‘Blu-ray or Bust’ - FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD

‘Blu-ray or Bust’

FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD (2018, PG-13/NR, 134/142 minutes, HEYDAY FILMS/WARNER BROTHERS)

It’s funny, what a few extra minutes can do.

In some cases, it makes an okay film great (WATCHMEN, BATMAN V SUPERMAN); those extra minutes, whether they are in the single digits or total dozens, can flesh out a story, make the characters richer and the story more meaningful than in its original release, even if you didn’t even realize the film could benefit so heavily from their inclusion (see: every HOBBIT/RING movie).

That being said, I wasn’t terribly pleased with the theatrical release of THE CRIMES OF GRINDLEWALD. The editing felt jumpy, the story clunky, the characters too one-sided. Watching it, I got the feeling that there was quite a bit missing from this messy, and at times overwrought, sequel. And I had high expectations for it; coming off the brilliant FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM, I was wholly invested in writer J.K. Rowling’s efforts as a screenwriter. So my disappointment with the second of a planned five-film story left me at odds. Could the series withstand this entry? Would it wind up costing the studio too much with future installments, seeing as how the gamble did not pay off with this one? (After all, the film cost an estimated two hundred million to make, and grossed less than that domestically. To be fair, it did cross the six-hundred million mark worldwide, but that is still cutting it close when it comes to the movie business.) And most importantly, would I be attacked by rabid Potterheads who see my reviews as nothing more than hobo vomit spewed from a fast-moving train hauling cow poo and cabbage?

With the video release of the film, I was pleased to see an extended cut of the film—and if it were not for the irritating inclusion of the words “Deleted Scene” every time one came up, this iteration of the film far surpasses the theatrical release. I can understand having to cut a film’s original runtime because of an audience’s possible fatigue, but at the cost of the story and the flow of the film…well, as a movie fan, it sucks donkey nipples. Back in the day, there used to be such a thing as an “intermission” (Google it, I don’t have time to fully explain…). Yet in this day and age of assembly line customer processing, theaters aren’t given enough time to provide viewers with breaks.

Thankfully, home video allows us the opportunity to see how the filmmakers originally intended a film to be seen. In the case of CRIMES, it helps tremendously. The story flows rather seamlessly now, and you are allowed more time to identify with and feel compassion for the plight of Credence (the marvelous Ezra Miller) and the doomed Nagini (the quite flexible Claudia Kim). The choice of Johnny Depp for sympathetic baddie Grindelwald makes more sense here, and Eddie Redmayne’s Newt Scamander has more time to shine with Jude Law’s Dumbledore. Essentially, when you put the disc in, head straight to the special features and watch the Director’s Cut.

Speaking of the special features, skip the second one. It’s basically Ezra Miller and Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood of the HARRY POTTER films) geeking out together, and adds absolutely nothing to the viewing experience. The others are your usual documentaries—nothing too special, but nothing else as bad as that second one.

The third chapter in the series is due out next year—in November, if the release date holds true to the others. With as much story as was packed into CRIMES, I hope that Ms. Rowling switches gears a bit next time. While I appreciate a Director’s Cut, it shouldn’t always be necessary.

Film Grade: B+ (the theatrical cut gets a B-)

Special Features: B

Blu-ray Necessary: You bet your niffler

-- T.S. Kummelman