New Medium Article: Did The Secrets of Dumbledore Fix the Fantastic Beasts Franchise?
Hello everyone! I just published a new article on Medium. You can read a sneak peek below or use the link to read the full article.
Link: https://alysonserenastone.medium.com/...
Sneak Peek:
Author’s Note: This article contains spoilers for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Crimes of Grindelwald, and The Secrets of Dumbledore, as well as the Harry Potter series.
Like so many other people, I grew up reading and watching Harry Potter. It was the perfect escape from the real world. I remember waiting for the next book and movie. I remember reading all of the fanfiction, which is still my guilty pleasure until this day. There were theories as to who was good, who was untrusty, who was going to die, and how the Golden Trio was going to get out of their next sticky situation. It was, and is, one of the few franchises that have ever done this to me. When I heard that we were getting a prequel series, I was excited, as well as a little nervous. After all, I was fully invested in the world and did not want it to be ruined. As I have grown older, I have come to realize that not everything is perfect.
The things you love are often the things that you are the most protective of. Taking a step back and realizing that things may be problematic has been a big growth step for me. If you love something, you must be willing to look at its flaws and expect that it is not perfect. With that being said, let us take a look at the third instalment of the Fantastic Beasts franchise, The Secrets of Dumbledore.
I am going to start with the biggest change. For those of you who don’t know, there was a casting change. Johnny Depp has been replaced by Mads Mikkelsen. I know a lot of people did enjoy Depp in the role of Grindelwald, but I did not. While I have enjoyed Depp in other roles, I felt that this character did not fit him. His acting felt forced. He was trying to give off an aura for Grindelwald that did not work. Now, I know some of you are going to blame this on the script and directing. I don’t think so though. The way that Depp portrayed Grindelwald did not fit a Wizarding World villain. He was more about the flair and styling himself as a villain, rather than playing a character who fit Wizarding World canon. J.K. Rowling’s villains are not outlandish and untouchable. They are grounded and human. We did not get this was Depp’s Grindelwald. We ended up with a typical Johnny Depp over-the-top character. Mads Mikkelsen gives us something else. He gives Grindelwald a more human and vulnerable role, similar to that of Lord Voldemort. We see Grindelwald as being this person who has a demeanour that gives us a better understanding of why people what to support his cause. Up until this point, I did not understand why so many people flocked to Grindelwald. With something as simple as a different actor, we get that. We see it in his interactions with the different characters. He gives off this aura and offers hope. You can see that he wants to build a better world. He has charm. He makes those around him feel special. This ties into the Wizarding World canon. Based on the little bit of information we get in the original Harry Potter books, I can safely say that Mikkelsen’s Grindelwald is in line with the source material. Mads Mikkelsen is Grindelwald. This casting change was what the series needed. We needed an actor who could deliver on the villain and we got that.
Another thing we got in this one was those characters’ moments that the Fantastic Beast franchise was lacking. This has been one of my biggest complaints with the Fantastic Beasts movies. While I understand that we are not going to get the Golden Trio, we still need something to latch onto. Other than Newt, I have always felt that characters were flat. There was no reason for me to care about them. While it does slow the plot down, it needed to happen. Sadly, though, we did not get this kind of character development for all of the characters.
I enjoyed the time the story took to develop Newt and Theseus’s relationship. We are first introduced to Theseus in The Crimes of Grindelwald. He comes across as your typical older brother. He is an Auror and is at the height of his career. He is well-meaning, hard-working, and responsible. At the start of the second film, we know that the brothers are at odds because Theseus is marrying Leta, who had something of a relationship with Newt. Theseus does not shut Newt out though. We see that it is through Theseus’s influence that Newt is kept out of trouble. This shows us that he is not an ill-willed character. He also shows affection toward Newt by frequently hugging him. At first, it appears that Newt wants nothing to do with his older brother. However, this all changes with Leta’s death. Rather than it pulling them apart, it brings them together. It also has shown Theseus just where Newt stands on the current world situation. Up until this point, Newt has not said if he is for or against Grindelwald, which has deeply impacted Theseus.
We see this relationship taken even further in The Secrets of Dumbledore. Theseus is now openly supporting his brother. He is involved in the plot to make sure that Grindelwald does up end up being elected as the Supreme Mugwump. He is given a tie by Dumbledore and does not understand what it is for. He does not question it though, because he believes in Newt and Dumbledore’s plan. He has put his full trust in them. They find themselves at the German Ministry of Magic. Theseus, who is attempting to do the right thing and stop Grindelwald’s supporters, finds himself being kidnapped by them and thrown into prison. Newt comes to his rescue. The brothers are almost eaten by a manticore, but neither will leave the other behind. We also see them in danger when they travel to Bhutan. There, once again, Theseus puts his complete trust in the plan. He believes in what his brother is doing-even if it does not make the most sense. There is also one final moment at the end of the movie. Newt is afraid of giving a speech on how he saves the world. He is nervous and doesn’t know how he is going to pull it off. It is not any of the other characters who comfort him. It is Theseus. This shows us that the brothers are fully supporting each other, no matter what. After all, they did nearly die for each other. It is character development like this that the Fantastic Beasts franchise needed to make the films work. While it may seem like at times that we were drifting away from the overall plot, it strengthened the bonds that we have with the characters. It gave us a reason to care about them.
