Film Review- The Secrets of Dumbledore

 

In this third instalment of the Harry Potter spin off, the younger Dumbledore has to rally his allies to try and stop Grindelwald becoming the Wizarding World’s top dog.

I’ve never been convinced that this slice of the franchise’s pie has enough filling to entrance audiences as the parent story did. The first film was enjoyable but the follow up missed more than it hit I felt. The Secrets of Dumbledore is better with a lighter touch all round, a more involving plot and well placed humour. Some strong performances, deeper material and lovely cinematography elevate what remains a slight story but a worthwhile watch.

At the heart of the story is the blood pact between Dumbledore and Grindelwald which originates from their previous relationship. It means they cannot harm each other directly so Albus has to put together a team to try and stop Grindelwald’s plans once he is released from prison on a technicality and then declares his candidature for the job, the delightfully titled Chief Mugwump. What at first seems like a means to re-introduce us to Newt Scamander as he births twins of a creature called the Qulin (pronounced `chillin` which amused me) becomes a central part of the plot as this creature is revered as having the ability to tell who is pure and true. Hence one has to bow to the candidate that is the most suitable. If they had that in our elections I feel the poor Quilin would collapse in disappointment!

One of the problems I saw with the previous film was a lack of  an`in` for the audience; things were going on but what was really at stake? Happily, this is all much clearer this time round with personal connections aplenty involving brothers, sons and former lovers. Though the dialogue rarely ascends above the sort of thing you’d get on a soap opera (albeit without the magic bits) the actors manage to imbue these aspects with enough feeling to make you actually care. While a lot of Dumbledore’s developments feel like retro fitting (I’ve read the Potter books) Jude Law is becoming more suited to the role with each film and now you really can believe this is the same person as the kindly but mysterious white bearded wizard we are familiar with. Mads Mikkelsen’s portrayal of Grindelwald is more accessible than Johnny Depp’s was and he brings a steely resolve to scenes without seemingly doing much at all. Plus his hair is less silly!

"What's everyone having?" On the way they stopped for a McDonalds

The heart of this wing of the franchise though remains Jacob and Queenie whose relationship twists through more turns this time. While frequently amusing, Jacob is more than just the comic relief and Dan Fogler is the stand out performer of this movie while Alison Sudol’s Queenie is delightful in every scene she’s in which is not enough. Eddie Redmayne’s Newt remains something of a peripheral figure in his own story but gets more to do this time  and Jessica Williams brings some much needed modern sass to the role of Lally Hicks even if she sometimes seems out of her time. As Creedence, Ezra Miller simmers with the rage he can barely control and his story gets a satisfactory conclusion. You can tell where the lad partly gets his attitude from though- Richard Coyle’s taciturn Aberforth glowers and mutters his way through the film. It’s a good performance though you wonder why his Inn gets any customers!

Several action sequences impress notably a perilous subterranean escapade which provides the film’s most heart stopping jeopardy, a wonderfully choregraphed dinner sequence and a scene where Creedence battles Dumbledore in the winter streets which plays some interesting camera tricks. A speedy pursuit trough the cramped and bustling Bhutan lead to a finale. It’s a shame that the climax is so stagey and static and draws the tension out of the scenario way too soon. There’s a moment which should be the thrilling denouement where everyone just seems to be standing about. Mind you waiting for a cute creature that looks a bit like a miniature deer to make up its mind is never going to be riveting.

All told this is a big step up from last time and if they wanted to end it here enough doors are closed on storylines so that we wouldn’t be demanding a follow up. If there are to be the two more movies originally promised by JK Rowling they should build on the positive aspects of this one.