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Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

Where to watch.

Watch Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore with a subscription on Peacock, Max, rent on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

What to Know

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore avoids some of the pitfalls that plagued its predecessor, but lacks much of the magic that drew audiences into the wizarding world many movies ago.

It's a little long and the effects might be better than the story, but for fans of the franchise, this is a fairly Fantastic sequel.

Critics Reviews

Audience reviews, cast & crew.

David Yates

Eddie Redmayne

Newt Scamander

Albus Dumbledore

Mads Mikkelsen

Gellert Grindelwald

Ezra Miller

Credence Barebone

Jacob Kowalski

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TAGGED AS: harry potter , movies

(Photo by Warner Bros./courtesy Everett Collection)

All Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts Movies Ranked: The Wizarding World by Tomatometer

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince celebrates its 15th anniversary!

The  Harry Potter  film franchise  ruled the box office for a decade, but it also managed the uncommon feat of earning Certified Fresh status for every single one of its installments. It remains one of the most successful movie sagas of all time, and it’s even spawned a spinoff series. But while the first  Fantastic Beasts  continue the Certified Fresh streak, the second became the first Rotten entry in this cinematic Wizarding World. The third Beasts film, The Secrets of Dumbledore , released April 2022. Now, we’re ranking all  Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts movies by Tomatometer! — Alex Vo

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) 96%

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) 90%

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) 88%

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) 84%

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) 82%

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) 81%

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) 78%

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) 77%

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) 74%

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022) 46%

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) 36%

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Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

Albus Dumbledore knows that Gellert Grindelwald is moving to take control of the wizarding world. Unable to stop him alone, he asks Newt Scamander to lead an intrepid team on a dangerous mis... Read all Albus Dumbledore knows that Gellert Grindelwald is moving to take control of the wizarding world. Unable to stop him alone, he asks Newt Scamander to lead an intrepid team on a dangerous mission. Albus Dumbledore knows that Gellert Grindelwald is moving to take control of the wizarding world. Unable to stop him alone, he asks Newt Scamander to lead an intrepid team on a dangerous mission.

• David Yates
• J.K. Rowling
• Steve Kloves
• Eddie Redmayne
• Ezra Miller
• 1.4K User reviews
• 232 Critic reviews
• 47 Metascore
• 7 nominations

Top cast 69

• Newt Scamander

• Albus Dumbledore

• Credence Barebone

• Jacob Kowalski

• Gellert Grindelwald

• Tina Goldstein

• Vinda Rosier

• Queenie Goldstein

• Theseus Scamander

• Eulalie 'Lally' Hicks

• Frank Doyle (Workman 1)

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• Trivia Johnny Depp filmed one scene before he was asked to depart. According to various media reports, because of his "pay or play" contract, he received his full $16 million salary.
• Goofs Jacob exiting the fireplace on the train, after leaving New York via the "portkey", indicates they made a stop somewhere along the way, as portkeys and the Floo Network are not open to each other.

Newt Scamander : [From trailer] Grindelwald has the ability to see the future. So if we hope to defeat him, then our best hope... is to confuse him.

Bunty : Huh?

Jacob Kowalski : It's working on me right now.

• Connections Featured in Sunrise: Episode dated 7 April 2022 (2022)
• Soundtracks Heaven Written & Performed by Gregory Porter (c) Universal Universal Music Publishing France (p) 2022 Gregory Porter, under exclusive license to Decca Records France

User reviews 1.4K

• Apr 14, 2022
• How long is Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore? Powered by Alexa
• April 15, 2022 (United States)
• United Kingdom
• United States
• Animales fantásticos: Los secretos de Dumbledore
• Berlin, Germany
• Warner Bros.
• Heyday Films
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $200,000,000 (estimated)
• $95,850,844
• $42,151,256
• Apr 17, 2022
• $407,150,844

Technical specs

• Runtime 2 hours 22 minutes
• Dolby Atmos
• IMAX 6-Track
• Dolby Digital

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Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

The lingering glances, the wistful remembrances of a love that could not be, the simmering passion within the genteel setting of an afternoon tea: The opening scene of “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” is hot. And it’s all the more so because the actors playing opposite each other, Jude Law and Mads Mikkelsen , are both beautiful men who bring a striking screen presence as well as a subtle sense of emotion to this moment.

