Review By Tanzina Tasneem Tithi (Selangor)
If you are like me, you have been waiting for this movie since the first minute into watching Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I had dreams about this. I wrote the date on my journal. I had a reminder set on my phone the day the trailer came out. Expectations were clearly high when I walked into the theaters 4 hours ago. And I can now say, I wasn’t disappointed at all. SPOILER ALERT, the movie begins with a BANG! It puts you smack dab in the middle of an escape scene. There was no beating around the bush; you are immediately, submersed in the Wizarding World, in awe of the kind of magic that makes you feel nostalgic. I got goosebumps when I saw the other parts of that world that the Harry Potter franchise could not cover. Magic used in ways, unfathomable. I remember one specific scene from the intro, the carriage carrying Grindelwald from the jail, how it drops from the building like a roller coaster, giving you a feeling, grooming you up for what’s to come.
The CGI used was brilliant! Every spell seemed blinding. I’m literally in utter awe as I type this. There was one scene where I teared up and this scene is the one for me that I know I will carry with me forever. Credence (yes, he is alive!), discovers a lady from his past, the only caregiver he knows of who shows him warmth and love. But within moments of their meeting, the kind lady is delivered a Killing Curse by one of Grindelwald’s pawns. Now, this is the part that left me in daze and blown away. BEFORE, we see the dead body, BEFORE, we can read Credence’s emotions or anything, there is the most beautiful sad scene that is so abstract yet full of impact that I was lost for words. In the scene, Credence shifts into his Obscurus, you can hear the high pitched shrieking sound as if the Obscurus is screaming in agony. The Obscurus splits apart and joins again, it breaks through the roof and then collapses in, twice, both on the murderer and the house. The murder is stronger and protected, he stands and grins.
The shrieking doesn’t stop. I remember blinking and realizing tears have fallen down my cheeks. When we experience immense pain in our lives, that’s how I feel. Like an Obscurus is stuck in my heart. Tearing apart and joining again. Breaking through my heart and collapsing in on it. The pain is so loud that it’s like a scream inside me. And if that pain is inflicted upon us by someone else who is stronger than us, that pain leaves them unharmed and us defeated. I saw that scene and thought, this is exactly what pain looks like. For a movie to portray pain visually and in auditory mediums was beautiful. It was beautiful pain. Like its predecessor, the movie delivers light comedy, moments that pulls on your heart and grievance. However, it also leaves me with questions like the last movie where I wondered if Credence was alive and who he actually was.
Although this movie answers some of it, I’m still left wondering who he is. Yes, we know his real name but his family line is still missing. Mind you, I haven’t read the Fantastic Beasts novels or The Cursed Child purely because I wanted to enjoy the movies to the max. I can understand that it is necessary to end the movie without giving out too much information but I suppose I expected to find out more about him then what they revealed when I entered the theaters. So I guess my only complaint is that there simply wasn’t more of the movie.
Notable mentions: Newt Scamander was lovely as ever. If there was a series on him portrayed by Eddie, I’d watch all of them. Jude Law was perfect for Dumbledore. I often wondered which actor would be able to portray Dumbledore with justice and the casting people nailed it! Leta Lestrange was a very interesting character, I’d love to know more about her. Lastly, THOSE HOGWARTS THROWBACKS THO!!! I was so happy I could die! If you love Harry Potter, book that ticket, go see it with someone who loves the Wizard World as much as you or even go alone like me. Either ways you will have a great time!
Rating: 4/5