The Crimes of Grindelwald is best viewed as a — less a self-contained story and more a setup for the remaining three movies. It suffers from trying to do too much at once: dark political thriller, creature adventure, family drama, and mystery box all in one. However, for fans invested in Dumbledore’s backstory, the rise of dark ideologies, and deeper wizarding lore, it offers rich material — even if the execution is messy.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald – A Deep Dive into the Wizarding World’s Darkest Chapter crimes of grindelwald
Meanwhile, a young Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) at Hogwarts asks his former student, Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), to track down Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller) — an obscurial whose power Grindelwald seeks to weaponize. The trail leads from London to Paris, where a climactic rally at Père Lachaise Cemetery reveals Grindelwald’s charismatic evil and sets the stage for the series’ central conflict. The Crimes of Grindelwald is best viewed as
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022) resolves some of the cliffhangers and delivers the long-awaited Dumbledore vs. Grindelwald duel. Would you like a separate post focused only on the canonical contradictions or the character analysis of Grindelwald himself? Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald – A
The film opens with Grindelwald (now played by Mads Mikkelsen in later films, but by Johnny Depp in this entry) orchestrating a dramatic escape from MACUSA (Magical Congress of the USA) custody. His goal: to recruit pure-blood wizards to his cause — wizarding supremacy over Muggles (or "No-Majs").