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The Elder Wand was 100% shown as a crutch, yes. But wands in general were never portrayed as being a crutch or unnecessary. Literally everyone uses them. Which is why official word being "someone sufficiently skilled at wandless magic can do the same as a wizard with a wand" is really weird since the greatest wizards of the generation still practice wanded magic. Voldemort's use of a wand as a crutch is justified, but Dumbledore? That seems like exactly the character to use to establish that point.
Maybe it's because he the Big Good, who's also conveniently carrying around the biggest stick on the playground?
From memory (really need to start rereading), most attempts to deal with Dumbledore emphasized avoiding engaging him head on and the Grand D spends a notable amount of time scheming himself. By comparison Tom spends most of the last book highlighting the crutch aspect alongside his arrogance.
I never got that sense that wandless magic could/should be seen as primitive, once could argue that using magic with just your hands could be more purer and powerful than having to use a meager wand. Honestly if I was a wizard I'd rather be trained in wandless magic, then learn how to use a wand just for the extra skill to have. I like the idea of wands being just a cultural thing more commonly seen in the west, instead of everyone across the globe practicing magic the exact same way.
Tis the great art of life to manage well The restless mindUsing magic without a wand is certainly harder, much like the same way cutting wood with your bare hands is harder than with a saw.
Tools exist for a reason. Yeah, builing your house by hand is a lot more "pure", but you'll find power tools make it easier and make it so your house stands straight. The books are pretty firmly on "Wands make magic better". From the fact that it's a major point that Wizards deny Wandlore to other races. To the Elder Wand being a thing. If wandless magic was so good, Voldemort would just leave his wand home to avoid the Twin Core effect and Killing Curse Harry with his bare hands. Not make an entire point about borrowing another wand, then looking for the most powerful wand in history.
Edited by Ghilz on Sep 28th 2018 at 3:29:21 PM
It was also implied that both the movement and verbal component of wands becomes less important the more skilled you are. The movies certainly progressed to using wands as more like sword duels flicking the air with a light show.
The interesting thing about tools is that there is often a trade off. Even a fairly advanced battery drill may not be able to provide enough precision and torque as a person could do with a manual hand tool. 95% of the time it is more efficient and less stressful on the body, but the need to switch does happen.
Early reviews are in and are not looking too great, but surprisingly Depp is not getting as much flak as I thought he would. I suspect scores may go up at least a bit.
Edited by clockworkboy on Nov 8th 2018 at 10:18:54 AM
Tis the great art of life to manage well The restless mindHaving read spoilers, what I have heard sounds like a train wreck. Ranging from things like:
Also, the Holocaust
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Edited by Tuckerscreator on Nov 15th 2018 at 7:29:47 AM
I just got back from seeing the movie and... Oh boy... This was a mess of a movie and far more so than Fantastic Beasts ever was...
I think the best summary I can give of it without spoilers is that the movie should have been called "The Crimes of Not Explaining Your Plot". Or "Why???: The Movie".
A non-joking answer, its a movie that WANTS to and should be plot-driven, but ends up character driven instead. Or maybe I should be wording that the other way around. Like, I'm an hour or so into the movie and I STILL didn't know what the plot was. Hell, once it was finished, I don't know how to explain what this movie is even about.
Its also a movie that is having a serious identity crisis of too many plots and focus points and not enough... actual focus. The problem is, most likely, that J.K. is fundementally a NOVELIST and not a screen writer and a book can juggle as many plot points as it can concievably handle as long as you have the pacing, interest, and page-count to make it work. A movie has roughly 2 hours or so to tell its story and no further. I don't know what story this movie was TRYING to tell. Hell, Grindelwald, who is in the title, is barely in the movie until the climax...
I'll give some spoiler thoughts for now. Not everything I have to say is negative and I do actually have some positives... I'm really sorry about how long this is going to get but its because this movie is ALL OVER THE PLACE constantly. I'll gladly put it under a button bar if someone can tell me the right code format for it? But... I have to basically summarize what happens because I'm so confused by this utter nonsense.