Then it’s all downhill from there, albeit with a few thrills and enjoyable diversions scattered along the way.

These “Fantastic Beasts” movies are just not good. They’re extremely OK, but never truly inspiring or transporting. This third installment is somewhat of an improvement over 2018’s dour “The Crimes of Grindelwald,” and it’s about on par with the first film in the series, 2016’s whimsical “ Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them ,” in terms of pure enjoyment. They’re all chasing the dragon of that astronomical, worldwide, once-in-a-generation “Harry Potter” success, but each new movie in this spinoff franchise reminds us of how unnecessary and inferior they are.

They can fly over Hogwarts and play a snippet of the soaring John Williams theme as young wizards chase the snitch in a game of Quidditch (an image that inspired my 12-year-old son to groan, “Fan service!” during a recent screening). It’s just one more element in a film crammed with too many characters, too much plot, and too little actual magic. David Yates is back once again as director, having helmed the previous two “Fantastic Beasts” and the final four “Harry Potter” movies. Veteran “Potter” screenwriter Steve Kloves returns to this world, joining J.K. Rowling, creator of the entire universe, who wrote the first two scripts solo. Despite all that expertise—or perhaps because of it—“The Secrets of Dumbledore” feels overstuffed as it lumbers from one plotline to another. Keeping all those plates spinning looks awfully strenuous, especially within a franchise that’s all about lifting a wand and making life easier with the flick of a wrist.

At its core, amidst all that mayhem, this is a movie about election rigging. Really, it is! So if you go to fantasy extravaganzas like this to escape the troubles of reality, you may want to look elsewhere. Sure, the titular creatures can be adorable. Newt Scamander’s stick-bug pal, Pickett, is small and sweet and endlessly resourceful. Teddy the pickpocket platypus is always good for a laugh. There’s a delightfully weird dance sequence involving a bunch of scorpion-like creatures in a dungeon, the rare scene that finds a balance between fun and frights. And the whole movie hinges on the actions of a rare, deer-like animal called a qilin (pronounced chillin, which this film isn’t for a second), who possesses impeccable psychic insight. But “The Secrets of Dumbledore” has weightier matters on its mind, which it tries to convey awkwardly between big, action set pieces and lighthearted bits of physical comedy.

Eddie Redmayne ’s Newt Scamander, the magizoologist who’s been our conduit into this wizarding world that predates the Potterverse by about 70 years, isn’t even the main character here. He’s a flitty and fidgety cog in the machinery of Law’s young Albus Dumbledore, who hatches schemes within the cozy warmth of various vests and scarves. Dumbledore’s bad romance with burgeoning villain Gellert Grindelwald (Mikkelsen, taking over for a troubled Johnny Depp ) eventually bursts because, well, Grindelwald has some questionable ideas about how to deal with Muggles: He wants to eradicate them entirely. “With or without you, I’ll burn down their world, Albus,” he tells Dumbledore over an otherwise lovely tea. The racism of such purebloods, which emerged as a theme in “The Crimes of Grindelwald,” becomes more pronounced here, especially given the setting of 1930s Berlin.

Now, Dumbledore must stop him with the help of Newt, Newt’s brother Theseus ( Callum Turner ), Newt’s assistant Bunty ( Victoria Yeates ), Newt’s Muggle baker friend Jacob ( Dan Fogler , once again a crucial source of kindness and comic relief), and the poised and powerful Hogwarts professor Lally Hicks ( Jessica Williams , a welcome addition). The tasteful, art deco train where they lay out their plan is a great example of the consistently impressive production design from Stuart Craig and Neil Lamont ; the Lower East Side street that contains Jacob’s bakery is another. But nowhere in here is Katherine Waterston ’s Tina Goldstein, supposedly the love of Newt’s life; her eventual time on screen is so brief, she may not even have bothered visiting the craft service table. Dumbledore also recruits the French wizard Yusuf Kama ( William Nadylam ), half-brother of Leta Lestrange, to infiltrate Grindelwald’s band of young, elegantly dressed fascists. Like so many characters here, his role feels underdeveloped, but he is at the center of perhaps the film’s most heartbreaking moment.

