Review by terrellrobinson71

"Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" is a movie that left me breathless and stunned. Here is a sequel to a prequel that had me entranced from the floating, zoomed-in Warner Bros. logo with the luminous and ominous score courtesy of the great James Newton Howard to its stupendous cliffhanger ending that had me excited for the next adventure. There are a couple of movies like that this year that had left me with a glowing smile on my face, this one is certainly it. It's very hard to explain the plot(s) without ruining the secrets for your experience. But let me elaborate as much as I can about it. As we know from the first film, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them", a dark force was terrorizing the Wizarding World. We finally get to meet him in the flesh. That dark force is none other than the notorious Dark wizard, Gellert Grindelwald (played to menacing perfection by Johnny Depp). The movie begins with a captivating chase on a magical coach (with thestrals, to be exact) that turns into Grindelwald's escape. Meanwhile, Newt Scamander (the charming Eddie Redmayne), the magizoologist, has been called upon on a very secret mission by Albus Dumbledore (the wonderful Jude Law) that also leads to what the other characters want as the story progresses. That would be the young boy Credence (Ezra Miller), who not only is finding his own identity, but is also the uncontrollable force known as the Obscurial. As Grindelwald starts to gather more followers for his preparation to rule over the Wizarding World and the No-Maj world, each of the characters including the Goldstein sisters, Tina (the delightful Katherine Waterson) and Queenie (Alison Sudol, a genuine heartbreaking presence), No-Maj Jacob (Dan Fogler), the Maledictus known as Nagini (Claudia Kim), Newt's schoolmate, Leta Lestange (the amazing Zoe Kravitz) and Newt's Auror brother, Theseus (the intimidatingly remarkable Callum Turner) will make their choices and decisions that will lead them to more unexpected territory than they (and we) never imagined. As a 17-year fan of J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World, it's amazing to see what J.K. Rowling as a screenwriter can come up with next. There are clues and secrets and twists and turns that will tie in to the "Harry Potter" universe. (Believe me, my face lit up like Christmas lights on a tree when I saw Hogwarts again.) But what's important about this film, beautifully directed by David Yates with awesome cinematography courtesy of Philippe Rousselot, is that it's a movie of extraordinary depth, imagination, and secrets that you have to see for yourself. Some critics has said that this movie has too many characters and too many plots running around the place. I consider this to be folly, for this is a crowded movie, a magically entertainingly crowded movie about the characters that we always loved going on more darker and different directions than before and the events that they follow will lead them to what they will become as the stories continue. This is a magical movie. It's darker than the first, but still has its sense of magic and humor and its love for the choice-making characters (good and bad) and the production design by Potter vet Stuart Craig are remarkable, followed by the sensational costumes by Colleen Atwood. It's tough for a sequel to pull you in again without repeating the formula that made it so successful. What J.K. Rowling and David Yates has done with the "Fantastic Beasts" films is that it blends and grows into something more grounded but captivating us with its own magical appeal. The first film was the set-up, this one continues the set-up, but adds some pay-offs into the mix. It's definitely worth your time and effort to see this can't-miss experience and keep some of those secrets to yourself. (By the way, loved the giant Chinese beast known as the ZouWu: Menacing, but with a good heart)