Ok, good things first. I think the actors and characters are probably the best parts. The moments where the movie shuts the hell up and let's the characters take over are easily the best parts. Queenie has a moment in Paris where she keeps hearing everyone's thoughts on the street and can't handle it and there's no dialogue and really only camera, acting, and music to convey this. There's also anothing scene later on where Lita Lestrange has a flashback to her childhood with Newt at Hogwarts and that was GOOD. Not perfectly explained, but I felt something. And her conversation with Dumbledore, while a bit forced at first, ACTUALLY FELT NATURAL.
The costumes are also fantastic. I loved that the Hogwarts robes were different when set at the turn of the century; they're blue instead of black, have different crest designs than the ones we know from the original series, and they have gold-metal cloak clasps rather than buttons or strings or anything. I also LOVED Grindlewald's coat that he wears with the fastoned back and the pleated bit. I WANT THAT COAT.
However... the movie never stops to explain most things and takes too much time on things that really don't matter. I honestly wish I had a pen and paper during the movie just to write down all the things that confused me.
The opening scene is Grindlewald escaping from MACUSA in a prisinor transfer gone wrong. Again, we have this problem of Polyjuice potion being used frequently, without explanation, and it wearing off at the perfect time. Second question, since this is six months later, WHY DID THIS TAKE SO LONG? And WHY haven't they executed them? They wanted to kill Newt and Tina for far less and far quicker than they're doing with Grindlewald. Another thing, they mentioned they removed his tongue because he's such a manipulative guy, but neither Grindlewald nor his 'fake' were missing a tongue. They also kept carying this Macguffin necklace thing through they fight and, well, wow... This would be so much more tense if I actually knew what it was, why its significant (enough that MACUSA seems to know what it is if they're bringing it in the transport?), and why which character getting it is a bad thing. It doesn't get explained until the last 30 mins or so.
Ok, so, Dumbledore wants Newt to find Credence because there are all these rumors circulating that Credence is the last descendant of some powerful wizarding family. This is... all exposited to us and doesn't make much sence. Not only that, but they never explain WHAT wizarding family everyone thinks he's part of. Or why this really matters. Or why there are all these rumors circulating about someone that, nine months later, Newt still thought he was dead and Grindlewald should also think was dead but doesn't for... reasons.
Tina starts dating some Auror guy because a misleading news headline suggested that Newt was engaged to Lita Lestrange, who is actually engaged to his brother, Theseus. This is ALL exposited to us... rather awkwardly and really only exists to keep Newt and Tina apart. The Auror she's dating never even gets seen or named on screen. Also, Newt has a hatred of all Aurors for... reasons. Which bites him in the ass because Tina got promoted to Auror?
Also, we get some dialogue that Newt and Theseus don't get a long and have a 'complicated' relationship. But... they seem to get a long fine for the most part? They don't agree, but they clearly love each other. The one exception is this one scene where Newt sneaks into the Paris Ministry of Magic (could we not have workshoped this name?) disguised as Theseus (with Polyjuice potion he just happened to have?) and Theseus sees Newt and gives chase, even putting the ministry on high alert and pulling his wand out. Tina makes a comment that Theseus needs to check his anger and they use magic to shove him into a chair, tie him up, and push him out of the room... And this is never mentioned again. The entire confrontation could have been removed and we'd lose nothing. But that's WAY later...
Ok, so, Newt also has an assistant who helps him take care of all his magical creatures in his magical apartment. This character... might have a crush on Newt? Maybe? And then she's never mentioned again after her one scene so I don't know why they bothered to introduce her.
Anyway, Queenie and Jacob show up at Newt's apartment. Jacob remembers everything and handwaves that "Its as you said, it would only remove the bad memories and none of those were bad memories and Queenie filled in the rest. Also, Tina doesn't like that we're dating and getting married. Newt quickly realizes that Jacob has been charmed by Queenie, not the metaphorical kind but as in magically charmed. He removes it, arguing that if Jacob really loves her, he wouldn't need coersion. Jacob is just... kind of confused as to what's happening and Queenie storms out. And I don't understand why she's upset. They then have an argument and Queenie is even more upset and I don't understand why she put the charm on him in the first place. They get into an argument about how they aren't socially accpetable together as a couple (i.e. He's a muggle, she's a witch SUBTEXT HAS BECOME TEXT). And... I don't understand this argument. I don't understand why Queenie is breaking up with him when he WANTS TO BE WITH HER? I don't... get it...