Also wedged in is Ezra Miller as Grindelwald minion Credence Barebone, whose true identity is, ostensibly, one of the secrets of Dumbledore. (The other is that … Dumbledore is gay? Which was hinted at in the second film, and will remain a secret to viewers watching this movie in China.) But significant stakes remain elusive, even in a film that runs well over two hours. Miller brings the requisite unsettling vibe to the role, but his presence is an unfortunate distraction, given the reports of his recent disturbing, off-screen behavior. It’s just one more problem for this bland, Covid-delayed series, which supposedly has two more entire films in the works. It’ll take a great deal of powerful magic to pull those off successfully.

Available only in theaters starting tomorrow, April 15th. 

Christy Lemire

Christy Lemire is a longtime film critic who has written for RogerEbert.com since 2013. Before that, she was the film critic for The Associated Press for nearly 15 years and co-hosted the public television series “Ebert Presents At the Movies” opposite Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, with Roger Ebert serving as managing editor. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

• Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander
• Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore
• Mads Mikkelsen as Gellert Grindelwald
• Ezra Miller as Credence Barebone / Aurelius Dumbledore
• Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski
• Alison Sudol as Queenie Goldstein
• Callum Turner as Theseus Scamander
• Jessica Williams as Eulalie 'Lally' Hicks
• Katherine Waterston as Porpentina 'Tina' Goldstein
• David Yates

Cinematographer

• George Richmond
• James Newton Howard

Writer (based on characters created by)

• J.K. Rowling
• Steve Kloves

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‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore’ Review: The Plot Against Muggles

Mads Mikkelsen plays an evil wizard with political talent in the latest “Harry Potter” spinoff movie, which also stars Jude Law and Eddie Redmayne.

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By Amy Nicholson

Like so much children’s entertainment these days, “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” is a political primer sprinkled in magic dust. In this third installment in the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise (itself a prequel series to the original “Harry Potter” stories), cuddly critters have mostly been swapped out for darker creatures: Here, scorpionesque freaks guard a prison where activists are tortured (or worse). A chunk of the story is set in 1930s Berlin. The deadly stakes are crystal-ball clear. An alternate subtitle could be “Totalitarianism for Tykes.”

It’s a pointed movie from tip to barbed tail. Instead of building the plot around a tedious pursuit peppered with cutesy digital monsters — a misstep in the first two “Fantastic Beasts” films — the returning director David Yates and the screenwriters, J.K. Rowling and Steve Kloves, center “Secrets of Dumbledore” on an election. Grindelwald, the wizard supremacist last seen attempting to incite a global war, hopes to convince the magical world to back his campaign platform to subjugate nonmagical humans. (The role was last played by Johnny Depp; Mads Mikkelsen takes over the role here, and Grindelwald’s threats sound more probable when delivered with Mikkelsen’s bloodless chill.) Rowling’s readers know to refer to nonmagical people as Muggles . To Grindelwald, they’re “animals,” though he concedes they make a good cup of tea.

The focus is on the tragic entanglements of Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law), who once romanced the hate-inciting Grindelwald and still wears an old blood-oath necklace that strangles him for thinking mean thoughts about his former love. On top of being pained by his bad taste in men, Dumbledore must make amends with his grouchy brother (Richard Coyle) and tormented nephew (Ezra Miller), a murky figure so visibly miserable that flies buzz around his hands.

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‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore’ Review: Mads Mikkelsen Goes Dark, J.K. Rowling Goes Deep in Emotional Middle Chapter

Replacing Johnny Depp as the villainous Grindelwald, the 'Hannibal' star fleshes out J.K. Rowling’s anti-fascist message in this vastly improved sequel.

By Peter Debruge

Peter Debruge

Chief Film Critic

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Remember way back in the year 2000, before even the first “ Harry Potter ” movie had been released? Big as a cinder block and nearly as heavy, the fourth novel in J.K. Rowling’s bestselling YA series inspired fans to line up at bookstores around the country days in advance. At 734 pages, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” was a monster — the biggest book many young fans had ever contemplated reading. Getting through it took effort, albeit the kind that brought deep and immediate rewards to those bewitched by the parallel reality Rowling had invented, one where wizards existed alongside the rest of us unfortunate, non-magic folk.

