In the finale of the second “Fantastic Beasts” film, the evil wizard Gellert Grindelwald (then played by Johnny Depp) vowed to cleanse the world of Muggles. He then revealed to Credence (Ezra Miller) that he was, in fact, a Dumbledore. This revelation baffled not only the character but also a good portion of the audience. The powerful wizard’s motive was to turn the young Obscurial against his former friend and eliminate his rival, as Grindelwald (now Mads Mikkelsen) is somehow unable to directly harm Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law).
Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore in a still from “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore”
The opening scene of the third film hints at the reason why. During a “date” in a restaurant, it’s revealed that the two wizards share not just a long-standing friendship but a passionate romance that ended when Gellert embraced fascist ideologies. The wizards are unable to fight each other due to a ritual performed in their youth: a blood pact sealed in an amulet will kill whoever raises a hand (or wand) against the other.
Dumbledore’s Secrets: Not So Secret?
Dumbledore’s coming out in 2022 is hardly surprising, as J.K. Rowling revealed the character’s sexual orientation years ago. Therefore, the first secret promised in the title isn’t much of a secret at all. The title, both in general and in its Russian localization, is misleading: it’s not so much about Albus Dumbledore as it is about the Dumbledore family as a whole. Another secret rivals the mystery of Rey’s origins in “Star Wars,” and for the rest, there’s no need to consult Rita Skeeter – it was all known from the Harry Potter books.
Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander in a still from “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore”
It would have been more logical to shorten the title to “Dumbledore’s Beasts” because there aren’t many secrets, and the fantastic creatures, around which the franchise was initially conceived, have been reduced to fan favorites (the pocket-sized Bowtruckle and the Niffler) and a couple of newcomers – dancing crabs and baby Qilins. The arthropods were added for comedic relief, while the Qilins serve as a living Goblet of Fire (important for the plot but easily replaceable). Meanwhile, the secondary characters have multiplied to the point where they wouldn’t fit into any bottomless, magically expanded suitcase.
Bloated Cast and Meandering Plot
Remember the spell that caused the treasures in Bellatrix Lestrange’s vault to multiply upon touch? Well, the characters in “Beasts” reproduce in the same way when touched by J.K. Rowling and her co-writer Steve Kloves. There are no longer main and secondary storylines; the film essentially consists of sometimes pointless and inconsistent movements.
Mads Mikkelsen as Gellert Grindelwald in a still from “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore”
Essentially, for the entire two-and-a-half-hour runtime (the only fantastic thing about the film), Dumbledore uses his allies like owls, sending them to various locations: for example, to deliver a message consisting of a single sentence to the President of the International Confederation of Wizards. Or he gathers everyone for dinner at Hogwarts, only to teleport them away immediately. Instead of showing how the premonition of an impending war slowly permeates every corner of the magical and non-magical community, leading to one of the most important battles in “Potter” history, the plot devolves into a soap opera about who is related to whom and how deeply everyone suffers because of it.
Lost Potential and Missed Opportunities
This trend began in “The Crimes of Grindelwald” and, it seems, was intended by J.K. Rowling and Steve Kloves to lead to the same main message as “Harry Potter”: love always conquers evil. To some extent, the triumph of light feelings does occur in the third film, but one of the main romantic storylines is lost: Newt’s love interest, Tina (Katherine Waterston), appears only briefly near the end, despite being a main character in the previous installments.
Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski in a still from “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore”
Even Mads Mikkelsen can’t save the franchise, which has survived despite a parade of cancellations (first the Rowling scandal, then Depp’s firing, Kevin Guthrie’s prison sentence for rape, and now Ezra Miller’s numerous transgressions). While it’s undeniable that the Danish actor is better suited to the role of the dark wizard than Depp, he, like every other character, isn’t given the chance to fully develop. It seems the only solution is to cast a forgetting spell on everyone, forcing them to forget the plot of the existing trilogy and film three new movies dedicated to Jacob Kowalski (the incomparable Dan Fogler) – the only character with any real development.
Ultimately, the only way “The Secrets of Dumbledore” aligns with the spirit of the times is in its general uncertainty. At best, it could have successfully tapped into current events and become a dark reflection of them, unintentionally, as “The Batman” did. At worst, it could have been a decent, entertaining, and nostalgic blockbuster, which the first film more or less achieved. However, the film is stuck somewhere in between and might have been more engaging if recounted by Professor Binns – the tedious ghost who teaches the history of magic and whose lectures can put any Hogwarts student to sleep, except perhaps Hermione Granger.