Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Randy Miller III March 2, 2019

Note: Please read my separate 4K UHD review of this title for 20 additional 1080p screenshots.

As the tenth film in J.K. Rowling's massive "Wizarding World" film saga -- predated by all eight Harry Potter films (2011-2011) and the prequel film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) -- David Yates' Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) is a direct follow-up to its predecessor. It continues the adventures of meek young British wizard Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) soon after his part in the revelation and defeat of evil wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp), who was sent to prison under the authority of the Magical Congress of the United States of America. After Grindelwald violently escapes during his transfer to London for trial, he begins amassing an army of followers to establish control over non-magic users. Perhaps the only one capable of stopping Grindelwald is his one-time friend, the elusive wizard Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law), who enlists the help of Newt to do so.

There's a lot to unpack during The Crimes of Grindelwald, but not all of it feels worth the effort. This is a dense and complex film overstuffed with characters -- many returning from the first Fantastic Beasts -- but at 134 minutes, a deliberate and careful pace would certainly allow enough time to divide up all the details. Yet as it wears on, The Crimes of Grindelwald feels more like a burden than a fun and exciting adventure. It's a mostly dark and grim affair that ultimately carries much less charm than the first outing, and the lack of balance doesn't make me all that excited at the prospect of a planned three more films in the Fantastic Beasts saga. It's not that the series feels like it's out of ideas; if anything, it suffers from too many as the plot wears on...but the way they're treated is akin to throwing everything at the wall just to see what sticks. Though it certainly has a number of great characters and moments -- huge twists, betrayals, clever magic, fantastic beasts (sorry), and a truly expansive atmosphere -- this lack of balance robs an otherwise decent film of most of its heart. Possibly a first for any film in the Wizarding World.

Luckily, the performances here elevate otherwise drab story elements. Eddie Redmayne is, again, a big part of what gives this second film some of its charm: he's proven to be a reliably good fit for the character's meek but likable demeanor."Perpetual underdog" sounds like an insult, but it works in his favor just as well the second time around. Jude Law, though obviously filling big shoes by portraying such a beloved character in the Potter Universe, likewise has a natural warmth and familiarity that fits Dumbledore like a glove. Equally well-matched is Johnny Depp, resurrected in full force as the evil wizard, who imbues his character with all the charisma needed to be the believable leader of a cult. Also returning in good form are Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski, who accompanies Newt on the road (hat?) to Paris, and other reliable supporting performances by Claudia Kim (the blood-cursed Nagini), Ezra Miller (the unstable Credence Barebone), Katherine Waterston (Tina Goldstein, an Auror in the Magical Congress), and others.

Overall, The Crimes of Grindelwald is clearly a step down from its predecessor but, thanks to the performances and visually ambitious atmosphere, it's still worth at least a once-over if you enjoyed the first film. Again, the downturn in overall balance and heart doesn't make me excited for future installments...but considering the franchise's total batting average at this point, let's hope the creative team learns from their mistakes. Luckily, those who enjoyed The Crimes of Grindelwald theatrically will likewise appreciate Warner Bros.' 4K edition, which also includes a Blu-ray. The 4K disc serves up a superior technical presentation that takes advantage of HDR, while the Blu-ray includes over an hour's worth of quality bonus features (not counting an alternate Extended Cut, but more on that later). It's well-rounded support for a film that, if I'm being perfectly honest, needed the extra help.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its approximate original aspect ratio of 2.40:1, The Crimes of Grindelwald is, not surprisingly, a fine-looking Blu-ray that serves its source material greatly. This is a very dark and muted picture for the most part, though not without bursts of color -- magic spells, other effects, and even one or two sunny days -- and both opposites are handled well. "Muted" does not always equal muddy, as this 1080p transfer showcases a range of steely colors and dark shadows without much of it hampered by black crush or overcooked contrast levels to compensate. Skin tones always look appropriate for the setting (and species), while textures and fine detail are extremely good in close-up, mid-range, and wide shots alike. The establishing landscapes are some of the best I've seen in recent memory, as it's easy to pick out extremely small details amongst all the hustle and bustle. No obvious defects could be spotted along the way, including obvious compression artifacts, banding, or excessive noise reduction. This is simply great treatment of an effects-heavy production and, though it doesn't always match my biased visual preferences, I can't see anyone who enjoyed The Crimes of Grindelwald being disappointed with how this Blu-ray looks.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Dolby Atmos presentation (which unfolds to a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mix if you're not set up for Atmos) is equally impressive, as there's a great deal of surround activity and presence on display from start to finish: swirling spells, mystical creatures, bustling crowds, and more contribute to a very busy sound stage that's extremely active for the most part...but it's not without quiet moments, and those sound great as well. Dialogue is crisp and clear with no sync issues, the music enjoys an extremely full and dynamic presence when needed, and channel separation is quite strong from start to finish. Quite simply, it's a great-sounding track that complements the film well and, though it doesn't appear to be specially mixed for home theaters, the volume balance between quiet and loud scenes is kept well within reasonable limits. My only complaint is that low frequency effects don't sound quite as strong as they should during certain moments but, since I didn't see the film theatrically, that may be part of the source material.