Well, here we are, three movies into Rowling’s convoluted big-screen prequel saga, and the series once again feels like work, only this time, the resulting pleasures will strike audiences quite differently, depending on your level of dedication to the franchise. “ Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore ” is rooted deep in the mythology of Rowling’s Wizarding World, seldom slowing down long enough to explain the magic spells or strategies used by its characters. That’ll no doubt vex casual viewers, keeping them at wand’s length from the interpersonal relationships that make this grand fight for the planet worth watching. But devotees will likely adore the revelations in store, including a deeper commitment to the tragic love story between beloved Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore ( Jude Law ) and the wizard determined to settle a score with Muggle-kind.

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Johnny Depp is out, but his character, Gellert Grindelwald, has grown more powerful than ever. Now played by Mads Mikkelsen (without addressing the switch) in a more grounded, less cartoonishly menacing vein, Grindelwald is determined to instigate a world war at roughly the same time that a certain Nazi was elected chancellor of Germany. The rise-of-fascism parallels are as unmistakable as the inspiration for the character’s new haircut, which has gone from stark white sea anemone to a greasy Hitler-style forelock.

Popular on Variety

After doing so much to lend consistency and credibility to Rowling’s vision over the course of four “Harry Potter” movies and one overwrought spinoff, director David Yates hit an unexpected low with the second installment, “The Crimes of Grindelwald,” a busy, bewildering eyesore that seemed more interested in showcasing all kinds of CG trickery than in telling an elegant and engaging story. While “The Secrets of Dumbledore” doesn’t exactly embrace simplicity, the screenplay — no longer credited to Rowling alone, but co-written by stalwart “Harry Potter” adapter Steve Kloves — feels far more focused. Happily, the execution proves that much easier to follow.

Unlike the “Harry Potter” movies, which put the fate of humankind in the hands of three boarding school-bound kids, the “Fantastic Beasts” cycle deals primarily with adult wizards in the wider early-20th-century world. Early on, Yates took this opportunity to demonstrate what mature magic practitioners are capable of — their abilities surely ought to be spectacular, even if it was hard not to feel overwhelmed watching impossible things happen. As Rowling projected the full extent of her creativity on screen, however, she left little room for audiences to use their own imaginations, depriving us of the best thing about her books.

We got constantly shape-shifting characters and others who could step through walls or teleport across countries; explosions all but destroyed entire cities, while defensive techniques protected certain wizards from being injured. There was even a spell that mass-erased witnesses’ minds, giving the filmmakers license to wreak whatever havoc they pleased, as misbehaving make-believe animals ran amok and a miserable — and incredibly dangerous — “orphan” named Credence caused trouble every time he lost his temper. (He’s played by Ezra Miller, an intense young actor whose off-screen antics could get him booted from the sequel, considering what happened to Deep.)

Like a young Luke Skywalker, Credence found himself torn between the forces of good and evil while trying to research the mystery of his origins. The final twist of “The Crimes of Grindelwald” concerned a baby bird that Credence had adopted, which abruptly transformed from a harmless-looking hatchling to a full-grown, flaming phoenix — a creature known to come to the aid of Dumbledore clan members in times of need. Three years later, “The Secrets of Dumbledore” finally reveals the nature of Credence’s connection to this family, causing his allegiance to waver between Grindelwald and Albus.

As it happens, those two competing leaders were once quite close. Gazing into the desire-reflecting Mirror of Erised in the last film, Dumbledore described himself and Grindelwald as being “more than brothers,” and flashed back to a memory of them forming a blood pact years earlier. Because of this connection — not unlike the one a violent attack will forge between Harry and Voldemort — neither Dumbledore nor Grindelwald can so much as think of hurting the other without jeopardizing his own life. Time and again, usually for the best, love overrides reason in these films.

An enchanted pact-protecting pendant complicates the showdown anyone can see coming. In order to stop Grindelwald’s power grab, Dumbledore will have to rely on proxies — namely, Newt Scamander, the endearingly awkward magizoologist embodied by Eddie Redmayne in the first two “Fantastic Beasts” movies. Grindelwald is similarly blocked but has an advantage, using a rare and highly revered dragon-deer creature called a qilin to see the future. (The character’s brutal treatment of this noble and seemingly defenseless species is incredibly difficult to watch, even if the animal doesn’t actually exist.)

