Movie Review - Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore


As the movie opens, it'll be no secret that third time's the charm for this spin off franchise.  

While they didn't quite wean out the superfluous subplots (granted, the prison escape bit garnered the most laughs and provided another Fantastic Beast), they did attempt to give an in-movie explanation.  The large cast of characters were trimmed down in terms of focus and resulted in a comprehensive and much easier to digest experience. 



The switching of the lead villain is quite acceptable as Mads provides grounded gravitas as compared to Depp's more unearthly portrayal.  The more political theme is quite timely and adds real world context, despite being set in the past and in a divergent fantasy.  




I'm rather happy that the various plotlines started in previous entries were addressed.  Some might not have wrapped up well (like the Lestrange connection or the lovechild arcs almost being inconsequential) but cherished characters at least had their happy ending (with Queenie and Jacob).


All in all, a less bombastic but a more improved conclusion to the trilogy.  I wouldn't be averse to another sequel if they stay the course in terms of this quality.

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