s been four years since we last saw Grindelwald, the change is pretty seamless.
Carrying on the storyline from the previous two films, Rowling and Kloves’ script once again follows the battle for control of the wizarding world between the good Aldus Dumbledore (Jude Law) and the bad Grindelwald (Mikkelsen). The latter’s desire for domination isn’t going to stop with the wizards and witches, though – he wants to declare war against we Muggles! We learn that the two wizards can’t move directly against each other (for reasons I won’t go into - no spoilers here) but must use proxies to thwart each other’s plans. Accordingly, Dumbledore gathers a team that includes Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), the magizoologist who is the focus of the earlier movies, Newt’s wizard brother Theseus (Callum Turner) and Muggle baker Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler). Naturally, Grindelwald has his acolytes and helpers, too, including Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudol), the former love-interest of Kowalski, who has crossed over to the dark side. Grindelwald’s schemes require the use of a magical beast called a Qilin (pronounced ‘chillin’), a creature that can see into a person’s soul and know if they are pure of heart, and guess who’s tracked one down? Who else but our friend Newt and his companions, Pickett the little green Bowtruckle and Teddy the Niffler.
The production designers of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore have once again opted for a period look for the film, setting it in the 1930s in various locations, including Berlin, London, New York and the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. The screenplay requires you to pay close attention because of its complexity, which involves all sorts of legerdemain and sleight-of-hand, as you want in a movie about magic. Yes, there’s still a fair amount of action but the script is the thing. The good versus evil theme and the Thirties setting has allowed the writers to draw parallels with the rise of Nazism and the battle between democracy and autocracy. As Dumbledore says, “Dangerous times favour dangerous men” and Grindelwald’s manipulation of the German Ministry of Magic has cleared the way for him to stand as a candidate for the position of President of the International Confederation of Wizards. Viewers familiar with 20th century history will get the analogy.
As the title would lead you to believe, this chapter of Fantastic Beasts is mainly to do with Dumbledore’s backstory and Jude Law gives the character great depth and many layers. Eddie Redmayne’s role is played down to a degree, although he is still an important figure in the plot. For various reasons, Dumbledore can’t let any of his co-conspirators in on his entire plan, so much of what he instructs them to do has to be taken on trust and that, naturally, leads to questions about the wizard himself. Law says, “Dumbledore must hatch a plan that will stop Grindelwald from realizing his dream of establishing a world in which pureblood wizards dominate Muggles. On the one hand, Albus is restricted in what he can do magically to stop Gellert’s propulsive ascent, but that spurs his relationship with the people he must rely on and, to a degree, manipulate to help his cause”. Mikkelsen is the perfect foil for him and the quiet, understated way he plays Grindelwald makes him appear even more dangerous that Depp’s more wild-eyed version.
Increasingly, as they become increasingly involved, Rowland’s stories will appeal more to hard-core fans and less to the general public, who will need a refresher course before seeing each new movie in the series. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore can be enjoyed on its own but, from here on, you’re going to have to buff up on your Wizarding World history to get the most out of the Fantastic Beasts saga.
Screenwriters: J. K. Rowling & Steve Kloves, based on a screenplay by J. K. Rowling.
Principal cast:
Jude Law
Mads Mikkelsen
Eddie Redmayne
Ezra Miller
Dan Fogler
Alison Sudol
Country: UK/USA
Classification: M
Runtime: 142 mins.
Australian release date: 7 April 2022.
The Secrets of Dumbledore is the third in J. K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts series, having been preceded by Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in 2016 and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in 2018. The plan is for two more films in the franchise which, like the first three, will be directed by David Yates. Most of the same characters are back for this outing but not all the same actors: Johnny Depp as the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald has been replaced by the Danish star Mads Mikkelsen. Depp was asked to leave the series after the bad press he received when he lost his libel case against News Group Newspapers in the UK but, as it’s been four years since we last saw Grindelwald, the change is pretty seamless.
Carrying on the storyline from the previous two films, Rowling and Kloves’ script once again follows the battle for control of the wizarding world between the good Aldus Dumbledore (Jude Law) and the bad Grindelwald (Mikkelsen). The latter’s desire for domination isn’t going to stop with the wizards and witches, though – he wants to declare war against we Muggles! We learn that the two wizards can’t move directly against each other (for reasons I won’t go into - no spoilers here) but must use proxies to thwart each other’s plans. Accordingly, Dumbledore gathers a team that includes Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), the magizoologist who is the focus of the earlier movies, Newt’s wizard brother Theseus (Callum Turner) and Muggle baker Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler). Naturally, Grindelwald has his acolytes and helpers, too, including Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudol), the former love-interest of Kowalski, who has crossed over to the dark side. Grindelwald’s schemes require the use of a magical beast called a Qilin (pronounced ‘chillin’), a creature that can see into a person’s soul and know if they are pure of heart, and guess who’s tracked one down? Who else but our friend Newt and his companions, Pickett the little green Bowtruckle and Teddy the Niffler.
The production designers of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore have once again opted for a period look for the film, setting it in the 1930s in various locations, including Berlin, London, New York and the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. The screenplay requires you to pay close attention because of its complexity, which involves all sorts of legerdemain and sleight-of-hand, as you want in a movie about magic. Yes, there’s still a fair amount of action but the script is the thing. The good versus evil theme and the Thirties setting has allowed the writers to draw parallels with the rise of Nazism and the battle between democracy and autocracy. As Dumbledore says, “Dangerous times favour dangerous men” and Grindelwald’s manipulation of the German Ministry of Magic has cleared the way for him to stand as a candidate for the position of President of the International Confederation of Wizards. Viewers familiar with 20th century history will get the analogy.
As the title would lead you to believe, this chapter of Fantastic Beasts is mainly to do with Dumbledore’s backstory and Jude Law gives the character great depth and many layers. Eddie Redmayne’s role is played down to a degree, although he is still an important figure in the plot. For various reasons, Dumbledore can’t let any of his co-conspirators in on his entire plan, so much of what he instructs them to do has to be taken on trust and that, naturally, leads to questions about the wizard himself. Law says, “Dumbledore must hatch a plan that will stop Grindelwald from realizing his dream of establishing a world in which pureblood wizards dominate Muggles. On the one hand, Albus is restricted in what he can do magically to stop Gellert’s propulsive ascent, but that spurs his relationship with the people he must rely on and, to a degree, manipulate to help his cause”. Mikkelsen is the perfect foil for him and the quiet, understated way he plays Grindelwald makes him appear even more dangerous that Depp’s more wild-eyed version.
Increasingly, as they become increasingly involved, Rowland’s stories will appeal more to hard-core fans and less to the general public, who will need a refresher course before seeing each new movie in the series. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore can be enjoyed on its own but, from here on, you’re going to have to buff up on your Wizarding World history to get the most out of the Fantastic Beasts saga.