“So beautiful.”

From Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.

While the evil Grindlewald (Mads Mikkelsen) hides out and plots for his rise to power in the wizard world, magical zoologist wizard Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) is preparing to make a stand with Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law). Since Dumbledore is unable to fight directly against Grindlewald because of an old blood oath, Newt has been tasked with gathering allies for a dangerous mission to stop the murderous wizard. After rescuing a newborn Qilin, a creature that spot goodness in a person, he brings together his trusted assistant Bunty (Victoria Yeates), his brother Theseus (Callum Turner), his human friend Jacob (Dan Fogler), Charms professor from American Eulalie Hicks (Jessica Williams), and the murdered Letty’s brother Yusef Kama (William Nadylam). Also hellbent on revenge against Dumbledore is Credence (Ezra Miller), because Grindlewald has told him that he is the abandoned younger brother of Dumbledore. Newt’s ragtag team of wizards is repeatedly put in dangerous situations as Grindlewald’s ability to see snippets of the future and the conflicted Queenie’s (Alison Sudol) ability to read minds keeps Newt and his friends one step behind. Over several days, Grindlewald goes from a man on the run to a wizard in the running for the next leader of the wizard world, forcing Newt and Dumbledore to take bigger risks to save both the human and wizard worlds. While seeking shelter with Dumbledore’s brother, Aberforth (Richard Coyle), Newt learns several secrets from Dumbledore’s past that will change everything, but handling that information comes with added dangers.

While the final installment in this Harry Potter prequel trilogy features some impressive settings, beasts, and wizard battles, it is unfortunately a bit underwhelming. Despite several big changes, the cast is impressive, but too many key points for the trilogy are explained only through brief dialog to make the story feel well-developed. Redmayne and Fogler carry the visually-stunning film with their charm and humor, but unfortunately The Secrets of Dumbledore will quite possibly leave fans with too many unanswered questions.

| Rated: PG-13 | Running Time: 143 minutes |Genre: fantasy/action|

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

|AVAILABLE FOR HOME VIEWING|