When Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them arrived in 2016, it offered Harry Potter fans a new way to experience the Wizarding World. Instead of following Harry, Ron, and Hermione through Hogwarts, the story introduced audiences to Newt Scamander, a quiet and eccentric magizoologist whose adventures unfolded in 1920s New York.
Two years later, the story became considerably darker.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, released in 2018, expands the Wizarding World beyond magical creatures and introduces a much larger conflict involving Gellert Grindelwald, Albus Dumbledore, Credence Barebone, and the growing division between wizards and non-magical people.
Directed by David Yates and written by J.K. Rowling, the film brings together returning characters and several important figures from the history of the Wizarding World. Eddie Redmayne returns as Newt Scamander, while Jude Law makes his debut as a younger Albus Dumbledore and Johnny Depp portrays the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald.
The result is an ambitious fantasy adventure that contains plenty of magical spectacle, but also became one of the more divisive entries in the franchise.
What Is The Crimes of Grindelwald About?
The story begins with Gellert Grindelwald escaping from custody.
Grindelwald is not interested in simply hiding from the authorities. He has a much larger ambition: he wants to unite powerful witches and wizards behind the belief that magical people should rule over non-magical humans.
His movement gradually becomes a political and ideological threat to the entire magical world.
Meanwhile, Newt Scamander is living a relatively quiet life after the events of the first Fantastic Beasts movie. He would rather concentrate on magical creatures than become involved in political conflicts.
That changes when Albus Dumbledore asks Newt to help stop Grindelwald.
Dumbledore knows Grindelwald better than almost anyone. The two were once close friends, and their shared history becomes one of the most important elements of the film.
Newt eventually becomes caught between several interconnected stories involving Grindelwald’s growing movement, Credence Barebone’s search for his identity, Tina Goldstein’s investigation, Queenie’s relationship with Jacob Kowalski, and the complicated history of the Lestrange family.
Rather than focusing on one straightforward adventure, the film moves between these different characters and storylines.
That ambition is both one of its greatest strengths and one of its biggest weaknesses.
Eddie Redmayne Returns as Newt Scamander
Eddie Redmayne once again plays Newt Scamander, the soft-spoken magizoologist at the center of the Fantastic Beasts series.
Newt is an unusual protagonist for a major fantasy franchise.
He isn’t particularly interested in fame or political power. He is uncomfortable in large social situations and seems far more comfortable around magical creatures than people.
That makes him very different from Harry Potter.
Harry is naturally drawn into conflicts because of his connection to Voldemort. Newt, by contrast, repeatedly finds himself pulled into conflicts he would rather avoid.
In The Crimes of Grindelwald, this personality trait becomes especially important. Dumbledore asks Newt to take action against Grindelwald, but Newt initially refuses to become involved in international wizarding politics.
Eventually, however, he realizes that remaining on the sidelines is no longer an option.
Redmayne’s performance remains one of the film’s most distinctive elements. Newt’s awkward mannerisms and quiet personality provide a contrast to the increasingly grandiose conflict surrounding him.
Jude Law’s Albus Dumbledore
One of the biggest attractions of The Crimes of Grindelwald was the introduction of a younger Albus Dumbledore.
Jude Law takes over the role from Richard Harris and Michael Gambon, who portrayed Dumbledore in the original Harry Potter movies.
Rather than attempting to imitate Gambon’s version, Law presents a younger, more charismatic Dumbledore.
This Dumbledore is confident, charming, witty, and clearly capable of manipulating situations when necessary. At the same time, the film hints at a complicated past that connects him directly to Grindelwald.
Their relationship is crucial to understanding the larger conflict.
Dumbledore knows exactly how dangerous Grindelwald is, yet he refuses to confront him directly. This raises an important question throughout the movie:
Why doesn’t Dumbledore simply fight Grindelwald himself?
The answer is connected to their shared past and a magical blood pact that prevents the two from directly fighting one another.
That relationship gives the film an interesting emotional foundation. The conflict isn’t simply between two strangers representing good and evil. It involves two former friends whose ambitions eventually placed them on opposite sides of history.
Johnny Depp’s Gellert Grindelwald
Johnny Depp plays Gellert Grindelwald as a charismatic and calculating antagonist.
Unlike Voldemort, Grindelwald does not primarily rely on terror to attract followers.
He presents himself as a visionary.
His argument is that wizards are more powerful than non-magical humans and therefore should have greater authority over them. He attempts to persuade witches and wizards that his movement is necessary for their survival.
That makes Grindelwald particularly dangerous because his influence depends on persuasion as much as force.
He understands how to exploit fear, resentment, and uncertainty.
