“We will go down in history together as we remake this world.”

From Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindlewald.

Several months have passed since Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) set New York City upside down in his search for fantastic beasts and his eventual battle to stop the evil Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) from manipulating the Obscurus-inhabited Credence (Ezra Miller).  Newt has been banned from traveling outside of Great Britain, Tina (Katherine Waterston) has travelled to France in search of Credence, and Queenie (Alison Sudol) manages to help the non-magic Jacob (Dan Fogler) with his erased memories of New York.  While Newt waits for his punishment travel ban to be lifted, he is forced to spend more time than he would like with his brother Theseous (Callum Turner), who along with his fiancé, Leta (Zoë Kravitz), is steadily rising up the ranks in the Ministry of Magic.  When Grindelwald escapes from prison, the Ministry of Magic refuses to lift Newt’s travel ban and turns unsuccessfully to Grindelwald’s former friend Albus Dumbeldore (Jude Law) for help in capturing the evil wizard, who has now travelled to Europe.  When Newt learns that Grindelwald is in France also in search of Credence, he sneaks out of the country with Jacob in an effort to protect the Tina and Queenie.  Shortly after arriving in France, Newt discovers that Credence, along with the help of his friend Nagini (Claudia Kim), has been searching for the identity of his birth mother so he can solve the mystery that his life has become.  Since Credence is wanted by both Grindelwald and the Ministry of Magic, Newt and his friends quickly find themselves stuck in the middle of a rising conflict between the two sides and no clear resolution in sight.

This sequel is everything that fans of the Wizarding World could ever want; it is visually stunning for practically every frame, there are more rich characters and beasts, and it provides a deep background for the Harry Potter stories.  Redmayne is brilliant again in his portrayal of the shy, animal loving Newt; Depp also seems perfect in his role as his opposite.  While the story is entertaining and fun, it is most definitely a bridge between the first movie and any movies yet to come.  Fans will definitely enjoy Crimes of Grindelwald, with the main un-enjoyment coming from the long wait for the next film.

| Rated: PG-13 | Running Time: 134 minutes |Genre: action/fantasy |

||Family Viewing||Cursing: 1 of 10|Nudity: 0 of 10|Sexuality: 0 of 10|Gore: 2 of 10

|AVAILABLE FOR HOME VIEWING|