Also, considering the racial subtext we're getting into here... I again feel that Jacob should have been played by a black dude... Way more resonance there. The actor here is FANTASTIC but... I think things would ring a lot louder if it were a black guy.
Nagini is... there. Like, she literally serves no purpose to the plot except Credence's emotional support snake. She only even turns into the sake once and never again. What's even funnier is that she shows up with all the Heroes at Hogwarts and... I have no idea why since she never talked to ANY of the protagonists so... wtf. Also, Jacob shows up at Hogwarts at the end and that's also never explained why people are just ok with Jacob knowing about the Masquerade? UGH.
Ok, so Tina is aparently on mission from MACUSA to track down Credence. Her first scene is her going to this statue and passing through to enter what SEEMS to be the Paris version of Diagon Alley, but... I'm very confused how this works. Because it looks like the same street that the muggles are walking around in and one of the creatures the escapes the carnival winds up in MUGGLE paris so...? That's when Credence breaks Nagini out of the carnival and I don't understand why Credence is there (dialogue conflicts on if Credence is part of the circus or not) or why he and Nagini are friends.
Tina meets a guy named Yusuf who is also tracking Credence for unknown reasons. He explains that he is part of a powerful wizarding family and needs to find Credence, suggesting that Credence is rumored to be part of his family. This... doesn't really get explained further... He has a scene in a bathroom where he pours eye drops in his eye. This never gets mentioned again except that... he has a parasite in his eye? Which isn't relevant I think? Newt and Jacob track him down (because Newt is trying to find Tina? But also find Credence? I'm confused on his motivation in this plot.) and follow him to his sewers hide out where he's locked Tina in and then locks Newt and Jacob in too. He gives this whole thing about how either he or Credence NEED to die... and then falls to the floor for... reason? The parasite? I'm confused. I thought he just dropped dead because NONE of the character really check to see if he's still alive. Also, just as instantly as the character's are locked in these sewers, it cuts to the locked door opening and revealing that Newt's bowtruckle friend unlocked it. Gosh that was easy.
The ground shakes and the realize that there creature that escaped the Cricus is terrorizing the world above. Sudden jump cut to Newt, Tina, Jacob, and (unconcious) Yusuf on the bridge as Newt tricks the Chinese-Cat... Dragon thing into the case. Its a funny scene if... also has nothing to do with the plot if just set up character development. Also, no one cares that a bunch of muggles saw this?
Queenie, meanwhile, has taken off with her luggage to stay with Tina who she knows is in Paris. She arrives at the Paris Ministry and asks to see her only for them to tell her they have no record of Tina. I'm confused why she even thinks Tina would be in their records if she were undercover, why asking the government is a logical option, or why they don't have the records if this IS a logical thing. Queenie then leaves, has her mental break down of hearing everyone's thoughts, and gets kind-of rescued by a woman who is working for Grindlewald. Said woman comes up a lot but I don't think she ever gets a name. Anyway, the woman takes her back to her apartment (which Grindlewald killed the muggle owners earlier, child included) and Grindlewald walks in and seems to want Queenie for something... Only to cut away. When we see her later, she's walking into one of Grindlewald's rallies and is the turncoat who says Grindlewald is correct and goes with him. She's even seen in the final scene with Ginrdlewald. And I'm confused. I don't inherently mind the idea of Queenie being converted, but I NEED to know why. Was she put under a curse by him in a reversal of her putting Jacob under a curse? Or did Grindlewald convince her? The movie never explains so I don't know how I'm supposed to feel. And if he did convince her, I need to understand why she's switched sides and what he said to get at her. And if he DIDN'T CURSE HER, for a manipulative silver tongued villain, he's sure not building up much of that reputation so far. Rehtorical appeals people!
As for Depp himself... I don't care either way from an acting stand point. I think he's doing what he can with the role, but he isn't given much time to develop or be interesting. He's not a compelling villain because he doesn't do anything. I still do think its stupid we have an American playing a Scandanavian though when nationality was so important to the original series cast.