The film therefore shifts the franchise toward a more explicitly political form of fantasy storytelling. Grindelwald’s rise is portrayed as a movement capable of attracting ordinary people who believe they are fighting for a better future.
The film’s themes of ideological division and authoritarianism were noted by contemporary critics. Roger Ebert’s review, for example, highlighted the movie’s engagement with prejudice and the rise of a movement based on perceived superiority.
Credence Barebone’s Search for the Truth
Credence Barebone, played by Ezra Miller, returns as one of the film’s most mysterious characters.
In the previous movie, Credence was revealed to possess extraordinary magical power. His unstable relationship with his identity and his past made him one of the most tragic figures in the story.
In The Crimes of Grindelwald, Credence becomes determined to discover who he really is.
His search eventually leads him toward the Lestrange family and a series of revelations about his origins.
The movie uses Credence’s story as one of its major mysteries.
Unfortunately, this is also where the narrative becomes particularly complicated.
The film introduces multiple names, family connections, historical events, and competing explanations about Credence’s identity. Some viewers found these revelations intriguing, while others felt that the movie devoted too much time to twists without providing enough emotional clarity.
The Return of Newt’s Friends
The movie also brings back several familiar characters from the first Fantastic Beasts film.
Jacob Kowalski returns as Newt’s loyal Muggle friend.
Queenie Goldstein also returns, but her relationship with Jacob becomes increasingly complicated. Queenie wants to marry him, yet the magical laws surrounding relationships between wizards and non-magical people create serious obstacles.
Tina Goldstein is also back, continuing her relationship with Newt while investigating the growing threat surrounding Grindelwald.
These characters provide continuity with the first movie and keep the story connected to Newt’s original adventure.
However, the expanding cast means that not every character receives equal development.
This was one of the most common criticisms directed at the movie. Contemporary reviews frequently pointed to the sheer number of characters and subplots as a problem. Time Out described the film as visually inventive but burdened by too much plot, while Roger Ebert’s review similarly criticized its unwieldy number of story elements.
Hogwarts Returns
For Harry Potter fans, one of the most nostalgic elements of The Crimes of Grindelwald is the return to Hogwarts.
The film takes audiences back to the legendary school decades before Harry Potter arrives there.
This gives viewers the opportunity to see Hogwarts during an entirely different period in its history.
The return is deliberately nostalgic. The architecture, classrooms, grounds, and familiar magical atmosphere remind audiences of the original series.
It also provides another connection between Newt’s story and the larger Harry Potter mythology.
The film’s exploration of Dumbledore’s past makes Hogwarts more than simply a nostalgic location. It becomes part of the history that shaped the characters at the center of the conflict.
The Magical Creatures
Despite the increasingly serious storyline, the Fantastic Beasts franchise still has magical creatures at its heart.
Newt’s relationship with magical animals remains one of the most charming aspects of the movie.
The creatures provide moments of humor and wonder that contrast with the darker political storyline.
However, this is an area where the sequel differs from its predecessor.
The first Fantastic Beasts movie was built heavily around Newt’s creatures and his attempt to recover them in New York. In the sequel, the creatures are more integrated into a much larger narrative.
Some appear briefly, while others play important roles in helping Newt accomplish specific tasks.
This change reflects the broader evolution of the series.
The focus is gradually shifting from “fantastic beasts” toward the historical conflict involving Dumbledore and Grindelwald.
The Guardian noted that one of the first film’s key ingredients was its combination of Newt, 1920s New York, and its magical creatures, and argued that the sequel lost some of that original magic.
A Much Darker Wizarding World
One of the most noticeable differences between the two Fantastic Beasts films is the tone.
The first movie has a playful quality.
There are dangerous moments, but the story is often adventurous and humorous.
The Crimes of Grindelwald moves further toward the darker tone associated with the later Harry Potter movies.
Grindelwald’s ideology gives the film an ominous atmosphere, while the growing conflict between magical and non-magical people creates a sense that a much larger war is approaching.
The story also contains more death, political manipulation, imprisonment, and betrayal.
In that sense, the movie functions as a bridge between the relatively lighthearted first Fantastic Beasts adventure and the larger historical conflict that the filmmakers originally intended to explore.
The Film’s Biggest Strengths
Despite its criticisms, The Crimes of Grindelwald has several impressive qualities.
The production design is one of them.
The film expands the visual language of the Wizarding World with locations in Paris, London, Hogwarts, and other magical environments.
The magical effects are also frequently spectacular.
The film’s cinematography creates a darker and more mature atmosphere, particularly during scenes involving Grindelwald and his followers.
The cast is another strength.
