In Retrospect: The Crimes Of Grindlewald

Well I kinda remember why I haven't seen this since opening day.

I wasn't super keen on it the first time around so has the passage of time lessened the impact of a less than favored sequel? Well I must admit there were more things I appreciated and very much liked on second viewing, and then there were things I was just like, well you could have left that out and just not did that. I've heard more than a fair share of bad mouthing over the years on this movie so I'll try to no let that lead me into tangents. I feel the story was mostly okay until 3/4 of the way through then it dropped significantly, and it's rather difficult to talk about it and not break it entirely down scene by scene. We don't have that much time or space to write that much. So I'll just say, I am okay with Newt still being a strong player in magical events despite his less than action hero status, and if the filmmakers are taking a more long way round version of the hero's journey where we fully see Newt become a capable and important wizard throughout the series then I have no problem with that. I like we get Jacob back quite a bit, he was a fun and happy character that brought the first film some levity so I don't mind he comes back even if he was drugged against his will by the person he loves. Just...we'll get back to that. Great seeing Zoe again, I got more out of Leta's story and the flashback sequences were some of my favorite parts of the movie all around, she's a rebellious and damaged witch that found some solace in a friend like Newt and honestly how many Slytherin's can you name who you like as people? Jude Law is still awesome, I'm so happy we're getting more emphasis on him in the next movie, I see more of how he plays Dumbledore as a figure who wants to help but has to stay out of the action, almost a older Obi-Wan type character that we'll get in that upcoming series, he just plays it perfectly. Now on the opposite side of the acting spectrum, a lot of the side character fat could have been trimmed. It's not necessary to see the backstory of a snake turned horcrux, Credence trying to discover his family is by no means a bad story but it wasn't given enough time to feel important or impactful. I feel Ezra Miller was almost floundering for any semblance of substance to cling onto in this for his role, so I can't hold this against him. Johnny Depp isn't a bad villain in my eyes, again more underutilized and not given much to work with, no harm or foul on the actor. Alison Sudol as Queenie however, they did you dirty my love! You took a queen, a marvel to behold, one of the most lovable and charming characters in this series, and you assassinated her before my very eyes. She kidnaps Jacob, force feeds a love potion to him even though he loved her already, is off her rocker for no good godforsaken reason, and then just joins the evil wizard for oh! You guessed it! No reason. Look at how they've massacred my girl. There is no justifying sloppy terrible character writing. The plot just kinda meanders about, with no solid connective tissue to link so many character's stories, and once that last fourth of the movie kicks in is when it becomes a stupid soap opera. Revelations and personal history dropped forty levels on your head without prelude or intrigue, contrivance after contrivance, and a villain speech that strains the human mind's capacity for logic. I mean if Rowling did a good and admirable job writing the first movie and not making it an overcomplicated or stupid story, but then failed miserably here I'm just wondering what occured. And I think I can narrow it down to, she writes books. Not screenplays. If she wrote a 400+ page book and titled it The Crimes Of Grindlewald and could flesh everything out to her heart's content, I think we wouldn't have a problem. But she needs to write a script for a movie roughly two and a half hours long, so the disadvantages of her writing become more noticeable. Now if she relegates the actual script to a screenwriter and she just throws out ideas and works with them, we should be in safe hands here for however many we have left. It's a mixed bag of a movie and people can either like it or despise it, but me personally I find it complicated but average at best. 2 stars, 5.5/10, and I ask the ancient mystics and magi for a small bit of magic for the next movie. Until then.

In Retrospect: Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them

Yep, still highly enjoyable.

Fantastic Beasts has finally hit video and I got to sit down and rewatch it, and it is better on second viewing. I still love the setting of 1920s New York, something out of our element both in time and space with new characters, a good story, and fantastic beasts. I still say Eddie Redmayne is the best part of the whole movie, still the most Timelord wizard you ever did see and I love him to death. Now originally on viewing I hated Tina, not the actress who potrays the character I like her just fine and dandy but the character just seemed so out of place, this timid little worry mouse, but then I watched it again put myself in her shoes, and my entire perspective changed on her. She has to put up with some bullcrap in this movie, of course she would act like this, the poor dear's practically harboring on a nervous breakdown any moment. Jacob is still very entertaining, he gets that everyday man thing down to perfection, and yes the ending is still very bittersweet, but I still like it. Queenie is still absurdly adorable, I just friggin' want to squeeze her she's so goshdarn, gee whiz, cutesy! Graves is still an interesting villain, and I can only imagine where the story could pick up after the events of this one. A 5 picture deal? Really? Damn. I mean I'm psyched to see more but you just wonder how this is all going to go down. The creatures are still great, I'm happy each has their own distinct personality and traits, you could never confuse the creatures in this movie and that's something I greatly admire. The action while minimal is still really good, the drama hits when it needs to, the comedy is still very good, and I just want to see more of these characters. If memory serves (and it rarely does for me) I think the next movie comes out in 2018 and I can deal with that. Probably. Highly recommend buying this movie, it's great for adults, it's great for kids, it's a movie I can definitely see viewing multiple times in the future, and hopefully you do too.