Side note: Cheers to Warner Bros. for not adding a redundant DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track -- it's not necessary since Atmos pulls double duty by self-converting, and they were often made the default for some reason.

Optional English (SDH), French, and Spanish subtitles have been included during the main feature and all appropriate extras. A few stray lines of foreign dialogue, real or imagine, also feature burnt-in subtitles; both texts are attractive, non-intrusive, and placed within the 2.40:1 frame.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "J.K. Rowling: A World Revealed" (10:15) - In this short piece, the author (and screenwriter/producer for The Crimes of Grindelwald) talks about moving beyond Hogwarts, the challenges of adapting a more complex story, editing down and revising her work for the screen, avoiding "good guys vs. bad guys", and much more. Producer David Heyman and director David Yates also contribute a few comments along the way. Clips from other Rowling films including the first Fantastic Beasts, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, The Order of the Phoenix, The Goblet of Fire, and The Chamber of Secrets are also shown briefly.

• "Wizards on Screen, Fans in Real Life" (19:22) follows cast members / superfans Ezra Miller (Credence Barebone) and Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) as they meet to view scenes from the film for the first time and talk about their introductions to (and lasting interest in) the books and subsequent films. Stories from the set, personal memories, casting, critiquing their own work, and more are also discussed, while the finished scenes they watch are given an impromptu audio commentary of sorts. This piece is obviously more light and fluffy than technical, but it's still worth a once-over for those who have followed the franchise for years.

• "Distinctly Dumbledore" (9:31) features director David Yates, producer David Heyman, costume designer Colleen Atwood, and Jude Law (Dumbledore, naturally) as they speak about the younger version of the character portrayed in this series, getting the part, first introductions, approaching the character, other portrayals in Harry Potter movies (several of which are, again, featured in clips), and other related topics.

• "Unlocking Scene Secrets" (6 clips, 49:09 total) breaks down a handful of notable scenes from the film, which include comments from many of the cast and crew members listed above as well as VFX supervisors Christian Manz and Tim Burke, supervising art director Martin Foley, actors Eddie Redmayne (Newt Scamander) and Johnny Depp (Grindelwald), production designer Stuart Craig, and others. These six scenes include "The Return to Hogwarts", "Newt's Menagerie", "Credence, Nagini and the Circus Arcanus", "Paris and Place Cachée", "Ministere des Affaires Magiques", and "Grindelwald's Escape and the Ring of Fire". Footage from the set, as well as production artwork and other designs, are also seen along the way. It's easily the best supplement on this set and feels more like mini-documentary than a collection of brief featurettes.

• Deleted Scenes (10 clips, 14:23 total) - These include "Credence Reborn", "At the Docks", "Walk N Talk", "Tina and Skender", "Newt's Basement", "Murmuration", "Newt and Jacob Walk to Kama's", "Nagini and Credence in Alley", and "Dumbledore and McGonagall". Although in very good condition overall, a handful of these scenes do not include finished visual effects.

NOTE: An Extended Cut of the film is also advertised, but it's only redeemable via the Digital Copy code. This is listed as being approximately 7 minutes longer than the theatrical version, and presumably just adds in a few of the deleted and extended scenes above. Unfortunately, it was not redeemable at the time of this writing.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As a franchise, I'm not the biggest Fantastic Beasts fan -- more from lack of long-term experience than personal preference -- but even within those boundaries, it's obvious that The Crimes of Grindenwald is a somewhat uneven film that struggles to maintain momentum as it lurches forward. There are a lot of characters here and only about half are of real interest, which makes the film's overstuffed plot feel all the more bloated instead of lightweight, fun, and energetic. Still, there are a few genuinely great moments and many of the lead performances (Eddie Redmayne, Johnny Depp, Ezra Miller, Evanna Lynch, and others) carry their own weight, while the special effects are well done and, for the most part, blend seamlessly into the film's ambitious world. Though I can't recommend Warner Bros.' new Blu-ray for the film itself, die-hard fans -- and those on the fence -- will appreciate the terrific A/V presentation and solid bonus features, probably even more than I did. It's the definition of a well-rounded package when that's not always the norm these days...so if you enjoyed this film theatrically, the Blu-ray is worth your money.