Eddie Redmayne gives Newt a distinctive personality, Jude Law brings charm and intelligence to Dumbledore, and Johnny Depp portrays Grindelwald as an unsettlingly persuasive antagonist.
The movie also contains several moments designed specifically for longtime Harry Potter fans.
The return to Hogwarts is perhaps the most obvious example.
The appearance of Nicolas Flamel is another connection to the mythology of the original series.
And the revelation involving Nagini creates one of the film’s most unexpected links to Harry Potter.
Where the Movie Struggles
The biggest problem is arguably the story.
There is simply a lot happening.
Newt has his mission.
Dumbledore has his secret history with Grindelwald.
Grindelwald has his political movement.
Credence is searching for his identity.
Tina is investigating Credence.
Queenie and Jacob are dealing with their relationship.
The Lestrange family has a complicated history.
Nagini has her own story.
And several other characters are introduced along the way.
Each storyline could potentially support an entire movie.
Trying to combine all of them into one 134-minute film creates a pacing problem.
Some characters appear to be introduced primarily to establish future plot points rather than to complete a meaningful arc within this film.
As a result, The Crimes of Grindelwald sometimes feels less like a complete standalone adventure and more like a chapter in a much larger story.
The Ending Explained
The ending is one of the movie’s biggest twists.
After a series of revelations concerning Credence’s identity, Grindelwald makes a shocking claim about his origins.
He tells Credence that his real name is Aurelius Dumbledore.
If true, this would mean that Credence is connected to Albus Dumbledore’s family.
The revelation dramatically changes the way audiences are expected to understand Credence and his place in the larger Wizarding World.
But rather than resolving the mystery, the film deliberately ends by creating another question.
Is Credence really a member of the Dumbledore family?
And if so, how?
The cliffhanger was designed to encourage audiences to return for the next installment.
For some viewers, this created excitement and anticipation.
For others, it felt frustrating because so many questions had already been introduced without receiving definitive answers.
How Critics Received the Film
The movie received mixed reviews from critics.
Rotten Tomatoes currently lists a 36% Tomatometer score, while its audience score is considerably higher at 53%. The site’s critics consensus says the movie contains glimpses of the familiar Harry Potter magic but that its story is not as effective as earlier installments.
The criticism was not generally directed at the film’s visual craftsmanship.
Instead, reviewers frequently focused on its complicated screenplay, large cast, numerous subplots, and heavy exposition.
Time Out gave the film three out of five stars and described it as visually impressive while arguing that it had too much plot to truly soar.
The Guardian similarly argued that the sequel lost some of the magic of the first Fantastic Beasts film, despite praising Eddie Redmayne’s performance.
Other critics were more positive about the darker direction and the expanded mythology.
That divide explains why the movie remains a particularly interesting entry in the Wizarding World: its weaknesses and ambitions are closely connected.
Is The Crimes of Grindelwald Worth Watching?
For Harry Potter fans, the answer is generally yes.
It may not be as accessible as the original Harry Potter movies, and it doesn’t have the straightforward adventure structure of the first Fantastic Beasts film.
But it contains important pieces of Wizarding World history.
The movie introduces a younger Dumbledore, expands Grindelwald’s ideology, explores the relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, returns to Hogwarts, develops Credence’s mysterious origins, and sets up the larger conflict that continues in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
It is best approached as a chapter in a larger story rather than a completely self-contained fantasy adventure.
If you’re primarily watching for magical creatures and Newt’s quirky adventures, the first film may be more satisfying.
If you’re interested in the history of Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and the Wizarding World before Harry Potter, however, The Crimes of Grindelwald offers considerably more.
Final Verdict
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is an ambitious but uneven expansion of the Harry Potter universe.
Its biggest strength is its willingness to explore a completely different period of Wizarding World history. Instead of simply repeating the formula of the original franchise, it begins examining the rise of one of the most dangerous dark wizards in history and his complicated relationship with Albus Dumbledore.
The movie also benefits from impressive production design, strong performances, magical creatures, a darker atmosphere, and several major connections to the Harry Potter mythology.
Its biggest weakness is the sheer amount of story packed into a single film.
There are so many characters, mysteries, relationships, and historical revelations that the central narrative can become difficult to follow.
That makes The Crimes of Grindelwald a fascinating but flawed chapter in the Wizarding World.
It may not have the effortless charm of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone or the emotional payoff of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, but it provides an important look at the world that existed long before Harry Potter arrived at Hogwarts.
Ultimately, the film’s greatest appeal lies in what it promises: a deeper exploration of Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and one of the most consequential conflicts in magical history.
And for longtime fans, that alone makes Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald worth revisiting.
