MYSTIFYING: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, the latest addition to the Harry Potter universe, leaves Potter Heads and Muggles alike at a loss for answers.
By Kathleen Lynch, Staff Writer
Despite negative opinions that typically follow sequels, the Fantastic Beast franchises, birthed from the Harry Potter series, has remained successful enough to stand alone. The first movie of this franchise, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” set the stage for “The Crimes of Grindelwald.” This new franchise functions as a prequel to the popular Harry Potter series, making many references to the past wars. The Fantastic Beasts franchise serves to provide more insight into the history of the magical world a myriad of audiences fell in love with. As of December 2nd, the box office collected just under 135 million dollars, with an expected increase to roughly 522 million dollars world wide.
This film follows Newt Scamander and his briefcase of magical beasts as he travels across Europe in order to thwart Grindelwald’s plans for wizards to rule over Muggles. Barred from international travel, and armed only with his case of magical creatures and his Muggle friend, Jacob Kowalski, Newt must travel to Paris in order to find Tina Goldstein, an Auror introduced in the first Fantastic Beasts film. With Tina by his side, Newt must work to unravel the mystery behind Credence, a repressed wizard, who now holds the key to either the destruction or to peace. Breaking many laws in the process, Newt must uncover some dark secrets before Grindelwald does, or else face destruction of the non-magical world.
While the Harry Potter series ended with the seventh book, the magical world lives on in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. This new installment to the Harry Potter universe adds another layer of complexity and confusion to the already intricate back story of Harry Potter, leaving fans searching for clues, and awaiting for the next story to whisk them away. As J. K. Rowling said, “Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.”