Prophecies are nothing new to Rowling’s storytelling, though here we get the added wrinkle that Grindelwald sees only snatches of what’s to come, and can therefore be outwitted by “countersight” — a tactic of doing deliberately misleading things to confuse him while keeping actual intentions secret until the last moment. This is an amusing if preposterous plan, and one that nevertheless earns points for originality.

Three-fifths of the way through this series, ugly, ungainly enchantment overload is clearly the agreed-upon aesthetic, as Rowling and Kloves again come up with a plot that’s considerably more complicated than it needs to be. Take the task entrusted to Newt’s lovelorn assistant, Bunty Broadacre (Victoria Yeates), who commissions half a dozen identical copies of her boss’s leather case, so as to disguise which one contains the qilin during the climactic scene. It’s not likely that this scheme would fool someone who can see the future. In fact, if anyone’s confused by the elaborately choreographed ruse, it is us, the audience.

That seems to be the key strategy of the “Fantastic Beasts” movies — which, incidentally, also serves what passes for magic in the real world: Distract the audience, so they don’t see the trick and are therefore fooled into believing things as they are presented. Somewhere along the way, however, this franchise stopped being fun. If the eight “Harry Potter” films left us wanting to enroll in that same school, the “Fantastic Beasts” series makes everything seem oppressive and unpleasant, teetering on the brink of a second Second World War — one that will presumably be narrowly avoided in the coming films, and which the non-magical sphere stands little chance of winning if Grindelwald ever gets his way.

Still, there’s something to be said for the way Rowling’s vision spans multiple movies, how each installment feels like binge-watching the latest season of a prestige HBO series (an adult-friendly, PG-13 alternative to “Game of Thrones”). No other film series works in such intricate multiple-installment arcs, planting details that will almost certainly pay off in forthcoming chapters. Building on what Peter Jackson did with the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, Rowling and Warner Bros. radically expanded the way cinema could be used to tell serialized stories, and with “Fantastic Beasts,” they continue to innovate, potentially excluding all but the most faithful, rather than actively trying to convert newcomers to what, like “Star Wars,” has an almost religious hold on its followers.

Reviewed at AMC Century City, Los Angeles, March 31, 2022. MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 142 MIN.

• Production: (U.K.-U.S.) A Warner Bros. Pictures release and presentation of a Heyday Films production. Producers: David Heyman, J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves, Lionel Wigram, Tim Lewis. Executive producers: Neil Blair, Danny Cohen, Josh Berger, Courtenay Valenti, Michael Sharp.
• Crew: Director: David Yates. Screenplay: J.K. Rowling & Steve Kloves, based on a screenplay by J.K. Rowling. Camera: George Richmond. Editor: Mark Day. Music: James Newton Howard.
• With: Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, William Nadylam, Callum Turner, Jessica Williams, Victoria Yeates, Poppy Corby-Tuech, Fiona Glascott, Katherine Waterston, Maria Fernanda Cândido, Richard Coyle, Oliver Masucci, Valerie Pachner, Aleksandr Kuznetsov, Mads Mikkelsen.

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Let the Fantastic Beasts Movies Die

The prequel series has tried to follow the Harry Potter playbook—but neglects the original franchise’s most spellbinding features.

This article contains spoilers for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore .

The final showdown in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is supposed to be epic. Albus Dumbledore, the mighty wizard played by Jude Law, comes face-to-face with his former lover turned nemesis, Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen), breaking the pact they’d made as young men never to fight each other. But when the two began firing flashy spells from their wands, the audience at my showing—nowhere near sold out, on a Saturday evening—laughed.

Maybe they were thrown off by the rushed lead-up to the scene, which had, a beat earlier, involved an election for the next leader of a magical society. Maybe they found the look of the action—all CGI whizbangs against a colorless backdrop—silly. Or maybe, given how the clash arrived around the two-hour mark, they were simply too exhausted by the film to process what the moment meant. (I know I was.)

The Fantastic Beasts films, a prequel series that once seemed like a foolproof moneymaker to extend the Harry Potter franchise, have become an expensive exercise in diminishing returns instead. Over the weekend, Secrets , which reportedly cost $200 million to make, drew $43 million at the domestic box office, the softest opening ever for a release from the Wizarding World. Off-screen, the franchise has been plagued with trouble , including the author J. K. Rowling’s polarizing comments about the trans community, multiple cast members’ scandals, and the pandemic’s impact on the viability of theatrical releases—all of which likely contributed to an awkward press tour and rumors about an early end to a planned five-film arc.

