Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore – A Modest Improvement Amidst an Uncertain Future for the Wizarding World

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore — currently showing in theaters — arrives at a time when the Harry Potter franchise seems to be at a significant low point. The third installment of this spin-off series comes off the back of the critically and financially disappointing Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, which garnered reviews worse than even the poorly received Justice League, while the second film generated the least box office revenue of any Wizarding World title. More crucially, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore debuts at a moment when its creator and Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling finds herself in the depths of controversy. She has made a series of transphobic remarks and has shown no willingness to reconsider her harmful opinions.

This situation has led me to contemplate whether it might be time to retire the Harry Potter universe altogether. It’s evident that nobody ever clamored for these films. They were born from the oddest of circumstances, starting from an in-world encyclopedia. Honestly, why is “Fantastic Beasts” still in the titles? It feels completely irrelevant. Producing more Wizarding World content — if we can be honest, that’s how it’s perceived — seems solely driven by the profit motives of key stakeholders. Warner Bros., the wealthy Rowling, and those benefiting from the franchise continue to churn out new Fantastic Beasts films simply to boost their wealth, which in turn generates more revenue through merchandise, toys, books, and various related products.

Creatively, it feels like Fantastic Beasts has not yielded anything meaningful. The enchantment that once characterized these movies has long faded — and the latest installment, The Secrets of Dumbledore, fails to grasp this fact. That said, I didn’t actively dislike Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore as much as I did the previous entry. Perhaps this is simply due to how low the expectations were set by The Crimes of Grindelwald, allowing it only upward movement from there. Nevertheless, The Secrets of Dumbledore repeats many of the errors seen in its predecessors. After all, it’s crafted from the same flawed fabric. The entire Fantastic Beasts saga has felt like an improvisation on Rowling’s part, primarily because there’s no established source material for these films.

Also seeFantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Review: A Clueless, Forgettable Entry

Characters pivotal to earlier entries are either overlooked or dismissed with the flimsiest of justifications. Additionally, the Fantastic Beasts series struggles with its hero dynamic. While the author of the original encyclopedia Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) was positioned as the entry point into this universe, he doesn’t hold a central role in the overarching narrative. These films ought to have revolved around the two formidable figures, Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) and Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen, who replaced Johnny Depp), whose teenage romantic history is briefly acknowledged — in dialogue — within Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. However, the film lacks a defined protagonist, and its aimless narrative feels like a mere placeholder, as if they are stalling until the fifth installment arrives.

On the positive side, the screenplay for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is significantly improved over its predecessors. This upgrade is largely attributed to the return of Harry Potter stalwart Steve Kloves — he wrote seven out of the eight Potter films — brought back after Rowling’s struggles as a novice screenwriter on the first two Fantastic Beasts films. Kloves has correctly discerned that Rowling conflated mystery, intrigue, and forward momentum with what constitutes an enjoyable film. In response, Kloves has deliberately paced The Secrets of Dumbledore. He has crafted lengthier scenes that afford space for character development and relationship dynamics to unfold. Yet, one could question if there is sufficient substance in each scene to warrant such a slow approach.

This calculated pacing is evident from the outset. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore dedicates its initial hour to gradually reuniting all the characters. It feels akin to setting up a grand chess game. However, one might view this as simply spinning wheels. After all, the plot of The Secrets of Dumbledore appears to take place over just about a week, judging by some character dialogue. Unlike Rowling’s earlier works, which spanned entire school years in the Harry Potter series — thus illustrating the coming-of-age theme of the narratives — this film lacks that breadth of time, likely due to Rowling’s shift to writing directly for the screen (and adult audiences).

Also seeFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Review: A Brewing Dark Side

Callum Turner as Theseus Scamander, Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
Photo Credit: Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Bros.

Set against the backdrop of a critical Ministry of Magic election, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore tracks a new group that Dumbledore has assembled to thwart Grindelwald’s manipulation of the election’s outcome. I refer to them as “new” because the characters, their roles, and their loyalties appear to shift oddly from film to film. While Newt remains a focal point, his non-magical bakery friend Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler) recedes somewhat. Additionally, Newt’s love interest Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston) has been entirely written out. Instead, Newt’s older Auror brother Theseus (Callum Turner) now fills the role usually occupied by Tina, with the Scamander siblings enjoying a more harmonious relationship.

