Seven Things We’ll Definitely Be Seeing in “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”
Intense Magical Action
The trailer shows us more of Grindelwald’s thrilling escape from MACUSA in a Thestral-drawn carriage. We’re riding a kelpie, taming a zouwu, and running through the French Ministry of Magic with our favorite characters. The final seconds of the trailer show us flash after flash of magical action. The action will likely culminate in an epic showdown in the underground amphitheater where Grindelwald addresses his followers. We see Grindelwald’s wand spitting blue flames as our characters gather around him. Clearly, we are in for some intense, heart-pounding action.
A Hunt for Credence
Everyone is looking for Credence. Tina is “on foreign assignment,” which could very well mean that MACUSA knows Credence escaped and has tasked Tina with finding him before he wreaks havoc on another city. However, Tina has also been described as being on an unauthorized mission; perhaps she hasn’t taken all of the magical government’s orders to heart. Meanwhile, Yusuf Kama finds him at the Circus Arcanus just as Nagini transforms into a snake, and Newt is asked by someone at the Ministry of Magic to hunt down and kill an unknown figure. Meanwhile, it looks like Credence will spend this movie searching for himself.
Queenie in Distress
After three trailers, we still have only a few brief glimpses of Queenie, and in each moment, she looks considerably distressed. We’ve seen her looking lost and overwhelmed in Paris, and the new trailer shows her sobbing in the rain. Later in the trailer, as large black banners drape themselves over the city, Queenie reaches out to one of them as though it holds the answer to her problems. Between her illegal relationship with Jacob and her apparent distress in the upcoming film, Queenie seems to have ample reason to join Grindelwald’s cause, an idea further supported by Grindelwald’s appeal in the trailer to people who “live for truth, for love.” It’s looking more and more like Queenie will have to face some serious darkness, and I’m not so certain that she won’t ultimately give in.
Nagini
Fans are already divided over the stunning reveal that Claudia Kim's character is actually Nagini, who we know later becomes a vessel for part of Voldemort's soul. I personally am excited to see what Claudia Kim brings to this character, though knowing her eventual harrowing fate is sure to make her story all the more heartbreaking. Nagini's reveal also makes it almost certain that we will meet a young Tom Riddle before this franchise is over and that Tom Riddle will meet Nagini before she permanently transforms into a snake. How else could he know her name, and how else could he speak of her with such an eerily fond tone? My mind is reeling with all the implications of this reveal.
Dumbledore’s Internal Struggle
The Mirror of Erised is back, and this time, we see a brief glimpse of a younger Dumbledore pressing his hands to the reflection of young Grindelwald (none other than Jamie Campbell Bower!), as though he wants nothing more than to join him inside the Mirror and leave the real world behind. Perhaps more telling is the moment when Dumbledore tells Newt he admires him because Newt never seeks power, but only asks, “Is a thing right?” It seems as though to Dumbledore, Grindelwald is a temptation, power is a temptation, and Dumbledore is so sorely tempted that he does not trust himself to face Grindelwald. Dumbledore has always absolutely fascinated me, and Crimes of Grindelwald promises to delve deep into the complexities of his character.
Newt’s Reluctance to Fight
All Newt wanted in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was to travel to Arizona and set Frank free. Instead, he got caught up in a fight he wanted absolutely no part of, all because, sweet Hufflepuff that he is, he had to save Credence. Now, in Crimes of Grindelwald, a reluctant Newt is apparently being dragged further into this conflict. Dumbledore is essentially asking him to confront Grindelwald in his stead. Theseus asks Newt to choose a side, and Newt responds, “I don’t do sides,” but it’s looking like Newt won’t be able to avoid this international conflict with Grindelwald for much longer. I am intrigued to see how his character comes to that realization.
Grindelwald’s Skill for Seduction
Grindelwald gives quite a compelling speech in the first half of the trailer. He speaks of his dreams for the future, of truth and of love, he addresses his followers as his brothers and sisters, and he concludes with a call for wizards to “take our rightful place in the world where we wizards are free.” His eloquence and his ability to establish a connection with his followers, to inspire collective action from them, makes him markedly different from Voldemort. To the frustrated, downtrodden wizard, who dreams of a future free of secrecy and fear, Grindelwald’s address is a promise too good to ignore. By the end of his speech, however, Grindelwald’s true colors are revealed; he makes it explicitly clear that his fellow wizards can either “join me, or die.”
