Fantastic Beasts 3: Dumbledore's Secrets adds confusion to confusion (review)

On the farm, the animals? Not so fast: this film which was supposed to put the Harry Potter franchise back on track has still not found the magic formula, but it still rectifies the situation.

TF1 will broadcast this Sunday evening, for the first time unencrypted, the third part of the Fantastic animals. The final opus, we should say, because what had initially been imagined as a saga of five films ended up finally stopped with this sequel. At Warner, priority is now given to a new adaptation of Harry Potterin a TV series, this time.

Is it worth a look? Here is our long review, interspersed with links on its manufacturing secrets.

It was the film of all dangers: four years have passed since The Crimes of Grindewald. Four years and a whole series of derailments. First, the franchise has never managed to take off or invent a world or characters as attractive as those in the series. Harry Potter. Then, JK Rowling's controversial comments created a schism within the fandom. Finally, Johnny Depp was fired by the studio and urgently replaced by Mads Mikkelsen while the destiny of Katherine Waterston within the universe also seemed compromised…

Fantastic Beasts has therefore become this franchise of fish but does Dumbledore's Secrets could find the magic formula and ward off (bad) fate? This third chapter attempts to correct some defects of the Crimes of Grindelwald, without being able to completely convince.

Fantastic Beasts 3: Mads Mikkelsen would have liked to speak with Johnny Depp

Better than Grindelwald. The previous episode made the saga sink Potter in an abysmal darkness by multiplying heavy ruminations on the nature of power. The scenario linked analogies (not always subtle) between the world of magic and the European democracies between the two wars – burying the series under a spirit of somewhat deadly seriousness… From this point of view, we are a little worried. shortly at the start of the new film since it all begins in Berlin in the 1930s. Grindelwald, who is rotting in prison, wants to take power and dominate the wizarding world. Once out, he decides to accept the democratic game to better subvert it with the help of his thugs in black shirts. Does this remind you of something? However, very quickly, Dumbledore's Secrets abandons historical-political thinking to favor adventure. We leave Berlin for Central Asia and the dark political negotiations for a chase on the roof of the world and in caves with a very fantasy… This episode finally leaves more room for the spectacle and the bestiary (as expected, impressive) quickly setting up the boundaries of its playground: new magical animals, a perfume Backpacker Wizard's Guideand fun…

Fantastic Beasts 3: Dumbledore finally declares his love to Grindelwald in video

“Confundo!”

Yes, but here it is: this GPS quickly turns out to be inoperative, because the main problem with this part is the complexity of the plot. Even Norbert doesn't understand it. At the start of the film, outlining his strategy to put an end to Grindelwald's actions, he states that, as the evil wizard can see the future, he will have to add confusion to confusion. Conceived as a spy film in a magical world, Dumbledore's Secrets therefore multiplies the incomprehensible lurches, connects false trails and dead ends, and never, but NEVER, seeks to catch up with the wagons. The first half hour makes no attempt to put the pieces together and proves a bit arduous for laymen. The details of the plot will give even the most ardent Potterhead a headache. And characters appear and disappear at the speed of light – without us ever being able to take an interest in their fate. What is Dumbledore's sister doing in this story? Why is his brother so taciturn? And what does Belief ultimately believe in? The resolution of the film seems very vague and obviously does not answer all these questions.

There remain some beautiful sequences like the wizards' duel in the city or a scene at the Pirates of the Caribbean in which Norbert and his brother must face an army of crabs and a Basilisk. Basically, director David Yates does what he can to make an episode thrilling that only serves as preparation for the final two episodes; he constantly seeks (valiantly? in vain?) the point of balance between visual enchantment, political violence, and old-fashioned adventure. Fortunately in this mission, he can count on two actors at the top. Jude Law is definitely fantastic as Dumbledore (charming and mysterious, establishing his cool authority and emotional flaws) while Mikkelsen, naturally less buffoonish and exuberant than Depp, imposes a more subtle Grindelwald, with a more insidious Machiavellianism, ending up making his threat much more tangible… The magic still doesn't work, but we are making progress.

Trailer for Dumbledore's Secrets :

Tina (Katherine Waterston) is good in Fantastic Beasts 3