Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - The Original Screenplay

It's still a bit weird to be reading a screenplay like it was a novel (insert expected criticism re: marketing greed and sullying the name of novels), but it's hard not to adore the efforts they made in regards to the book's design. Obviously we've all seen the film before we read the book, so we are already treated to images running through out heads, but Minalima's chapter heading, page borders, and cover design spark even more whimsy. It would have been easy for the publishers to take stills from the film, production designs, or images from the plethora of other publications about the Fantastic Beasts film franchise, but I'm glad that they commissioned specific designwork done for this book. The minimalist design is not one which I show more would have expected to work for the story, but it plays a great balance between art deco (the prominent style from the New York setting in the previous film) and the Art Nouveau stylings of 1930s Paris. In terms of the story itself, we're obviously lacking the narrative style of a real novel, but the screenplay does make some of the fast-pacing of the film slow down a bit and reveal a bit more about the story. The previous film was a lot more straightforward in terms of its storyline and dialogue, but this one was very fast-paced due to the sheer amount of detail that they packed in and the ground they had to cover, so we definitely benefit from having the screenplay to turn to. Unfortunately we're now waiting until November 2020 for the next film in the series, which means we're going to have a long time to spin theories, rewatch the film, and re-read all the supplementary material! show less

This is the screenplay to the 2nd Fantastic Beasts movie. I had seen the movie before reading the screenplay. I found the movie underwhelming and full of filler scenes. But at least the movie had stunning visuals and a handful of interesting new "beasts". Grindelwald escapes from custody while being transported from the US to England. He has a gang of dangerous minions and is building a following by telling people what they want to hear. My favorite characters in the first movie were Queenie (a witch) and Jacob (a Muggle she falls in love with). In this movie/book Queenie falls under the spell of Grindelwald and joins him. I asked myself -- How can a character who reads minds fall for the lies of someone like Grindelwald? Answer: show more character assassination. They killed Queenie as I knew her in the first movie. This is the saddest part for me. I did feel more of a connection with the characters of Newt and Tina in this one - they were so bland and one dimensional in the first.
For now I'm still planning to continue watching/reading this series, mainly because I enjoy the performances of the actress who plays Queenie, Alison Sudol, and the actor who plays Jacob, Dan Fogler. show less

Too many storylines and no central plot. This is a convoluted mess that could've well done with less action and extravagant magic tricks. There are too many things happening at once, it is not credible (even with the obvious suspension of disbelief you need to clad yourself with when reading about HP).
I would go on, but there are too many things I disagree with, and worst of all, I fear this world we all love so much is crumbling by hand of its own creator.

After loving the first movie, The Crimes of Grindelwald was a huge disappointment to me. I rated the film 2 out of 5 stars, but I actually liked this script more than the movie. There was less of all the unnecessary stuff that made the movie so frustrating to watch (such as the fact that the magic mostly made no sense - why are there two different types of disapparating?!).

I can easily go on and on about all the things that bother me about The Crimes of Grindelwald, but to be honest, I just don't feel like talking about this right now. But I will say this: I still do not believe that The Twist at the end is true.

I think I put off reading this book because I was angry with the movie. I am glad I went back and read it though. I got more of an appreciation for how the movie ended.

A lot of choices were made in this story and they are all going to change the course of the story. This one wasn't as interesting as the first Fantastic Beasts, I think because this one was building up the storyline, whereas the first one was introducing us to the characters and giving us the very beginnings of the story.

There was a dark feel to this story, it really showed you that even good people can change and be fooled by the worst of people. I don't know if I am angry with some of the things that happened or if I am curious about how they are going to be used later show more in the story. show less

I thoroughly enjoyed this screenplay and can't wait to see the movie. But, a revelation is made near the end which seems almost impossible given an earlier established timeline.

I don't want to write any spoilers so I'll just say I am very, very curious how this will fit in with information that was given before.

Right now I'm thinking time turners or some other type of taboo magic... Which is to say, it ends with a cliffhanger and a questionmark that has me longing for the next one already.

It lacks the magical charm of the first one however it is still a delight to see some familiar names from the Harry Potter universe. The story seems a bit rushed and of course since this a screenplay and not a novel, things can seem to be lacking in depth sometimes but it isn't very problematic. The ending reveal though is surprising and it certainly promises a lot of potential for whatever comes next.