Sometimes there are movies that don't deserve full reviews. As in, this is a movie and it does exist but there's really no beneficial or cinematic value to it. So here's my quick review for The Meg (2018).
Boring. Terrible CGI. Really cheap looking. Too much talking. Not enough shark. Wasted opportunities. Too many useless characters. Really contrived "emotional" moments. Macho Action Hero Jason Statham obviously has to save the day. Just stick to Jaws. Or The Shallows. Or hell, even Jaws 2. Rating: 2.5/10
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The Wizarding World universe, aside from one misstep with Goblet of Fire, has been pretty consistent for the last 17 years. Each movie has offered something of worth and has delivered solid stories with great performances, strong character development, and creative direction. However, we've stumbled upon the second misfire for this universe. Here are my thoughts on Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. And I will try my absolute best to not have any *MAJOR* spoilers.
I thoroughly enjoyed Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016). I loved Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, the quirky tamer of beasts who FINALLY represented us Hufflepuffs. I was surprised at how much I loved Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski, Newt's lovably oblivious sidekick. The CGI looked fantastic and every scene that had the aforementioned beasts was spectacularly shot. I was amazed at how well the story moved and how easy it was to follow and how, and this is important to note, there weren't too many threads to follow. Of course, it probably helped that J.K. Rowling, without whom none of this would even exist, wrote the story and the screenplay for the movie herself. James Newton Howard's majestic and soaring score induced goosebumps. In fact, I loved the score so much I actually went and bought it. Although the movie wasn't perfect, it reenergized a franchise that had been written off as finished after the magnificent Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 (2011). Plus, with J.K. Rowling on board to write the rest of the franchise, fans were assured that this franchise was going to be just as good, if not better, than the Harry Potter movies. So imagine my surprise when the first reviews that came out about Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald were less than stellar. The first movie was such a pleasant surprise that I was expecting that the next one would follow suit. This definitely lowered my expectations for this movie, but I nonetheless went into the movie with an open mind. Before I go into the laundry list of problems, I will say that the acting in this movie is still just as impeccable as the first movie. The regular cast of characters are great, but some of the new additions are even better. Jude Law is fantastic as a younger Dumbledore and Johnny Depp as the title villain, whom I was skeptical about at first due to recent allegations made against him, is by far one of the best parts of the movie. While he's been a bust recently, Depp shows in this movie that he can still be a great actor and steals the show every scene that he's in. It should also be noted that Brontis Jodorowsky, the son of famed avant-garde visionary director Alejandro Jodorowsky, is delightful as Nicolas Flamel (yes, that Nicolas Flamel from Sorcerer's Stone). Even though he's not in the movie for long, I really hope we see him more in future entries in the franchise. The most egregious part of this movie is the mess of a story and its multiple unresolved narrative threads. My main problem isn't with the story itself (well, yes and no), but rather HOW the story was laid out. The story on paper makes sense (read the entry on Wikipedia, it makes sense), but the way the story was executed in the movie left much to be desired. At many different points in the movie, I was left frustrated and scratching my head. Things would happen, but it either wouldn't make sense or wouldn't matter at all in the long run. One thing would happen, but then it would switch to something completely different, and then it would switch to something else completely unrelated to what happened in the previous scene in a jarring way. Which leads me to the second problem: there was simply way too much happening in the movie. I get that they're setting up future installments in the franchise, but there was so much crammed into this movie that it suffocated the fluidity and greatly affected the pacing of this particular movie. Too many characters were introduced that did absolutely nothing. Too many storylines were left unresolved or had no impact on the overall story whatsoever. While I'm hoping that the future installments will come back to these storylines and finish them, right now it has left me unsatisfied. The second problem is that some of the characters are just not well-written or well-established. They changed the demeanor and ideals of one of the main characters, but not in a good way. It's so unpleasantly jarring that it completely ruins that character in my eyes. Another one of the characters is introduced as a rival of Newt's, does one thing, is outed as working for Grindelwald...and then is never seen again for the rest of the movie. Nagini (yes, THAT Nagini) is there, but she doesn't do a whole lot. And-*mild spoiler alert here*-one of the characters gets one of the worst and most meaningless sacrificial deaths I've ever witnessed on the big screen. Not only is it pointless, but there's really no positive outcome from it as well. The thing the character tries to prevent still happens, so all in all it was a waste. On top of that, there's no emotional investment in the death, which is usually something that's evident whenever a character sacrifices themselves for the "greater good". While the characters in the first movie were well-written and given meaningful stories and personality, I just don't feel like they did the same thing in this movie and did every character justice. The third problem is that the fantastic beasts, which played such a central and pivotal role in the first movie, just aren't in it as much as I'd like. Some of the best scenes in this movie are the ones where the beasts take center stage. The scene where Newt investigates the scene of the crime in Paris with the Niffler is an incredible piece of filmmaking and includes some great work from Eddie Redmayne and Dan Fogler. The scene where the mythical creature Zouwu hits light speed is breathtaking. Of course, I have to mention the baby Nifflers because how could I not. Those things are absolutely adorable. Even though the beasts do play pivotal roles in this movie, there should have been more beasts and less...whatever the rest of the movie was. The fourth and final problem is that it is very clear that this movie is only here to make money for the franchise. Basically, nothing happens in this movie. Yes, there's a story, as incomprehensible as it is, but nothing really happens. It's an empty hollow shell of a movie, but yet it will make tons of money at the box office because of the name and the franchise. It's following the unfortunately typical Hollywood franchise cash grab mantra: banking on the name rather than a coherent story or a well-constructed movie. Rowling and director David Yates should honestly know better, but even the best of the best can fall prey to the franchise money pit, sacrificing quality filmmaking and good storytelling for an easy cash grab. Yes, there are some great things about this movie. James Newton Howard's score is still wonderful. The CGI is still excellent (except for that opening scene, the editing was all over the place and it was very hard to follow anything). The acting for the most part is wonderful (Callum Turner as Theseus isn't...good). There are phenomenal scenes here and there. However, it lacks the same magic that the first Fantastic Beasts movie conjured up. Lackluster and incoherent storytelling really bogs down the whole movie, along with weak undeveloped characters and not enough of those fantastic beasts. I certainly hope that Rowling and Yates are able to right the ship for the next installment of Fantastic Beasts and learn their lesson from the failure that was Crimes of Grindelwald. Not a complete failure, but a failure nonetheless. Rating: 5.5/10 |
AuthorBuster Bigelow: 30 year old lover of movies, cinema, and music. Whether you agree or disagree with my reviews, I'd love to hear what you think in the comments! Archives
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