Fantastic Beasts The Secrets of Dumbledore: the first reviews have fallen

Fantastic Beasts: the saga continues

After the first part was released in 2016 and the second in 2018, David Yates signed the third opus of the saga derived from Harry Potter and written by JK Rowling. In Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore’s Secrets, the confrontation continues between the famous director of Hogwarts, interpreted here by Jude Law, and his ex-companion who has become his worst enemy Gellert Grindelwald. Mads Mikkelsen succeeds Johnny Depp in the role of the dark magician.

The latter seeks to reign over the wizarding world in Dumbledore’s Secrets. During the 1930s, as World War II looms, Albus Dumbledore entrusts Norbert Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) and their allies with a mission that will lead them to face the partisans of Grindelwald. But as the conflict draws closer and closer, Harry Potter’s future mentor can no longer stand back and has no choice but to confront his past in an attempt to save the future.

Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, Callum Turner, William Nadylam, and Jessica Williams are all back in the feature film, which is dividing the English-speaking press.

Dumbledore’s Secrets divide the press

Among the positive opinions is notably that of the British daily The Times, which praises the performance of Mads Mikkelsen :

Mikkelsen’s intensity adds a menacing new layer to his character, and also hints at a steamy romance with Dumbledore.

Subway evokes on its side a fun movie while Total Movie ensures that Dumbledore’s Secrets amplifies the emotional stakes of the saga Fantastic Beasts. For Empire Magazine this component does not cast a spell as powerful as an opus of Harry Potter but is still well worth the trip:

With solid action and authentic moments of pure emotion, it offers some light to the darkest hours of the wizarding world.

At last, USA Today highlighted the care given to magical creatures and the political aspect of the feature film. Finally, on the side of the detractors, The Daily Beast laments a “functional” but by no means “magical” project, describing it as “a reminder that all good things must come to an end”. Same story at IndieWire :

Someone pull out a real magic wand and put a spell on this saga.

Weariness is also felt in The Wrap, for whom disinterest is almost total:

It’s hard to care about one of the many characters in the Dumbledore’s Secretsas almost none of them have a useful arc or story.

Finally (and SPOILER WARNING !), IGN pays tribute to Katherine Waterston’s agent for successfully limiting the actress’ time to just one cameo.

Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore’s Secrets is to be discovered in cinemas on April 13, 2022.