I did not like the first FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM. I thought it lacked soul. I thought it felt like Rowling was cashing in on her previous successes. It was not memorable. It was not an extended sit but it demonstrated that it might be a good idea to let sleeping dogs lie in regards to Harry Potter.
Naturally we’re getting another one. This is inexplicable. As far as I know, I have not read the novel she wrote, but FANTASTIC BEASTS was supposed to be a compendium. At least that’s what I thought I read – a history of the universe. World building, if fans ever wanted something else to chew on now that the main story has concluded. The first film felt like a footnote, because of the source material, and with THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD there’s no reason to expect any different, only this time we get Dumbledore.
To be fair to CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD (as bad as it will likely be, and as unfortunate as it is that I will probably see it out of impulse), Jude Law is fitting as young Dumbledore. He doesn’t really have the look, but he has the demeanor and the presence and the capacity to captivate. The movie, I wager, will follow Dumbledore’s relationship with Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) and will likely dive into the sexuality of the two men, which is something that I’m sure would have been a point of controversy in 2007. Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander factors in there somewhere, and I’m sure Redmayne will bore me to tears. He’s just not an interesting actor at all, in my opinion.
It’s clear that Warner wants to keep milking Harry Potter for more money, and that’s obviously a bad idea, but if you were to do it, standalone films might make more sense. Take Dumbledore for example, there’s a template for a good standalone Dumbledore movie. You could have him as a boy, making ends meet in the Wizarding World. He ends up at Hogwarts, rises up the ranks while interacting with a colorful cast of characters, and you could move, timeline wise, closer to the events of the Sorcerer’s Stone. You’ve got a guaranteed standing ovation if you can get Michael Gambon back to reprise the role. Call it something like CITIZEN DUMBLEDORE, get several high profile actors to play him through the years. It’s not a great idea, but its undoubtedly more interesting than the ideas presented for FANTASTIC BEASTS.
This seems to be the way for many great writers and filmmakers. I’ve started calling it the “George Lucas Path to Hackdom.” You write or direct something really interesting that people like, that runs its course, and then you come up with more ideas which end up running it into the ground. Peter Jackson did that with THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES, and J.K. Rowling has now completed the path to hackdom, as well.
Written by Jeff Turner