I think Jude Law as Dumbledore is fine, if just... his costuming is really all wrong. ALL of the wizards are wearing suits and ties and bland colors and its driving me nuts. Dumbledore of all people should be loud and vibrant with color. His teaching methods feel a bit too... Lupin-esque but I was somewhat ok with it. Also, they off-handledly show Professor Mc Gonnigal twice and she's similarly dressed and... UGH. Why? They also name drope her in two scenes and NEVER show her face. I don't know what the point was.
Early on, Dumbledore gives Newt a card about a safe house in Paris. Newt, Jacob, and Tina take Yusuf there after the Chinese Cat event. After Tina and Newt leave, Nicholas Flamel shows up with barely an introduction, gives some exposition to Jacob about Grindlewald's ralley and that Tina will be there, and Jacob leaves. Nicholas Flamel is... rather an irrelevant cameo. I'm confused what introducing him served except a nudge at the audience (even the stone shows up). There are TOO MANY characters in this movie.
The Ministry shows up at Hogwarts to call out Dumbledore for his contacts (Newt) acting on his orders and how they don't trust him. I question how they know this info. (BTW, Its also revealed that Newt was in NY in the first movie on Dumbledore's orders). They then try to convince Dumbledore to fight Grindelwald. I question why they do so if they just said they don't trust him. They then go "Is it because of this?!" and throw... something into the air to conjur images of a younger Grindlewald and they say they were "like brothers". Dumbledore says they were "closer than brothers" AND THAT'S THE ONLY GAY REFERENCE. FUCK THIS MOVIE. Like, seriously, you could have shown Grindlewald and Dumbledore kiss? Or something? Also, if the Minstry knows they were very close, THAT'S MORE OF A REASON TO NOT TRUST DUMBLEDORE YOU IDIOTS. I don't understand your argument here guys...
We also get our first real look at Leta Lestrange as she's a ministry worker who joins them. She has a flashback to being bullied at Hogwarts, bullying a student back, getting chased across Hogwarts by Mc Gonnigal, and then her friendship with Newt. Its a really cute scene; arguably the film's best... and does NOTHING to further the plot except to maybe set up a 'Will she be evil or won't she?' moment later since Lestrange even describes herself to Dumbledore as 'wicked'. They also set up her Bogart as a white sheet sinking into a dark abyss. Dumbeldore losing a sibling got referenced which was actually pretty nice.
Newt and Tina sneak into the Ministry (Newt using polyjuice potion as mentioned earlier). They confront his brother and the potion almost instantly wares off... even though he said he had enough to get in and out. But ok. They sneak in because I guess there's a magical archive that would prove Credence's ancestry. I don't know how because that doesn't seem to be how it works. They sneak into the archive by pretenting to be Leta and her fiance. I had a problem with this at first, but then the secretary is onto them and raises the silent alarm, so that's fair. Newt and Tina get in and search for the Lestrange ancestry record. I don't know WHY they jump to Credence being in the Lestrange family, but sure. Fine. Whatever. They don't get a chance to as they get distracted by a shippy moment and Leta shows up to get her own ancestry book. I don't know WHY since she already knows what it contains. ANYWAY, doesn't matter since it was revealed WAY earlier that Grindlewald's followers already stole the book and moved it to the Lestrange Mosoleum. Newt, Tina, and Leta group up and a fight ensues with the Ministry protection cats only for them to suddenly be not a threat as Newt apperates them all out of the Ministry... even though Newt explicitly was told that they couldn't. They apparate to the Lestrange Mosoleum.
Ok, I really should talk about Credence... His motivation is he wants to find his real mother. I actually... kind of forgot that he was an orphan. Anyway, he thinks he's found a lead when he breaks Nagini out of the circus. They go to the lead and, its not his mother but instead the nurse from when he was a baby (who is also a dwarf and has four fingers? Never explained). Just as she's ONLY told him "Hi, I helped deliver you and took you to America", she's murdered by a MACUSA Agent (who is a double agent for Grindlewald trying to get Credence to turn willingly to him) (said agent is also never seen again). This death hurts Credence who goes on a tantrum and would make me feel something if I knew ANYTHING about this character. Also, Credence asks "Why did you give me to that woman?", obviously asking why she'd turn him over to such a hateful bitch as Mary Lou. Her answer is "Because she was the woman supposed to look after you". THIS ANSWERS NOTHING YOUR HEARTLESS THING! Gah! I hate pointless answers.