Yet the biggest reason for Fantastic Beasts ’ decline is not the pandemic or the tarnished public image of the talent involved. The series, across three installments, has never understood the audience it was trying to serve—the millions of readers and viewers who helped make Harry Potter the best-selling book series in history, turn the films’ young cast into household names, and conjure a market for a successful Broadway play. Fantastic Beasts has tried to capitalize on that massive built-in fan base, but the movies neglect the original franchise’s most spellbinding features: substantial storytelling with heaps of enduring charm.

Read: J. K. Rowling and the curse of the prequel series

That’s ironic, considering Rowling herself wrote the screenplays for the Fantastic Beasts films—something she never did for the Harry Potter adaptations. For Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them , Rowling’s first screenwriting endeavor, she tried replicating a trick she had pulled off in the book that started it all, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone . She nestled a lighthearted adventure inside a darker conflict, with a climax that revealed a trusted character—in Fantastic Beasts , a lawman; in Sorcerer’s Stone , a professor—as a vessel for a malevolent wizard, setting the stage for sequels to come.

But in copying the structure of the beloved novel, she overlooked the element that made her readers turn to her books again and again: an identifiable lead character whose emotional journey served as the story’s anchor. Newt Scamander (played by Eddie Redmayne), the ostensible hero of the spin-off series, has a much less resonant narrative compared with Harry, a fish-out-of-water protagonist with a classic coming-of-age arc. Newt’s the only “magizoologist” in the wizarding community, defined by his passion for studying magical creatures. Plot-wise, Harry’s escapades at school delivered self-contained stories; his encounters with Voldemort, the overarching villain, didn’t overshadow his experiences. In the first Fantastic Beasts film, the shift from meeting playful critters to contending with a murderous antagonist resulted in severe tonal whiplash. The twist ending to the first film overwhelmed Newt’s story so completely that by the time Secrets begins, he’s become a mere pawn in a larger war between good and evil.

The world building that captivated fans of Harry Potter has also suffered in the prequel series. The former, in both book and film form, introduced the eccentricity of the magical realm gradually—a whimsical-sounding charm that levitates objects here, an enchanted mirror there—and viewed those moments through Harry’s eyes, grounding the story in humor and delight. Without such an accessible protagonist or premise, the Fantastic Beasts movies have struggled to organically expand, operating instead as a rote trivia machine. Did you know that in America, Muggles (non-magical people) are called “No-Maj”? Or that the equivalent of the Ministry of Magic is called the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA)? The films’ new details are haphazardly added, disappointingly stale, and ultimately unnecessary. In Secrets , the characters access the German Ministry of Magic through a brick wall—an idea Rowling has already applied to several other secret locations. In The Crimes of Grindelwald , the second installment, MACUSA is listed as the “American Ministry of Magic,” discarding the terminology laboriously established for the previous film.

Most of all, Rowling seems to forget what made her characters appealing to so many. The Harry Potter series offered a sprawling but well-defined ensemble; even third-tier wizards had memorable traits and loyalties. The Fantastic Beasts prequels abandon consistency and coherent development in favor of shock and awe. New characters enter and exit story lines without fanfare; Newt’s love interest, the co-lead of the first film, barely appears in Secrets . Backstories are hard to follow; the mysterious Credence (Ezra Miller), revealed in Crimes to be a Dumbledore sibling, gets rewritten in Secrets as Albus’s nephew. The confusing stakes and connections give viewers little reason to remain invested—a problem Secrets self-consciously acknowledges when Newt spends an entire scene running down the résumés of Albus’s allies, despite the fact that most of them were already introduced in Crimes .

Indeed, Secrets does seem aware of many of the franchise’s shortcomings. Warner Bros. enlisted Steve Kloves, the screenwriter on seven of the eight Harry Potter films, to co-write the screenplay with Rowling, and their collaboration resulted in a sequel that’s marginally leaner and more logical than Crimes . But these fixes come too late for the fan base that the studio had been counting on to purchase tickets. From the outset, viewers wanted more stories, not more fun facts. They wanted character development, not endless plot twists. And besides, a screenplay hasn’t even been written yet for a fourth Fantastic Beasts film. If the series were to fizzle out, that would be a relief. No amount of movie magic can save it now.

