Worst: Not Explaining Grindelwald’s Makeover
The recast from Johnny Depp to Mads Mikkelson is striking, but it’s not just the change in actor that is glaringly obvious. Grindelwald’s entire aesthetic, from hair all the way down to his personality, is completely reimagined in the new film. Unlike, say Rhodey in the Marvel films, there doesn’t even seem to be any effort to make them feel the same which will make it difficult to re-watch the “Fantastic Beasts” movies together someday.
Nevertheless, it might be smart Mikkelson and Depp are two extremely different actors, and it seems foolhardy to ask the former to mimic the latter. So, it’s refreshing to see Mikkelson play the character with more of a simmering, twisted approach than the overt, maniacal way Depp approached it. The plotline calls for a charming, duplicitous quality to the dictator for his rise to power to be believable, after all.
If “Secrets” had offered a tangible reason for Grindelwald’s new appearance, however, it would have made the films flow so much better. With established Wizarding World magic like polyjuice potions and metamorphmaguses at their disposal, the franchise already offered Rowling, co-screenwriter Steve Kloves and director David Yates multiple opportunities to explain this transformed Grindelwald. Such things are easy to explain in the Wizarding World, and failing to do so can be frustrating for the fandom.
Film And Television Work
He began by appearing in such television programmes as Lorna Doone, as John Ridd and Evelyn Waugh’s wartime saga Sword of Honour, and in Mike Leigh‘s film Topsy-Turvy. He played Mr Coxe in 1999’s BBC version of Wives and Daughters. In 2000, Coyle’s big break arrived in the form of the character Jeff Murdock in the comedy Coupling. In 2003 he chose not to return to Coupling for its fourth series, and refused requests to return for a “goodbye episode”. In a 2005 interview, Coyle stated this was to avoid typecasting:
I’m very proud to have been part of Coupling and very grateful for the chance to play Jeff but I was very keen that that character didnât stick with me forever. Iâm an actor and I want to be an actor when Iâm 60. Itâs a lifelong process why cut it off by boxing yourself into a little pigeonhole early on?
He also starred in the short-lived 2002-2003 BBC show Strange, and had roles in the films Human Traffic, Franklyn, and A Good Year. He appeared in the new special episode of Cracker: Nine Eleven in October 2006 and starred in The Whistleblowers on ITV. He also starred in the 2001 version of Othello as Michael Cassio.
He was cast as the lead role, Moist von Lipwig, in the film Going Postal, based on the book of the same name by Terry Pratchett. This was broadcast on television in May 2010.
In 2014, NBC began airing the seriesCrossbones, with Coyle as Tom Lowe, who is assigned to kill the pirateBlackbeard .
Dumbledore’s Message To Vogel Echoes Some Wisdom He Imparted In Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire
When Newt meets German Prime Minister Anton Vogel, who is also the head of the International Confederation of Wizards, he passes along a message from Albus Dumbledore to “do what is right, not what is easy.”
After speaking to Newt, Vogel announces that he is pardoning Gellert Grindelwald of his crimes, freeing him up to run in the upcoming International Confederation of Wizards election.
Dumbledore’s message to Vogel echoes something that he tells Harry in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” following Voldemort’s return.
“Dark and difficult times lie ahead,” Dumbledore says. “Soon, we must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy.”
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Pastries Were In The Briefcase Jacob Was Holding Late In The Movie A Nod To His First Meeting With Newt
It was a funny nod back to the first film. When Newt first met Jacob at a bank, the two had similar briefcases. Jacob’s was filled with baked goods that he was showing off to receive a loan to open a bakery. His suitcase got mixed up with Newt’s.
When Newt later opened his suitcase thinking it had magical beasts inside, he was upset to find it filled with Jacob’s pastries.
Newt Scamander: Devoted Animal Lover Unlikely Spy
While the excitement for Newt Scamanders story continues, its as if the main character is already lost. Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, the book the film is based on, is the quintessential wizarding book for every household, according to the description on Barnes and Nobles website. In it are drawings and descriptions of each magical creature discovered by Newt Scamander. Yet in the film, audiences meet Scamander tracking down a singular creature and almost being caught playing spy on several occasions. Even the opening scene of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald opens with Newt on trial for traveling to America and acting as a spy for Albus Dumbledore. Newt is not a spy, in fact, hes the last person to be expected to be a spy.
One reason Fantastic Beasts falls short of expectations for Newt Scamanders story is that the films repeat the same tropes from the Harry Potter films instead of standing on their own within the franchise. Additionally, Newt is made to be like Hagrid, a wizard who adores and defends all magical creatures from other wizards who seriously misunderstand them. Except that Newt is written to be more similar to Harry Potter in that he trusts and defends Dumbledore against allegations that he is a puppet, expected to do more than he is capable of, fighting in a war that isnt his. As much as the idealist trope can be respectable, for the franchise to continue, it should continue Newt’s story rather than Dumbeldore’s.
