(aka Will Johnny Depp Ever Look Johnny Depp-ish in a Movie Again?)
Okay. Let me preface this by saying that I’m a big, totally biased Harry Potter fan. Think of the biggest Harry Potter fan that you know, and then double the level of fandom. That’s probably where I am. I’m more about the books than the movies (obvi), but anything HP related doesn’t have to work very hard to get my attention and/or undying devotion. That being said, I didn’t care for this movie. Is it my least favorite movie in the HP universe? No. But it’s close. There’s just so much bad, and not nearly enough good. The plot felt lazy, and it wasn’t the only thing; normally you can at least count on some impressive special effects, but what in the name of Merlin’s saggy left — was with those Magic Demon Cats (Ahem. I mean Matagots)?? I will say the baby nifflers were adorable, but a movie cannot stand on niffler cuteness alone. Now, let’s talk about casting decisions for a moment. Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander: Terrific decision. Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore: Okay decision. Johnny Depp as Gellart Grindelwald: Terrible decision. I never thought I’d be wishing for Colin Farrell back (he lost me at Daredevil. And Alexander. I was going to link to those trailers but I just didn’t want to…use your own Google machines if you really want to see them) but can we get some polyjuice potion and bring Colin Farrell back? Please? I just don’t know if I can take any more of Johnny Depp’s Grindelwald. I’m not even sure where he lost me (maybe the 15th Captain Jack Sparrow?) but I fear he’s lost me for good. I can’t in good conscience recommend this movie to any but the most die hard of HP fans, and even then I don’t feel good about it. This is definitely not a must-watch, but watch it if you must.