Monday, December 26, 2022

Movie Review: ****^Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)

 We return to the universe of Harry Potter but again before Harry Potter is born.  This movie takes place in the period leading up to WWII.  Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) is on the rise.  He is absolved of wrong doing and is running for leader of the international magical world.  It is up to Dumbledore (Jude Law) and his cohorts to stop him.  This group includes Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), his brother Theseus Scamander (Callum Turner), Lally Hicks (Jessica Williams), Bunty Broadacre (Victoria Yeates), Yusuf Kama (William Nadylam) and the muggle, Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler).  Each has his own reason for being involved.  Kama to avenge his sister's death, Bunty is Scamander's assistant, Kowalski hopes to rescue his girl, Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudol) and Dumbledore to remove the pact he made with Grindelwald when he was a youth.  Hicks is a new character in this movie and is recruiting by Dumbledore to combat the rising evil.  

Also in the mix is the history of Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller) who is an Obscurus a powerful magical being who formed only under certain emotional conditions.  Turns out Credence is the son of Dumbledore's brother, Aberforth (Richard Coyle).  The plot revolves around the Qilin, a magical creature who can see the soul and suggest who is most worthy to lead.  Grindelwald captured one with the help of Credence, and has killed it and brought it back to life in a manipulated state.  However the Qilin has a twin, that Scamander protects.  How can the surviving twin arrive at the ceremony; and Gindelwald be exposed.  Credence calls him out, and Grindelwald attempts to kill him, while Dumbledore and Aberforth defend.  The crossing curses free Dumbledore from his previous pact.  Grindelwald escapes, but the world gets a better leader.  They all meet again at the Kowalski's bakery shop in New York for the wedding of Queenie and Kowalski, with Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston) in attendance who Scamander has missed.

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