By: Sarah Sheinker, Opinions Editor
The wizarding world has expanded greatly since the last installment of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part Two. The Harry Potter books took the reader into the realm of the wizarding world, where students read books like The Tales of Beedle and Bard rather than the Grimms’ Fairy Tales. New novels have joined the collection of magical literature such as Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, where fans can now learn how to hone their power through a magical curriculum. Recently, Warner Bros. Production released another film, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, to add on to the franchise, but the movie does not prove to satisfy everyone’s expectations for another story in the magical world.
Despite the excitement of an addition to the Harry Potter Franchise, people found The Crimes of Grindelwald hard to follow, due to the numerous subplots and new characters. This makes many lesser fans of the series reluctant to follow the movie throughout its entirety. Although the plotlines are well thought out, incorporating magic and beasts, the number of secondary plotlines makes it complicated for the average Harry Potter fan to follow. With a 38% rating on Rotten tomatoes, most would expect a low box office sale. In spite of the low rating and reviews The Crimes of Grindelwald grossed a total of $572 million dollars worldwide in box office sales, surpassing the break-even gross amount by $172 million dollars.
Although the second movie in the Fantastic Beasts series did not receive high praised reviews, many viewers will continue to see the movies as they come out. The success of the Harry Potter franchise is due to its compelling and mystical wizarding world, that drives new and old viewers to the big screen. J.K Rowling and other participants in the making of the movie did not disappoint when it came to including creatures and magic. The special effects were astonishing as always and the beats were more intriguing than ever. The magic and mystery of the suitcase, where the beasts live, pull in audiences of all ages. Newt Scamander’s own pet, a baby niffler, lightens up the dark nature of Grindelwald.
To summarize, Harry Potter fans may be disappointed because Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald does not measure up to the Harry Potter movies, but the Harry Potter style of magic helps satisfy the need for another wizarding world movie. I would not recommend this movie to someone who is not familiar with Harry Potter and his story, but I would to a Potterhead. This movie is no confundus charm, but pay close attention or else you might find yourself just as confused.