THE WIZARDING WORLD — “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” is the first movie of the Thanksgiving release season that I can say I have been excited to see.
I was ready to see the second installment as soon as I walked out of the theater from having just watched the first "Fantastic Beasts." I’m not even a huge Harry Potter universe fan, but there is something to say for all that goes into the Potterverse that is able to spark the wonder and imagination of adults and children.
If you have been waiting patiently to see “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” but want a heads up before you go in, here's what to expect in the most spoiler-free way I can manage. Use this guide to help decide if the film will be appropriate for you and your family.
Language
The language in this film is extremely mild unless you take offense to being called a “Muggle."
As far as the use of language to put down or hurt people the plot echoes common contemporary political themes that deal with people being considered other. Speech is not used in a hateful way, but it is meant to be polarizing between two groups of people. If you watch the news or stay current with junior high politics this is nothing new.
Violence
This addition to the Potterverse is decidedly darker than previous films and especially the last “Fantastic Beasts” film.
There is fighting that involves magic wand shootouts and spell casting. We see people die — or at least I assume they are dead — you can never be too sure when magic is involved.
There are also two different instances involving the death of babies. In one scene, we see what is assumed to be a baby wrapped in a sheet just below the surface of the ocean. In another scene, we don’t actually see what happens to a baby, but the implication is that it is killed by a bad guy.
Additionally, we see several people burned to ash in a few scenes as fire is unleashed by a wizard.
Sexuality
While there are several secondary romantic themes running throughout the film there is nothing overtly sexual in this film.
There is a scene where a homosexual relationship is vaguely implied by the way two men grasp hands. We do see a man under the influence of a love enchantment for a moment and some brief kissing.
Intensity
The fun thing about the “Fantastic Beasts” movies are the fantastic beasts.
This film has quite a few new monsters to enjoy and a few favorites from the last film. There are some scenes that get a little intense when some giant creatures rampage. They are all visually beautiful and a lot of fun to watch, but you may want to be aware if you have a child who is sensitive to these types of things.
There are several jump scares throughout the film, and though they are not too intense, they do get your attention.
Conclusion
This film is fun but a little dark and perhaps heavy at times. The film is rated PG-13 and earns it rating with some of its themes.
"Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" is rated PG-13 for some sequences of fantasy action.