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The Dour Secrets of Dumbledore Doesn’t Know Why It’s Here Either

Like a listless 20-something who’s moved home after college with no idea what to do next, the Fantastic Beasts series keeps seeking out the familiarity of high school. The Secrets of Dumbledore , the third and most recent installment, is about nothing short of a skirmish for the soul of the wizarding world, and it still finds a way to make a stop at Hogwarts. The movie is a dour-looking thing overall, but it briefly turns honey-colored in a sequence that glimpses a student swooping by on a broomstick, wanders through the Great Hall, and visits the Room of Requirement. It’s viscous with a nostalgia that goes beyond fan service, as though the film itself were yearning to return to a simpler time — when its leads were played by carefully chosen unknowns instead of trouble-prone stars , when its source material’s author was a fairy-tale success story rather than an infamous transphobe , and when it could hawk some cozy, magical British boarding-school details rather than devote all its focus to an approaching war with Wizard Hitler.

Or maybe all The Secrets of Dumbledore is yearning for is some structure and reason for being. Fantastic Beasts is in the middle of floundering through a planned five-film run it may never actually finish — a decision that hinges on audience interest but may also owe something to the fact that no one involved in these movies seems to have any idea what their appeal is supposed to be. The Secrets of Dumbledore is, like the first two films, directed by David Yates and written by J.K. Rowling, this time with the help of Harry Potter screenwriter Steve Kloves. It’s slightly more coherent than 2018’s The Crimes of Grindelwald , which is saying something given that its characters embark on missions they don’t understand in an effort to stymie the clairvoyant ability that Gellert Grindelwald (played by a game Mads Mikkelsen, taking over for a now radioactive Johnny Depp ) bloodily obtains. But it’s woefully pleasure free from the first scene, in which Grindelwald’s underlings kill a rare animal called a qilin and steal its young, to the final showdown in a village high in the mountains of Bhutan.

Eddie Redmayne, hunching his shoulders and exuding hesitancy as Newt Scamander, is still the nominal lead, but after spending two films with an unconventional hero, The Secrets of Dumbledore is champing at the bit to shift its focus to a more standard one — like, for instance, the dashing Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law), who comes to the forefront and offers an explanation for why he has been so committed to staying on the sidelines. In the process, he reveals himself to be gay (by way of some conveniently excisable dialogue ) and a onetime wizard supremacist. Fantastic Beasts , should it continue, is headed for an epic showdown of sorcerous exes, something that would be more exciting if the films didn’t traffic in such murky digital effects and if Law and Mikkelsen shared something more than the sizzling chemistry of two colleagues exchanging pleasantries at a trade show. Other characters include Alison Sudol as accidental Wizard Nazi Queenie Goldstein, a barely trying Ezra Miller (still around for now) as tragic magical plot device Credence Barebone, Josh Gad’s tethered Dan Fogler as token Muggle Jacob Kowalski, Victoria Yeates as Newt’s smitten assistant Bunty Broadacre, William Nadylam as some guy, and Callum Turner as some other guy. Katherine Waterston has effectively been banished, her character Tina Goldstein busy and therefore “not available” for more than an extended cameo. But Jessica Williams is around, and as Dumbledore ally and American charms professor Lally Hicks, she does a fun if unsteady approximation of a mid-Atlantic accent.

In this era of IP and readily mobilized fandoms, we talk a lot about how much the power balance has shifted from individuals’ creative visions toward audience desires. But Fantastic Beasts has the opposite problem. It’s the product of a lucrative fictional universe that no one seems to know how to build on but which feels the need to keep going anyway, a franchise in search of a story. If the series was conceived as a way to hold on to the fans of the original books and movies who are now grown, what’s clear in practice is it’s a children’s story staggering to support a few ambitious and deeply underdeveloped themes. The final act of The Secrets of Dumbledore involves a magical act of voter fraud, and the plot pivots on a disagreement about whether purveyors of hate should be given a platform so the public can decide whether to reject their ideas. Despite this, the film has no real desire to explore why its charismatic villain is able to rally adoring crowds to his side, a development that would apparently be too dark — every follower we do get a closer look at feels bad about their choices. Neither bold enough to be provocative nor able to capture the appeal of the original films, Fantastic Beasts is stuck in limbo, having failed to grasp what should now be obvious: Adult devotees are far more likely to want to crawl back into childhood comfort than to see the wizarding world struggle to reflect the real one.

