Christopher Holston

This installation of the Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts series can be found wanting with regard to the presence and on screen flare of Johnny Depp from the onset of the film. Lacking the crescendo of its predecessor The Secrets of Dumbledore struggles to develop the suspense intended. While Madds Mikkelsen is an outstanding actor in all regards he was simply not the right choice for the role of Grindelwald. In essence Mikkelsen simply replicated his performance from the series Hannibal and added a magic wand. From the age difference and lack of chemistry between Law and Mikkelsen to the uncharacteristic and utterly boring costuming the film fell flat. A saving grace for this film can be found in the portrayal of Jacob Kowalski by Dan Fogler. Fogler steals the screen throughout the picture and has displayed a new level of flexibility hither to unseen in his previous roles. This installation is destined to be classified as an outlier in the Harry Potter universe contending only with Chamber of Secrets for poor execution. Additionally, the contemporary political subtext that is pervasive throughout the film serves only to placate self-defined activists and annoy Harry-Potter purists.