Warner Bros. is still looking to make money off of franchises and since the DCEU continues its downward spiral of embarrassment and there’s still more time until the next Lego movie, J.K. Rowling’s wonderful world of wizards has answered the call.
The first trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald hit the internet on Tuesday. The sequel to the 2016 Harry Potter prequel/spinoff Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (based on the book of the same name) is written by J.K. Rowling and again directed by David Yates. Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Ezra Miller and Carmen Ejogo reprise their roles from the first movie, with has-been blockbuster actor/accused domestic abuser Johnny Depp and noted Young Pope Jude Law officially joining the cast for the sequel.
The latter new cast member is playing a younger Albus Dumbledore (so Young Magic Pope, basically), who enlists the help of former student Newt Scamander (Redmayne) to track down noted criminal Gellert Grindelwald (Depp), who has escaped the custody of the MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America, dontcha know). While Grindelwald plans to start an uprising of pure-blooded wizards against non-magical beings, Newt wonders if his once-adventurous spirit is being abused in the search for….magic justice?
Honestly, who cares? Of all the unnecessary spinoff franchises to happen, Fantastic Beasts feels extremely pointless. For what is essentially Pokemon but with wizards, the look and feel of the movie is incredibly dull and bland. From the trailer, it seems the movie is following the same visual aesthetic of the first movie with faded grey and yellow color palettes with hints of dark lime green (The Shape of Water should sue). And while the Harry Potter films mixed its dark undertones of magic and monsters with a coming-of-age journey, Fantastic Beasts provides almost no characters to care about or get invested in. But boy oh boy, do those scarves and wands look cool, I bet they’re available at your nearest Hot Topic!
And then there’s Depp…..*sigh*.
First, look at him. LOOK AT THAT CREEPY BASTARD. I know he’s the villain of this franchise, but maybe you shouldn’t make a man who’s been accused of being a violent monster to a woman look like the decaying henchman who worked for Satan from Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (or just not cast him at all). On top of him looking even more ridiculous than he did in the last movie, it just further drives home the uncomfortableness of Depp’s presence in this franchise and how his villain character is almost a constant reminder of his horrible actions.
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So is there anything that looks good about this movie? Well…….Jude Law is still charming at age 45. That’s nice.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald hits theaters on November 16. What do you think of the continuing status of Johnny Depp…I mean, the new trailer? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to stick with The Young Folks for the latest movie news.
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