Johnny Depp is out and Hogwarts is back in “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,” the latest installment in the Wizarding World franchise.
The “Harry Potter” canon continues to expand nearly 25 years after J.K. Rowling’s first book was published, and there’s no doubt that fans are eager to dive back into the magical world.
And they should be eager: This latest “Fantastic Beasts” movie, the third installment in the spin-off series about the Magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), brings back several much-loved characters — human and non-human — and answers burning questions that have plagued fans since “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” was released in 2018.
Questions such as: Is Credence, who’s an Obscurial, a long-lost Dumbledore? Will Queenie and Jacob finally get married? And will Newt and Tina get together?
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Yes, ‘Fantastic Beasts’ does return to Hogwarts
“Secrets of Dumbledore” reunites us with Newt and the aspiring baker Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), who is a No-Maj, or nonmagic person. Oh, and we can’t forget Pickett the Bowtruckle and Teddy the Niffler.
This ragtag team spent the last two movies traveling to various countries, seamlessly transitioning between the Muggle and magical worlds as they attempted to save Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller) from himself and stop Lord Voldemort’s Muggle-loathing predecessor, Gellert Grindelwald (previously played by Johnny Depp, now replaced by Mads Mikkelsen), from inciting a war between wizards and Muggles.
But there was always something missing: Hogwarts, the setting we’re most familiar with in Rowling’s Wizarding World. That said, “Secrets of Dumbledore” is a homecoming of sorts.
As the threat of Grindelwald looms larger, they work more closely with Professor Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) and a team that consists of Newt’s assistant, Bunty Broadacre (Victoria Yeates), his brother Theseus Scamander (Callum Turner), Yusuf Kama (William Nadylam) and Professor Eulalie “Lally” Hicks (Jessica Williams) — a Charms professor — to prevent Grindelwald from rising to power.
Working as Dumbledore’s disciples involves trips to Hogwarts and Hogsmeade Village — hooray! —where fans get better acquainted with the lesser-known and decidedly grumpier Dumbledore: Aberforth, Albus’ brother who owns the Hogs Head inn. (We saw an older version of him in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2.”)
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A couple of notable characters are missing
“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” gives some well-deserved screen time to characters we’ve been introduced to in previous movies.
Bunty remains in love with Newt but is given the opportunity to show more depth to her character. Theseus the uptight Auror thaws a bit, though one might expect he’d be more hung up on the fact that his fiancée Leta Lestrange (Zoe Kravitz) sacrificed herself in the previous film. Yusuf remains a bit of a mystery in “Secrets of Dumbledore” after all the backstory we learned about his unbreakable vow to avenge his family in “Crimes of Grindelwald.”
Jessica Williams as Lally Hicks is a cunning American professor who can handle even the most stressful situations with a sense of ease, and her character perhaps saw the most growth in this “Fantastic Beasts” installation.
Jacob comes into his own in “Secrets of Dumbledore,” too, though at this point it’s getting a little farfetched that someone who cannot perform spells would continue to be invited to these expeditions. Perhaps a future installment could shed light on whether his family tree involves magic.
As for characters who were missing: We knew that Johnny Depp, embroiled in personal legal battles, would not return to the franchise. However, it was less clear whether Newt’s romantic interest, Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston), would play a role in “Secrets of Dumbledore.”
She doesn’t, and that might disappoint some people. In fact, it’s not just Newt and Tina; this movie was altogether light on the romance.
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At last, the Dumbledores’ secrets
As for that lore, “The Secrets of Dumbledore” certainly delivers on its title.
Though we — and “Harry Potter” fan-made wikis — know snippets of the Dumbledore family history, there have been some missing puzzle pieces since Grindelwald told Credence that his birth name is actually Aurelius Dumbledore in the previous film.
I’m here to tell you, without revealing spoilers, that this mystery is solved. Fans get to know the deceased Ariana Dumbledore as well as a younger Aberforth. We also gain some insight into Albus Dumbledore — still as cunning and crafty as he was in the original “Harry Potter” films — before he became Headmaster and grew an impressive head of white hair and a beard.
“Secrets of Dumbledore” cracks their history open in a satisfying way and expands upon the love that was once between Albus Dumbledore and Grindelwald. And I can’t wait to see how fans react.
‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,’ 3.5 stars
Great ★★★★★ Good ★★★★
Fair ★★★ Bad ★★ Bomb ★
Director: David Yates.
Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Ezra Miller, Dan Folger, Alison Sudol, Callum Turner, Jessica Williams, Katherine Waterston, and Mad Mikkelsen.
Rating: Rated PG-13.
Note: In theaters April 15.
Reach Entertainment Reporter KiMi Robinson at kimi.robinson@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @kimirobin and Instagram @ReporterKiMi.
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