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Early And Personal Life
Coyle was born in Sheffield, England. Coyle is the second youngest of five sons. Their father was a builder. He began his acting career after a stint working on a ferry entertaining passengers, where he was told by a theatre director that he had a talent and should pursue it further. He graduated in Languages and Philosophy from the University of York in 1995 and was then accepted into the prestigious Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, graduating in 1998, the same year as his close friends Dean Lennox Kelly and Oded Fehr.
Coyle was married to actress Georgia Mackenzie. He was in a relationship with actress Ruth Bradley from early 2011 though by 2017 this had ended and he was seeing someone else.
Best: Dumbledore Reveals That He Fell In Love With Grindelwald
Fans have waited for the Wizarding World franchise to officially address Dumbledore’s sexuality ever since writer J.K. Rowling confirmed the headmaster had a love affair with Grindelwald in 2007. But with Rowling never offering any canonical confirmation, and two Dumbledore/Grindelwald centric “Fantastic Beasts” prequels having come and gone, fans had begun to think the day would never come.
Yet, at the beginning of “Secrets of Dumbledore,” the love affair between Grindelwald and Dumbledore goes from the author’s mouth to the actors’ lips. During a dinner chat with the burgeoning dictator, Dumbledore admits that he had previously gone along with Grindelwald “because I was in love with you.”
There’s no question about it. Dumbledore was in love with Grindelwald, as he later confesses to Newt and Theseus, and once more when he recalls Aberforth’s summer of love by regaling his own, noting: “The summer Gellert and I fell in love.” Not only does that hint at the affair being on both ends but the dictator admits it himself during the final battle, asking Dumbledore, “Who will love you now?”
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Best: Hogwarts Is Home
The “Fantastic Beasts” films give fans an adult glimpse at the wizarding world that offers a different perspective than what audiences got from the original movies in a way, it’s that odd sensation of dropping in on your old elementary school, re-appraising what once seemed so vacuous and intimidating through the eyes of a grown-up. Nevertheless, it sure is nice to come home.
While the first two “Fantastic Beasts” movies featured Hogwarts minimally, “Secrets of Dumbledore” recaptures the unbridled magic from the “Harry Potter” films. The adult fandom can now relive their youth with a nostalgic homage that doesn’t take away from the plot.
The movie treats fans to gorgeous arial shots of Hogwarts, filled with nods to the original series a flying Gryffindor quidditch player goes after a snitch, a Great Hall scene has Slytherins feeding Jacob cockroach clusters, and a couple of skeptical Gryffindors eye Jacob’s supposed wand.
Moments in The Hogs Head, the Room of Requirement, and even an appearance from McGonagall will transport fans directly back to their childhood, providing valuable reminders of why this battle is so important. While the “Fantastic Beasts” films have adults waging this war against tyranny rather than children, they are fighting for the future that will give those children their moment in the sun there’s a certain generational beauty to that.
Dumbledore: The Headmaster Of Sacrificial Lambs
In Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore is a highly respected wizard both at the school and within the wizarding world. He becomes a guide as Harry continues to face Voldermort. Yet as Harry nears his graduation from Hogwarts, Dumbledore begins to require more of Harry, even putting him in danger on several occasions. In a heart-wrenching scene from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, it’s revealed that Harry was raised as a lamb for slaughter. That the only way for Voldermort to be defeated was for Harry to willingly die.
As fans grappled with the idea that Dumbledore wasn’t a pinnacle of good, though not as bad as Lord Voldermort or Dolores Umbridge, by the beginning of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, it becomes apparent that Harry Potter isnt the first innocent person to be recruited by Dumbledore. Whatever his intentions of recruiting Newt Scamander to spy on his behalf, Dumbledore is essentially exploiting someone who is innocent to get their hands dirty. Despite mixed reviews of the third installment, if the series were to continue, it would be prudent if the story were to focus more on magical creatures being cataloged instead of Newt Scamander being another sacrificial lamb for Albus Dumbledore.
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At Least Mads Mikkelsen Is A Worthy Grindelwald
Mikkelsen may be a newcomer to the Fantastic Beasts franchise, but he is definitely one of the high points of The Secrets of Dumbledore. His Grindelwald is imbued with a chilling sense of righteousness and a killer manipulative instinct. A scene where he interacts with his incensed supporters and allows himself a victorious smile is one of the movie’s most effective moments. He’s also surprisingly funny: One well-timed eye roll during the film’s climax almost makes up for the movie’s other faults.
The rest of the cast comes off decently, too. Particular highlights are Fogler, who steals nearly every scene he’s in, and Jessica Williams, whose fast-talking Charms professor Eulalie Hicks is an instant standout. And while the character of Dumbledore is infuriatingly secretive, Law’s performance combines vulnerability and authority in a way that connects well to Richard Harris and Michael Gambon’s iterations of the character.
