The Corner Penthouse

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is the tenth film in J.K. Rowling's "Wizarding World" cinematic universe; preceded by all eight Harry Potter films (2001-2011) and the previous film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016). How does it fare? Read on to find out...


Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is a direct follow-up to its predecessor, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which ended with the powerful dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) being captured by MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America), with the help of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne). Making good on his threat, Grindelwald escapes custody and sets about gathering followers, most unsuspecting of his true agenda: to raise pure-blood wizards up to rule over all non-magical beings. Perhaps the only one capable of stopping Grindelwald is his one-time friend, Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law), who enlists his former student Newt for help.


The movie runs for over two hours, and it feels like it. It's filled to the brim with characters and subplots that go nowhere and have little to no significance on the film as a whole. The film wears on without the fun and excitement of the original. That's not to say that there aren't bits and pieces of stuff to like, it's just that the sum of the parts isn't as good as the parts themselves.


While I don't, exactly, hate the film, I'm not all that excited at the prospect of a planned three more films in the Fantastic Beasts saga. That said, I do want to see how this story ends since this film doesn't have a proper ending. Much like Avengers: Infinity War, the final moments of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald are nothing more than a lead-in to the next film. There are no resolved character arcs, no satisfaction to leave you with, no nothing, really. This pisses me off to no end. Honestly, I hope they just wrap it all up in the next film and skip the last two. There's no need for this story to be told in over 10 hours of screen time (five films running a bit over 2 hours each). They're already trying to cram in too much. Less is more.


At a runtime of 2:13:50, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is presented in its original 2.40:1 aspect ratio with an 1080p transfer. On the audio side, there's a Dolby Atmos-TrueHD track for English, and 5.1 Dolby Digital audio tracks for English Descriptive, French, and Spanish. The film includes English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles. The first print run includes a beautiful slipsleeve.


All of the bonus features that can be found on the disc are in HD.

• J.K. Rowling: A World Revealed (10:15) - The author talks about moving beyond Hogwarts, adapting her work for the screen, and much more.
• Wizards on Screen, Fans in Real Life (19:22) - Cast members and fans Ezra Miller (Credence Barebone) and Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) watch scenes from the film and talk about their interest in the books and films.
• Distinctly Dumbledore (9:31) - Director David Yates, producer David Heyman, costume designer Colleen Atwood, and actor Jude Law discuss the younger version of the character portrayed in the movie, as well as the character's history.
• Unlocking Scene Secrets (49:09 total) - Breaks down a handful of notable scenes from the film, which include comments from many of the cast and crew members.
  • "The Return to Hogwarts" (6:18)
  • "Newt's Menagerie" (9:06)
  • "Credence, Nagini and the Circus Arcanus" (5:52)
  • "Paris and Place Cachee" (10:05)
  • "Le Ministere des Affaires Magiques: The French Ministry" (5:18)
  • "Grindelwald's Escape and the Ring of Fire" (12:27)
• Deleted Scenes (14:23 total) - Scenes indentified as such:
  • "Credence Reborn" (2:03)
  • "At the Docks" (1:08)
  • "Walk N Talk" (0:53)
  • "Ballroom Dance" (2:35)
  • "Tina and Skender" (0:36)
  • "Newt's Basement" (2:24)
  • "Murmuration" (2:45)
  • "Newt and Jacob Walk to Kama's" (1:27)
  • "Nagini and Credence in Alley" (0:55)
  • "Dumbledore and McGonagall" (0:36)

Also included in the Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack is a second DVD disc, which contains only the "Unlocking Scene Secrets: The French Ministry" featurette listed above. The movie on the DVD is presented in its original 2.40:1 aspect ratio with an anamorphic widescreen transfer. On the audio side, there are 5.1 Dolby Digital audio tracks for English, French, and Spanish, plus a Dolby Digital 2.0 English Descriptive track. The film includes English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles.


A Movies Anywhere/Vudu digital copy code voucher is also included in the standard two-disc Blu-ray case. The digital copy includes an Extended Cut that is not found on the disc. When the studios have bonus features, and in this case, a different cut of the film, as digital-only exclusives, it's like a slap in the face to those of us who collect physical media. The Extended Cut is listed as including "seven minutes of deleted scenes", so I have to assume that it's just the Theatrical Cut with the separate deleted scenes added back in.


It's hard for me to recommend Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald as it's merely part of a much larger story. There is no conclusion to the film, so you really wouldn't benefit from seeing it unless you're watching the entire film series together. They plan to make three more films, so it would be in your best interest to wait until they've all been made and released. If you absolutely feel the need to watch it now, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is available on Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack, 4K UHD Combo Pack, individual DVD, and 3D Blu-ray. The previous film, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, is available on Blu-ray, Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack in Newt's Suitcase Slipsleeve with Character Cards, and individual DVD.


All images were taken from the IMDB gallery of the film, and the official Warner Bros. Flickr gallery. The Blu-ray+DVD Combo Pack has been provided by Warner Brothers for review on this site.