Credence shows up at the Lestrange tomb because Grindlewald gave him an invitation that he'd find his answers there. This scene was so frustrating because Credence doesn't realize that Grindlewald WAS Graves in the first movie and is someone who already betrayed him. Basically, Grindlewald called to his supporters (using a black sheet thing only wizards can see???) that he's having a ralley at the Lestrange Family Crypt. We see Jacob show up and get accosted by someone, but never how Credence got here. Newt, Tina, and Leta show up and find Yusuf with Jacob, Credence, and Nagini at want point. We have this whole big reveal that... Ok, this is stupid and makes no sense but here I'll try.
BTW, there's also this thing that Leta recognizes Yusuf as her missing brother, but this doesn't make any sense.
Yusuf's mother (when Yusuf was a teenager?) apparently was Imperius Cursed into being lead off by Leta Lestrange's father and they had a child, Leta Lestrange. However, Yusuf's mother died in childbirth and the Lestrange father remaired and had a new child, Corvus. Lestrange sent Crovus off to America and everyone thinks Credence is really Corvus. But Leta pulls out the ancestry and reveals that she was ALSO sent to America with Corvus and the nurse from earlier. Don't ask me WHY they were sent to America. Anyway, Corvus kept crying as a baby and Leta, as a very young girl, switched Corvus with another child on the ship. The ship began to sink (at the same time? Its confusing) and the switch was never discovered. The REAL Corvus drowned when the ship sank (which, I feel like the movie wants to say its the Titanic but the time line does not work for that) and that's why Leta's bogart is a white bundle (the baby) sinking in a dark abyss. The baby she switched with eventually became Credence and the ancestry book proves that Corvus is dead. So... this is REALLY convoluted.
Also, why Leta was sent to America and how she came to attend Hogwarts instead of Ilvermorny isn't explained. I don't get why they were ever sent to America. I'm so confused.
At this point, a door in the back of the room opens and Jacob just waltz in. NOT SURPRISE! ITS' GRINDLEWALD'S RALLY! As soon as they're in, Newt realizes its a trap and they need to get out without raising suspicion. Except... None of the characters had any motivation to walk into this rally, knew the rally was happening here, and have every reason to have just... walked away instead of going through the randomly opening door. YOU IDIOTS! Grindlewald isn't much of a manipulator if his plans run on plot rather than actual guile and influence.
So, the rally starts. Tina gets kind of cornered into the stands and Jacob finds Queenie who insists that they need to just hear him speak. Nagini and Credence both realize that these are pure bloods who will eat them alive. Also, Theseus and the rest of the Ministry show up. He makes a point of DON'T ATTACK ANYONE since its not illegal to hear someone speak.
Grindlewald starts speaking and he basically has this... "People think I hate muggles and that they have no value, but I don't hate them and they just have a different value" which is... "I'm not racist, but I am". He's... not very convincing and argues that the muggles are becoming dangerous and uses a spell to conjure visions of tanks, war, what looks like Holocaust transport trains, and even the atom bomb (or at least a Mushroom cloud). Since this is 1927-8, he has to be seeing the future and this is IMPOSSIBLE by canon standards. Goddamn it. They uses some... hookah skull thing but that doesn't get much explanation. Jacob is horrified about the idea of another war. Grindlewald argues that muggles are the real enemy and the wizards need to fight back. I have... I'm just confused by this motivation. So much. And why its apparently so compelling to Queenie WHO LOVES A MUGGLE MAN AND THESE PURE BLOOD WIZARDS WOULD CONSIDER HER A BLOOD TRAITOR?!
BTW, there's a lot of "spell/object creates visual representation of something we're talking about" in this film with no explanation.