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Review: Mads Mikkelsen brings Voldemort vibes to improved 'Fantastic Beasts' threequel

Mads Mikkelsen ’s the worst thing to happen to J.K. Rowling ’s wizarding world since that snaky varmint Voldemort.

Replacing Johnny Depp  after his various controversies, Mikkelsen’s a deliciously sinister delight as dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald in “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” (★★★ out of four; rated PG-13; in theaters April 15). The third installment of director David Yates’ “Harry Potter” period prequel series still is overstuffed with characters and subplots, yet polishes a few missteps from previous films. There’s a renewed emphasis on magical creatures and another decidedly political bent to the franchise as it  digs into dark themes and offers a bewitching goofy side.

'Fantastic Beasts': Mads Mikkelsen's Grindelwald declares war in 'Secrets of Dumbledore' trailer

Set in the 1930s, the new film continues the narrative that Grindelwald’s ready to go to war to eradicate the world’s Muggle (non-magical) population. He foments hatred among his followers and enacts a grand plan that will place him in control of the entire wizarding community through electoral means.

His former lover, Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore ( Jude Law ) can’t move against Grindelwald because of a blood oath between them. So he enlists the “Beasts” films’ primary antagonist, lovably awkward magizoologist Newt Scamander ( Eddie Redmayne ), to round up a “Dirty Dozen”-style crew of operatives for a counterintelligence mission to stymie the villain until they can strike back.

Along for the ride are Newt’s human baker pal Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), brother Theseus Scamander (Callum Turner) and a new character, Lally (Jessica Williams), a Charms professor at the American counterpart to Hogwarts.

'Fantastic Beasts’: Mads Mikkelsen talks stepping in for Johnny Depp

In the previous 2018 outing, " The Crimes of Grindelwald ,” Newt took a back seat to young Dumbledore and a host of other characters. “Secrets” puts him back at center stage, in his natural habitat of looking for cool animals and being an all-around likable sort. There’s a daring rescue in which Redmayne does a wacky hip-swiveling dance with a bunch of baby scorpion things that’s so preposterous and silly it's endearing.

Newt’s critters have key roles: His little stick bud Pickett is as whimsical as ever and the new deer/dragon hybrid Qilin (pronounced “chillin”) is one of the more significant characters in the sprawling story. These computer-generated imaging creatures are astonishingly realized, more so than many of the whiz-bang, wand-waving magical battles.

'Harry Potter' turns 20: All the movies from J.K. Rowling's magical universe, definitively ranked

Law brings a mercurial side to Dumbledore that's more in line with the version of the “Potter” films. Williams’ Lally is an enchanting new presence, while Jacob continues to be the comedic heart of this movie series: Kowalski’s goodhearted everyman aims to rescue his mind-reading love Queenie (Alison Sudol) – now a member of Grindelwald’s entourage – but finds time to have an enjoyable back-and-forth while lunching with some Hogwarts kids.

Over on the dark side, Mikkelsen provides the Voldemort-level evil personality the “Beasts” movies have been lacking. While Depp’s take – essentially playing Grindelwald as a wild-haired freaky cult leader – was fine, Mikkelsen’s feels more dangerous, as he wields a public charm as a crowd-pleasing, manipulative man of the people while hiding his inherent ruthless cruelty. (The allusions to real-life political figures are not subtle, nor is using 1930s Germany as a locale for a genocidal would-be leader’s shenanigans.)

Reveals about Grindelwald and Dumbledore’s relationship are interesting, although the subplot involving them and Credence ( Ezra Miller ), the powerful youngster revealed as a Dumbledore at the end of the previous film, seems superfluous. 

“Secrets” does a decent job streamlining the busy storytelling in the third of a planned five-movie series that, to be honest, doesn’t have the clearest overarching narrative. And with a surprisingly good climax to go along with Mikkelsen totally understanding his assignment, this “Beasts” is never a burden to watch.