Five Aspects I Wish “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” Left Out
I was a little disappointed with Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. On the whole, I felt there were a lot of subplots and too many characters for the film to really explore thoroughly. In this film, we were introduced to Nagini, Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Leta Lestrange, Yusuf Kama, Theseus Scamander, and all of Grindelwald’s followers. I wish that the filmmakers had left out the five aspects below in order to focus on the more important plots.
1. Nagini
This reveal was huge in the trailer and opened up so many questions and plot points. However, she wasn’t as prominent in the film as initially expected. I feel that she was only in the movie to tie in more to the Harry Potter films and for shock value than to add anything major to the plot of Crimes of Grindelwald. I would have preferred if Credence had met a woman in the circus who was there to support him and have that be her own character as opposed to being the Nagini who becomes a snake who is loyal to Voldemort before eventually being killed by Neville. I also think that knowing what happens to Nagini (and the terrible acts she goes on to commit) makes it harder to like her, which would have been a different case if she were a completely new character.
2. McGonagall’s Cameo
Just like Nagini, McGonagall was included as another Harry Potter connection that pandered to fans. Given that McGonagall was only glimpsed in this film, I don’t see why the filmmakers felt the need to include her in this, especially when it goes against the Harry Potter canon.
3. Leta’s Death
I found Leta Lestrange a really interesting character. She had a complicated backstory both by herself and with the Scamander brothers. Instead of being able to explore her character over the course of several films, everything was squashed into this one film. Her death left me more annoyed by the wasted character potential than upset. It just seems that this was only included to add a major death and emotion to the film. For me, this was unnecessary because of Queenie’s decision to join Grindelwald and leave Jacob, Tina, and Newt. This was the major emotional moment for me, and I would have preferred to just have this one huge plot point.
4. Credence Dumbledore
Like many other moments, I feel that this big reveal was only added for shock value. It makes no sense that Credence could have been Dumbledore’s brother, and this is the first time we’ve ever heard about it. It is possible that Grindelwald was lying, which would fit with Potter canon, but I still feel that this was a rather cheap cliffhanger.
5. The Blood Pact
I found this a rather convoluted way to delay the confrontation between Dumbledore and Grindelwald and to bring Newt more to the forefront of the films. Without this, the series could easily focus on the relationships between Grindelwald, Credence, and Dumbledore. This new piece of magic just seems to be a way of including Newt, Jacob, Tina, and the fantastic beasts, which are, after all, supposed to be the main focus of the series.
Hopefully, the next few films will develop these plot points and allow them to stand on their own merits instead of tying everything back to the Harry Potter books. I am looking forward to seeing what new magic and beasts the filmmakers will introduce next.
What did you think of Crimes of Grindelwald? Are there any aspects you would cut instead? Let us know in the comments!