Grindlewald calls out that he knows Aurors are among them. The Ministry Aurors start walking out. One witch we'd seen a few times pulls her wand out as they walk by and the auror uses the killing curse on her, thinking she was about to kill him. Speaking of that, there's A LOT of killing curses in this movie. Does NO ONE remember any other spells? Petrificus Totalis maybe? SOMETHING OTHER THAN MURDER?! Goddamn it. Speaking of spells in this film, no one uses words anymore and it drives me nuts because I don't know the power limits here anymore. Things just keep... happening because magic. A wizard did it. I can't care because I don't know what the rules are even having known the original books by heart.
Grindlewald cradles the now dead witch and tells all of his followers to leave and make it clear "We aren't the violent ones". His followers leave. I don't get why the Ministry isn't doing ANYTHING during this. Let alone why the first death didn't turn the room into a violent mob. Anyway, just the protagonists, ministry, and Grindlewald is left. Grindlewald lights the blue fire from the trailer and orders everyone to swear allegiance or die. One ministry guy charges him and burns in the fire. Queenie tries to get Jacob to join her, but Jacob tells Queenie she's insane. Queenie joins Grindlewald and apparates off in tears. Huh, Queenie, I wonder why your Jewish/Black/Gay/Minority Stand-In Boyfriend doesn't want to join Wizard Hitler. I'm again confused if this is Queenie herself or Queenie under a curse and that would change how I feel about this.
There's a big battle as Ministry agents are killed by the fire and the fire even kills them in the air as they try to apparate. Credence steps through the fire and accepts Grindlewald's deal, ignoring Nagini's plea of otherwise because he thinks Grindlewald knows who he really is. Grindlewald tells Credence this was all for him and Credence apparates off. Grindlewald tries to take Leta to his side and it looks like he did by arguing she's alone and hated. It looks like he's won her over when she lets go and tries to use a killing curse on him. Obviosuly, no go since he has the Elder Wand. She holds off the fire for everyone to escape the Mosoleum. Leta dies in the process. So much for those interviews saying she and Newt's relationship would be devloped over several films. Wah-Wah-Wah. Though, I would have been mad had she actually betrayed the group since Newt clearly considers her a friend and Thesieus clearly loves her dearly.
Grindlewald escapes, says that he hates Paris, and then his blue fire explodes into an enormous flame dragon. Nicholas Flamel shows up, saves Jacob, and explains that everyone needs to work together in a circle around the graveyard or the flames will destroy Paris. Why this is suddenly Grindlewald's plan? I don't know anymore. They stop the dragon with little fuss.
Cut to everyone at Hogwarts, with Jacob and Nagini for no reason, as Newt gives Dumbledore the necklace locket thing from the beginning of the movie. Its revealed that it was a promise between Grindlewald and Dumbledore that they could never harm eachother, hence why Dumbledore could do nothing. But... Unbreakable Vows didn't involve palm slicing and the blood forming a locket in Book 6 so... wtf is this? Why? I don't hate it, but I'm confused. And why did MACUSA seemingly know what this was? If they did, then why were they confused that Dumbledore couldn't do anything?
Ok, final scene. Mountains of Nuremberg, Germany. Queenie is with Grindlewald and tells him to be careful with Credence since Credence doesn't know if he made the right choice. Grindlewald walks in, hands Credence his own wand (what happened to Wand Chooses The Wizard?), and explains that Credence is part of an ancient and powerful family. That his family has a legend about Phoenixs being attracted to their bloodline and coming in their time of need, which was also told to the audience earlier. Grindlewald throws a seed to a naked emaciated bird Credence has been caring for the entire movie and the bird erupts into flames. Grindlewald reveals Credence's true name; Aurelius Dumbledore. Cue credits.
Ugh. This last reveal makes no sense and mucks up so much of Book 7. Gosh, Dumbledore didn't have ONE secret sibling, he had TWO! This series keeps hitting the Prequel problem of everything being overly significant and tied into future events for no reason but CONTINUITY PORN! Except, its more CONTINUITY RETCONS! Gah. I don't even mind retcons, but everything is really confusing and doesn't make a good story. Also, this means that there are TWO Dumbledores that have homoerotic relations with Grindlewald.
