Running time: 136 minutes
Starring: Jude Law, Eddie Redmayne, Mads Mikkelsen, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler, Callum Turner, Jessica Williams, William Nadylam
Directed by: David Yates
Carrying straight on from the events of the second film, Crimes of Grindelwald, the third instalment sees Albus Dumbledore join forces with Newt Scamander in an effort to thwart dark wizard Grindelwald. With his plans to eradicate all non-magical beings, Grindelwald begins to build an ever increasing band of devout followers.
The films of the wizarding world are at their best when beloved characters and close friends team up for the greater good. The Secrets of Dumbledore excels in camaraderie and friendship, resulting in a film in which the audience is fully invested in the characters and roots for them throughout.
The Secrets of Dumbledore sees Mads Mikkelsen take on the role of Gellert Grindelwald, a role formerly played by Johnny Depp. Surprisingly, this change proves to be completely unjarring for audiences. Mikkelsen feels as though he has always played the role and he has astounding chemistry with Jude Law’s Dumbledore. The scenes between the two prove to be some of the best of the film and promise great things for the future instalments.
The Secrets of Dumbledore boasts a brilliant ensemble cast and audiences will get a kick from seeing certain characters return and where their stories take them. Alongside great human characters are a myriad of the titular fantastic beasts and boy are they fantastic!
Amongst the fantastic beasts are fan favourites Pickett the bowtruckle and Teddy the niffler. Wherever Newt goes, the two follow and this leads to much hilarity. In fact the film provides many comedic instances and plenty of laugh aloud scenes. The Secrets of Dumbledore has a great mix of action sequences, comedy and dramatic moments.
As with any entry into a multiple film franchise, of course the film watches more effectively when the audience is familiar with the material. The same can be said of The Secrets of Dumbledore and the wizards in the audience will engage with the magic far more than the muggles. However, that certainly doesn’t mean that the film will alienate non fans. The Secrets of Dumbledore is a blockbuster for all the family and all the family will enjoy it.
Audiences may feel slightly daunted when they see the 136 minute running time, however a vanishing charm will certainly abate those fears. With grand visuals, an engrossing score and a marked improvement on its predecessor, The Secrets of Dumbledore is truly magical.
The above review was also published on The People’s Movies. As an extra aside for my own blog, I would like to add this:
If, like me, you are also a massive Harry Potter fan then I think you will thoroughly enjoy this. I actually watched this with a massive grin on my face. Questions are answered and the inclusion of more scenes of a certain magical school are great - Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.
The rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and a half
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