Link: https://alysonserenastone.medium.com/...
Sneak Peek:
Author’s Note: This article contains spoilers for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Crimes of Grindelwald, and The Secrets of Dumbledore, as well as the Harry Potter series.
Like so many other people, I grew up reading and watching Harry Potter. It was the perfect escape from the real world. I remember waiting for the next book and movie. I remember reading all of the fanfiction, which is still my guilty pleasure until this day. There were theories as to who was good, who was untrusty, who was going to die, and how the Golden Trio was going to get out of their next sticky situation. It was, and is, one of the few franchises that have ever done this to me. When I heard that we were getting a prequel series, I was excited, as well as a little nervous. After all, I was fully invested in the world and did not want it to be ruined. As I have grown older, I have come to realize that not everything is perfect.
The things you love are often the things that you are the most protective of. Taking a step back and realizing that things may be problematic has been a big growth step for me. If you love something, you must be willing to look at its flaws and expect that it is not perfect. With that being said, let us take a look at the third instalment of the Fantastic Beasts franchise, The Secrets of Dumbledore.
I am going to start with the biggest change. For those of you who don’t know, there was a casting change. Johnny Depp has been replaced by Mads Mikkelsen. I know a lot of people did enjoy Depp in the role of Grindelwald, but I did not. While I have enjoyed Depp in other roles, I felt that this character did not fit him. His acting felt forced. He was trying to give off an aura for Grindelwald that did not work. Now, I know some of you are going to blame this on the script and directing. I don’t think so though. The way that Depp portrayed Grindelwald did not fit a Wizarding World villain. He was more about the flair and styling himself as a villain, rather than playing a character who fit Wizarding World canon. J.K. Rowling’s villains are not outlandish and untouchable. They are grounded and human. We did not get this was Depp’s Grindelwald. We ended up with a typical Johnny Depp over-the-top character. Mads Mikkelsen gives us something else. He gives Grindelwald a more human and vulnerable role, similar to that of Lord Voldemort. We see Grindelwald as being this person who has a demeanour that gives us a better understanding of why people what to support his cause. Up until this point, I did not understand why so many people flocked to Grindelwald. With something as simple as a different actor, we get that. We see it in his interactions with the different characters. He gives off this aura and offers hope. You can see that he wants to build a better world. He has charm. He makes those around him feel special. This ties into the Wizarding World canon. Based on the little bit of information we get in the original Harry Potter books, I can safely say that Mikkelsen’s Grindelwald is in line with the source material. Mads Mikkelsen is Grindelwald. This casting change was what the series needed. We needed an actor who could deliver on the villain and we got that.
Another thing we got in this one was those characters’ moments that the Fantastic Beast franchise was lacking. This has been one of my biggest complaints with the Fantastic Beasts movies. While I understand that we are not going to get the Golden Trio, we still need something to latch onto. Other than Newt, I have always felt that characters were flat. There was no reason for me to care about them. While it does slow the plot down, it needed to happen. Sadly, though, we did not get this kind of character development for all of the characters.
I enjoyed the time the story took to develop Newt and Theseus’s relationship. We are first introduced to Theseus in The Crimes of Grindelwald. He comes across as your typical older brother. He is an Auror and is at the height of his career. He is well-meaning, hard-working, and responsible. At the start of the second film, we know that the brothers are at odds because Theseus is marrying Leta, who had something of a relationship with Newt. Theseus does not shut Newt out though. We see that it is through Theseus’s influence that Newt is kept out of trouble. This shows us that he is not an ill-willed character. He also shows affection toward Newt by frequently hugging him. At first, it appears that Newt wants nothing to do with his older brother. However, this all changes with Leta’s death. Rather than it pulling them apart, it brings them together. It also has shown Theseus just where Newt stands on the current world situation. Up until this point, Newt has not said if he is for or against Grindelwald, which has deeply impacted Theseus.
We see this relationship taken even further in The Secrets of Dumbledore. Theseus is now openly supporting his brother. He is involved in the plot to make sure that Grindelwald does up end up being elected as the Supreme Mugwump. He is given a tie by Dumbledore and does not understand what it is for. He does not question it though, because he believes in Newt and Dumbledore’s plan. He has put his full trust in them. They find themselves at the German Ministry of Magic. Theseus, who is attempting to do the right thing and stop Grindelwald’s supporters, finds himself being kidnapped by them and thrown into prison. Newt comes to his rescue. The brothers are almost eaten by a manticore, but neither will leave the other behind. We also see them in danger when they travel to Bhutan. There, once again, Theseus puts his complete trust in the plan. He believes in what his brother is doing-even if it does not make the most sense. There is also one final moment at the end of the movie. Newt is afraid of giving a speech on how he saves the world. He is nervous and doesn’t know how he is going to pull it off. It is not any of the other characters who comfort him. It is Theseus. This shows us that the brothers are fully supporting each other, no matter what. After all, they did nearly die for each other. It is character development like this that the Fantastic Beasts franchise needed to make the films work. While it may seem like at times that we were drifting away from the overall plot, it strengthened the bonds that we have with the characters. It gave us a reason to care about them.
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