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Religion Wealth And Remarriage
By 1998, Rowling was portrayed in the media as a “penniless divorcee hitting the jackpot”. According to her biographer Sean Smith, the publicity became effective marketing for Harry Potter, but her journey from living on benefits to wealth brought, along with fame, concerns from parents about the books’ and . Ultimately, Smith says that these concerns served to “increase her public profile rather than damage it”.
Rowling identifies as a Christian. Although she grew up next door to her church, accounts of the family’s church attendance differ. She began attending a congregation, where Jessica was christened, around the time she was writing Harry Potter. In a 2012 interview, she said she belonged to the . Rowling has stated that she believes in God, but has experienced doubt, and that her struggles with faith play a part in her books. She does not believe in magic or .
In 2004, named Rowling “the first billion-dollar author”. Rowling denied that she was a billionaire in a 2005 interview. By 2012, Forbes concluded she was no longer a billionaire due to her charitable donations and high UK taxes. She was named the world’s highest paid author by Forbes in 2008, 2017 and 2019. Her UK sales total in excess of £238 million, making her the best-selling living author in Britain. The 2021 estimated Rowling’s fortune at £820 million, ranking her as the 196th-richest person in the UK. As of 2020, she also owns a £4.5 million house in and a £2 million home in Edinburgh.
Worst: Grindelwald Murders The Qilin
If you check the website Does the Dog Die before tuning into any movie involving an animal, you’re not alone. But a good fantasy movie plays off our love of animals, convincing us that dragons and wookies and gremlins have the same endearing characteristics that make our dogs, cats or goldfish life’s great companions.
It can be painful and even triggering to watch creatures get brutally murdered even pretend ones.
With “Secrets of Dumbledore,” fans are forced to bear witness to not one, but two savage death scenes for the angelic, deer-like Qilins. After Newt assist in the wondrous birth of the Qilin twins, a group of Grindelwald’s minions show up, firing killing curses at them. One hits the momma Qilin, and we watch her slowly die as she sees her baby carted off by the enemy before Newt notices the second baby. With one tear running down her eye, she dramatically perishes.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, once Grindelwald gets his hands on one of the Qilin babies, he slashes its throat in cold blood, just to resurrect it as some bastardization of the species that will do his bidding. The scene is anguishing to watch, and marks a pivotal turning point for Queenie who, like the audience, witnesses the atrocity.
Both scenes remind fans how power hungry and despicable Grindelwald and his followers have become they are also very difficult to watch.
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Inspiration And Mother’s Death
After university, Rowling moved to a flat in with friends, and took a course to become a bilingual secretary. While she was working in London, hired her to document human rights issues in French-speaking Africa. She began writing adult novels while working as a temp, although they were never published. In 1990, she planned to move with her boyfriend to , and frequently took long train trips to visit. In mid-1990, she was on a train delayed by four hours from Manchester to London, when the characters , , and came plainly into her mind. Having no pen or paper allowed her to fully explore the characters and their story in her imagination before she reached her flat and began to write.
Rowling moved to Manchester around November 1990. She described her time in Manchester, where she worked for the Chamber of Commerce and at in temp jobs, as a “year of misery”. Her mother died of multiple sclerosis on 30 December 1990. At the time, she was writing Harry Potter and had never told her mother about it. Her mother’s death heavily affected Rowling’s writing. She later said that the is about her mother’s death, and noted an “evident parallelism” between Harry confronting his own mortality and her life.
Harry Potter: Magic Awakened
The latest upcoming offering from Warner Bros. Games and NetEase takes the form of a collectible card wizarding duelling game, where players embark on their own Hogwarts journey to master their magic. If you pre-register now, youll get an exciting reward linked to Fantastic Beasts when the game launches worldwide in 2022, which involves everyones favourite Niffler and baby Manticore Summon Cards.
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Fantastic Beasts 4 And 5 Plot: How Will Fantastic Beasts End
Unlike The Crimes of Grindelwald, The Secrets of Dumbledore doesn’t end with a cliffhanger and pretty much wraps up the major plot points.
As mentioned, we find out that Credence is a Dumbledore and we also get confirmation of a long-running Harry Potter fan theory that Albus and Aberforth’s sister Ariana was an Obscurial like Credence.
In the finale, Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s blood pact is broken after Grindelwald tries to kill Credence for betraying him. Dumbledore protects Credence without thinking of Grindelwald, and their “spells met” which broke the pact.
This sets the stage for their big duel in the future that we know from Harry Potter canon.
Rowling has said that the movies will cover 19 years of Wizarding World history. That will take the last one up to 1945, the year that Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald and claimed the Elder Wand from him.
That was also the year that a certain Tom Riddle graduated from Hogwarts.
All that considered, it seems unlikely that the fifth movie won’t feature the climactic battle between Dumbledore and his former friend.
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That 19-year period also covers the birth of Voldemort and the actions surrounding the creation of his first Horcruxes.
Queenie and Jacob get married at the end of The Secrets of Dumbledore, so maybe they’ll take it as their chance to leave this whole life behind.