Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them proved itself a fun, if somewhat forgettable, addition to the Harry Potter franchise. Its sequel, The Crimes of Grindelwald, made a stellar casting addition by choosing Jude Law to play a young Albus Dumbledore, but got too bogged down in the mythology and lost sight of what was so great about that first instalment.
Well, the review embargo for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore just lifted, and while this third chapter sounds like an improvement, it might not be enough of one to win some fans back.
Variety praises Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling for embracing a serialised style of storytelling for this franchise, saying that "they continue to innovate, potentially excluding all but the most faithful, rather than actively trying to convert newcomers to what, like 'Star Wars,' has an almost religious hold on its followers." The Wrap goes in the opposite direction, heavily criticising this threequel and saying, "There’s not a CGI monster that can distract from how un-fantastic this 'Beasts' is."
Empire's 3* review concludes with, "The Secrets Of Dumbledore doesn’t quite cast a Potter-like spell - but with solid action and moments of genuine heart, it delivers a little light in the Wizarding World’s darkest hour." Metro awards the same score, but express disappointment that this story is being stretched out over five movies. In fact, they go so far as to say, "It’s easy to believe that The Secrets of Dumbledore will be quickly forgotten." Radio Times is similarly torn, wrapping up its own 3* verdict by saying "that despite some good moments and some clear improvements, the overall film still falls a bit flat."
A similar consensus can be found from The Guardian, though The Telegraph goes one step further in describing Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore as a "shambles." IndieWire implores Warner Bros. to "break out a real wand and put a spell on this series" because "it needs all the help it can get," and IGN's negative review wraps up by stating, "It looks drab and feels like it was made by people who want to leave its magical premise behind, even though the series refuses to have anything resembling grown-up politics or perspectives."
As always, this is only a small sampling of reviews, but the consensus appears to be that while the movie improves on its predecessor, it's still a less than magical experience for fans. Even the positive reviews are of the 2.5*/3* variety, so don't expect to see Warner Bros. touting many 4* or 5* verdicts in the coming days.
Keep checking back here for the latest on Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald before April 8.