In order to thwart the evil "Grindelwald" (Johnny Depp) from creating his own Arian version of enforcers for the wizardly world, "Dumbledore" (Jude Law) drafts in his talented understudy "Newt" (Eddie Redmayne) to help him out. Unfortunately, their nemesis has recently escaped from high-security custody and so the Ministry needs help for their men "Abernethy" (Kevin Guthrie) and "Theseus" (Callum Turner) too. Perhaps if these three can join forces - at wands length - then they can track down the evil "Grindelwald" and his own young and disturbed protégé "Credence" (the all too sparingly featured Ezra Miller) who himself may be the last in a long line of pure-bloods. With all now set for a gripping and exciting vat and mouse adventure, I don't really understand why this didn't work. The ingredients are all there: the acting talents are formidable and the visual effects are genuinely impressive - but the film is completely flat. There's not an hint of passion or emotion throughout. Depp looks bored by the whole proceedings and though Redmayne tries to imbue his character with a sense of honourable mischief, even that comes across as dry and procedural. Perhaps just too much emphasis has been placed on the sophisticated look of the film? There's nowhere near enough of an anchor in the plot to keep anyone interested in the characters and instead I just found myself looking at my watch wondering if this had much longer to go. Funnily enough, this might have worked better if you'd just read it and imagined much of what's presented to us here - at least then you might have been a little more invested in the sinisterness of the threat. Instead, though, it's all just dull and doesn't really build on the antagonisms of racial prejudice and supremacy that obviously underpin this second feature. It does need to be seen in a cinema. It's grand cinematography - luckily they'd kept the set for "Hogwarts" and score from James Newton Howard give it some sense of occasion, but it's much like the first film and is very much a victory for style over substance.