This movie makes no sense. It doesn't have a plot. I don't know who is doing what for why and what our goal is. There are too many plots, too many characters, and I don't know what the story IS. I turned to the friends I went with and asked them to summarize the plot and they couldn't answer. Is it Grindlewald setting up his rise to power? Is it Credence trying to find his ancestry? Jacob and Queenie's relationship? This isn't a movie. This isn't a book adapted into a movie. This is a book written as a movie. J.K., hun, I have my issues with your retcons and white hetro feminist problems, but you're a novelist and films are a very different medium with different rules.
I also realize, this movie didn't move the plot much. Grindlewald's single actual action, his escape from MACUSA, is done with in the first 5 mins and he does basically nothing the rest of the movie. Everything is so unbelievably out of focus that I can't imagine what the first drafts looked like. This is... This feels like a very very very rough draft. And its rough. I don't even have a book to go for answers on most of this. I find it so hard to believe this was even approved. There isn't a story here. There's characters doing vaguely defined 'things'.
I'm really trying to not hate this movie. I genuinely think the acting is good and the characters are interesting when they're allowed to interact rather than do "things" for "reasons" or expositing information to the audience. And I think a lot of the visuals and costumes and etc are amazing. But... It was all undercut by my inability to understand what was happening so I couldn't get pulled in.
Edited by InkDagger on Nov 16th 2018 at 12:54:10 PM
welp this is even more of a hot mess than initial spoilers had let on, Queenie and Jacob were the only characters that I liked in the first movie and now it seems like I have even less reason to go watch this.
is joanne kathleen rowling actually going to fucking tackle the holocaust and say what the wizards were doing during that
I mean, it was bound to come up. The Rise of Grindelwald and the Rise of Hitler were not an accident and she hammered that home multiple times.
I also don't entirely mind if Grindelwald's ethos is that Muggles will do bad things (The Holocaust) and wizards need to stop them. After all, he does say that "We can't say things like that so explicitly" early on. Its clear on that end that he IS manipulating people. I just do think the movie could be more explicit on this point rather than a holocaust image drop as short hand.
Or why we're event mentioning this in 1928 if the Holocaust won't begin until '33 or '41 depending on your definition.
Edited by InkDagger on Nov 16th 2018 at 1:33:01 AM
Huh, how odd. The only professional review I've read (from my city's free paper) was absolutely glowing.
Edited by Larkmarn on Nov 16th 2018 at 3:00:17 PM
Found a Youtube Channel with political stances you want to share? Hop on over to this page and add them.The film's currently sitting around 43% on Rotten Tomatoes
, with an average rating of 5.4. "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald has glimmers of the magic familiar to Harry Potter fans, but the story's spell isn't as strong as earlier installments."
I'm a bit surprised. I didn't really expect the film to come out and blow everyone's minds, but I kind of expected coverage to lean more around the sort of 'eh' the first film got. Haven't seen the film yet, personally. I might wait on it; my mother's a bit of a Potter fannote and so I saw that one with her, but I think the previous Beasts disillusioned her a bit.
Edited by Lavaeolus on Nov 16th 2018 at 7:43:34 PM
One of the things I really liked about the first movie was the setting, so I may not like that aspect of the film as much.
I also don't really like bringing Kowalski back, though I totally get why they'd do it.
Still, nothing I've heard makes me think I won't enjoy this film. I don't know how good it will be, from an objective point of view, but I'll probably like it, if less than the first one.
So timelinewise that has to be Mcgonagol's mother right? And if we beleieve that Creedence is Albus's paternal half-brother, he'd have to had been conceived in Azkaban. Which would explain why no-one k ows of his existence. Saying that I buy that Grindelwald is lying because the Pheonix prohpacy is so easy to fake, and it makes sense for Grindelwald to want people to beleieve he has a Dumbledore in his innercirlce.

the elder wand is almost a stright out relic of a god rathern and just a magical instrument.
I really the tale of death and the brothers, it feel more mythology than everything else.
"My Name is Bolt, Bolt Crank and I dont care if you believe or not"