Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
Director: David Yates, Roadshow Entertainment.
Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Carmen Ejogo, Kevin Guthrie, Johnny Depp, Zoë Kravitz, Callum Turner, Jude Law.
The magic endures – even as a prequel – in the wonderful world of wizardry that continues to emerge from the astonishing mind of J.K. Rowling. This Fantastic Beasts film series is set before the time of Harry Potter.
The sequel to the 2016 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is the second installment in the Fantastic Beasts film series, and the 10th overall in the Wizarding World franchise, which began with the Potter film series.
The powerful dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Depp) was captured by Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA), with the help of Newt Scamander (Redmayne). However, Grindelwald escaped custody – making good on his threat. He has set about gathering followers, most unsuspecting of his true agenda: to raise pure-blood wizards to rule over all non-magical beings.
In an effort to thwart Grindelwald’s plans, Albus Dumbledore (Law) enlists help from his former student Scamander, who is unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world.
The escapist entertainment is not only a big-budget blockbuster, but it also gives us something to think about as well. Something’s got to be said about the base of Rowling’s entire bookish and pictorial sphere of influence. The foundation is solid: of ‘significant, sermonic themes, traversed through an marathon, definitive battle between good and evil to make them accessible for all ages’.
This Fantastic Beasts offshoot, along with its cosmos, fidgets to find stability that’s reliable. On the other hand, the original Harry Potter saga attained a splendid equilibrium between the unfeigned surprise action and the challenging.
This is worthy Blu-ray viewing.