Professor Lally Hicks (Jessica Williams) and Newt’s “essential” assistant Bunty Broadacre (Victoria Yeates) also enjoy expanded roles, despite having inconsequential parts in The Crimes of Grindelwald. Regrettably, this honor extends — for the second film in a row — to French-Senegalese wizard Yusuf Kama (William Nadylam) who is now collaborating with Newt’s group, as well as Jacob’s love interest, Tina’s sister Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudol), who defected to Grindelwald’s camp in the previous Fantastic Beasts installment. Neither character has significant relevance in The Secrets of Dumbledore. Queenie’s betrayal is ultimately inconsequential, appearing more as a twist for the sake of shock.

Amidst all this, there’s space for the ashen-faced Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller), who was revealed to be Dumbledore’s long-lost sibling Aurelius at the conclusion of the second film. The Secrets of Dumbledore addresses that cliffhanger satisfactorily — the movie’s title doesn’t refer to the Dumbledore one might expect — thus reducing its earlier perceived retcon. Yet, despite this newfound significance assigned to Credence, the third installment fails to utilize him effectively. At one point, Grindelwald urges Credence to eliminate Dumbledore, a task devoid of stakes since we are all aware of how Dumbledore ultimately meets his end.

A significant shortcoming of the Fantastic Beasts series has been the neglect of its supporting characters, who have not been developed enough to feel meaningful, even as the storyline progresses through three installments.

Also seeIs It Time for the Harry Potter Universe to Say Goodbye?

[IMAGE_3]

Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore, Richard Coyle as Aberforth Dumbledore in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
Photo Credit: Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Bros.

The Secrets of Dumbledore excels with its main characters. For the first time, Dumbledore’s sexuality — previously disclosed posthumously after the Harry Potter series concluded — is prominently featured. Law not only explores his past love for Grindelwald but also confronts many of his life’s regrets, feeling he has failed Credence, his deceased sister Ariana Dumbledore, and his brother Aberforth Dumbledore (Richard Coyle). It is also advantageous that he is allotted more screen time than before. Meanwhile, Mikkelsen offers a more nuanced and grounded representation of Grindelwald, devoid of Depp’s exaggerated theatrics and flamboyance. Redmayne’s portrayal continues to be intriguing, and I’m still uncertain how to interpret his socially awkward and constantly tilted head interpretation of Newt.

Moreover, the new installment dives into some thought-provoking themes as well. The German Ministry of Magic, set in 1930s Berlin, serves as an essential backdrop in The Secrets of Dumbledore — for those who understand history, the implications are clear — with Grindelwald exploiting animosity and prejudice to create a divide between the magical community and Muggles. Nonetheless, some members of the Ministry are advocating for inclusiveness, wary of the potential populist backlash they may face. Grindelwald’s acquittal and subsequent candidacy signal a troubling trend of appeasement. The Secrets of Dumbledore draws compelling, and unmistakable, comparisons to our current socio-political climate, where authoritarianism is on the rise globally.

Despite tackling serious themes, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore also attempts to inject moments of levity. One memorable sequence features Redmayne and Turner swaying their hips to evade predatory creatures. However, action sequences are somewhat sparse — I counted merely three throughout the 142-minute runtime — with the film leaning heavily on character interactions instead. While this certainly elevates it above the second film, it lacks engagement as one watches from moment to moment. The overwhelming amount of baggage — stemming from poor initial decisions — makes it complicated for anyone involved, especially director David Yates, who has helmed this franchise since 2007’s Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

The primary issue is that these Harry Potter spin-off films have grappled with validating their own existence. Particularly as a series of five films. Each installment feels like a chapter that nudges the story forward, but never by much. The Secrets of Dumbledore stands as the best film in this series, but that distinction is largely a grace of its poor predecessors.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is released Friday, April 8 in India. IMAX previews began the afternoon of Thursday, April 7. In India, The Secrets of Dumbledore is available in English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.