Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Blu-ray Review - Magical

By: Lynn Barker

It’s 1927 in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. In New York, imprisoned evil wizard Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) is being transferred via flying coach to answer for his crimes in Europe. He manages an elaborate escape. Hearing this, Professor Dumbledore (Jude Law) reasons that Grindelwald will be searching for Obscurius wizard Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller) in Paris so he sends Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) to protect Credence. Also in Paris are Auror Tina (Katherine Waterston) and others also searching for Credence. The resulting chaos will divide the wizarding world.

The Crimes of GrindelwaldTrailer

Evil Escapes

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them ended with the powerful dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald being captured by MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America), with the help of Newt Scamander. Now, while being transferred to Europe, Grindelwald escapes custody and starts gathering followers, only some of whom are aware of his true agenda: to turn the world over to only pure-blood wizards and witches. No muggles or non-magical beings will survive, unless they are slaves to the elite. Meanwhile, in London, Newt is trying to accept that his brother Theseus (Callum Turner) is engaged to Leta Lestrange (Zoe Kravitz).

Grindelwald about to escape!Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Newt Walks Out

Unable to travel internationally (since his actions in the last film) Newt appeals to the local magic council to lift his travel ban. They will if he will kill Credence who survived the destruction of the last film. Credence will be too powerful and might team up with Grindelwald. Newt refuses and walks out all while Grindelwald and cohorts are setting up shop in Paris. Dumbledore contacts Newt and asks him to go to Paris to find Credence. He is a danger to himself and others. Dumbledore can’t go himself. He says he can’t fight Grindelwald and doesn’t explain why. Newt reluctantly agrees.

Dumbledore asks Newt to find CredenceCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Female Complications

While Newt works with baby nifflers and handles an underwater  beastie called a Kelpie, Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler) and love Queenie (Alison Sudol) have rediscovered each other (the forgetting spell on Jacob is broken) and want to marry. Newt learns that Tina has been distant and cold to him because she thinks he is engaged to Leta Lestrange when his brother Theseus is the one marrying her! Jacob and Queenie argue and she goes off alone planning to go to her sister. Tina is in France looking for Credence and Newt takes Jacob there, both men hoping to find their girls while Newt searches for Credence.

Tina and Newt in ParisCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Eerie Circus

Tina enters a world of wizards where a freak show is going on. Locked up there as performers are Credence and the girl he loves Nagini (Claudia Kim). She turns into a snake and escapes, so does a lion/dragon-like Zouwu beastie as well as Credence. The show’s owner tells Tina that Credence is looking for his mom and another auror called Yusuf Kama (William Nadylam) is also in town looking for Credence. Grindelwald finds Credence and tells him he is the key to his plan to have pure bloods rule the world. Can Credence kill Dumbledore for him?

Jacob and Newt meet with KamaCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Queenie Kidnapped

Newt magically tracks Tina into the freak show world with the help of nifflers while Jacob sees Queenie and follows her into the French Ministry of Magic where she is trying to find Tina who is “on a case”. They can’t help her. She sees Jacob but is kidnapped by Grindelwald’s assistants. Meanwhile, Nagini and Credence go to someone supposed to be his mom she is only a servant who took him to be raised by the evil Mrs. Barebone not knowing what she was like. The killer sent by the American magic council blows up the apartment. The servant is killed but Credence and Nagini escape.

Credence and Nagini share a tender momentCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Dumbledore and Grindelwald

Newt unites with Tina, encounters the runaway Zouwu and lures it into his case. Theseus and Leta Lestrange are at Hogwarts meeting with Dumbledore. Why did he send Newt to Paris? Why is he protecting Credence? He’s a dangerous Obscurial wizard. Why didn’t Dumbledore go fight Grindelwald himself? Dumbledore admits the two were once “closer than brothers” and swore a blood oath never to harm each other. Leta relives her unhappy childhood at Hogwarts. Only Newt befriended her. She has a “worst fear” that involves water. Dumbledore and Leta commiserate as both have lost a sibling; his sister and her brother Corvis.

Lita Lestrange is tempted by GrindelwaldCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

The Rally

Newt and Tina go to the Ministry where ancestral records are kept. The secret to Credence’s true identity is supposed to be in a box there, but is it? They must find Credence, stop Grindelwald from holding a rally of his followers that night and launching his pure bloods only campaign. Queenie is still around Grindelwald and Jacob can’t rescue her. Newt finally tells Tina he is not engaged to Leta or anybody. They reconcile. Who actually is Credence? Is he related to anyone we know? Can the good guys save Credence and get Queenie back or will Grindelwald use both of them to help him destroy the wizarding world they know?

Grindelwald at his rallyCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Bonus Features

The Blu-ray combo pack for “Crimes of Grindelwald” presents a beautiful-looking and sounding take home edition of the film including these extra features:

• Extended Edition of the film. You can only get this by downloading from Movies Anywhere. A code is provided in this Blu-ray/DVD/Digital pack.
• J.K. Rowling: A World Revealed features the famous author on her collaboration with the filmmakers, the difference between writing novels and screenplays and more.
• Wizards on Screen, Fans in Real Life gives us actors Ezra Miller (Credence) and Evana Lynch (Luna Lovegood) watching new scenes from the movie while fan geeking out over them. Really fun, funny and informative especially for big fans of the franchise.
• Distinctly Dumbledore covers the choice of Jude Law to play young Dumbledore; his costumes are discussed plus J.K. talks about a special meeting with him. Fun!
• Unlocking Scene Secrets is a 6-part “making of” feature with the following sections: The Return to Hogwarts, Newt’s Menagerie, Credence, Nagini and the Circus Arcanus, Paris and Place Cachee, Ministere des Affaires Magiques and Grindelwald’s Escape and the Ring of Fire.

Newt with the Zouwu beastieCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

• All of these extras include the production of these big scenes with on set coverage and comments by J.K., Director David Yates, Effects Supervisors, Art Directors, Production set Designer, Set Decorator, Production Supervisors, the actors and more! Very complete and interesting to watch.
• 10 Deleted Scenes are nice to watch, especially some short additions to the romance between Credence and Nagini that were no doubt cut for time. They include: Credence Reborn, At the Docks, Walk N Talk, Ballroom Dance, Tina and Skender, Newt’s Basement, Murmuration, Newt and Jacob’s Walk to Kama’s, Nagini and Credence in Alley, Dumbledore and McGonagall.  All are worth a watch.

Newt in his basementCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Wrapping Up

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is chocked full of too much story and it doesn’t really stand alone well for newbies to the “Beast” or Wizarding World. Even devoted fans might be a bit confused  Tension is broken by too many love interest sidebars and backstory origin tales but, of course, the beasties and visual effects are great as are many of the performances.

Jacob and Newt search for their ladiesCourtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

This Blu-ray/DVD/Digital set contains some very informative and entertaining extras and it is nice that author J.K. Rowling comments throughout most of them. Her personal insights are really interesting. The “Extended Cut” can only be watched through downloading it. Wish it were just included in the package set. There is also no audio commentary but a lot of that info is covered in the extras. We always love a gag reel of goofs but, I assume, the Wizarding World is taken too seriously for this. However, with the provided on set and other interesting extras we rate four stars.

The Crimes of Grindelwald Blu-ray Rating: 

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Buy Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald starting March 12^th

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