Story
Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) will stop at nothing to become all-powerful and burn the muggle world to the ground. His youthful love of Dumbledore (Jude Law) and the curse that binds them is no match for the hatred that now consumes his heart. Using Queenie’s (Alison Sudol) gifts to read minds, Credence’s pain (Ezra Miller) as a weapon and the influence of allies to set him free, Grindelwald sets his sights on becoming leader of the wizarding world.
Meanwhile Dumbledore is battling ghosts from his past. He knows that he can’t stop Grindelwald alone. He entrusts Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) and his assistant Bunty (Victoria Yeates) to lead an intrepid team of wizards and witches along with muggle Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler) in an elaborate plot to stop Grindelwald and the war he wishes to wage.
Themes
Social domination; homosexuality; animal cruelty; deception; loneliness; hate; bigotry; family breakdown; political intrigue and corruption
Violence
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore has some violence. For example:
- Grindelwald threatens to burn down the muggle world and destroy all muggles.
- Newt is blasted with spells while trying to save a newborn creature. The creature’s mother is killed, and its sibling is kidnapped.
- Grindelwald violently kills a baby creature.
- Dumbledore shows how the curse he’s bound by will try to kill him if he even thinks of betraying Grindelwald. The necklace that he wears around his arm begins to strain and strangle him.
- Grindelwald tries to persuade Credence to kill Dumbledore.
- Some characters look like they’re antagonising a witch. Kowalski comes to the witch’s defence and tries to chase the characters away.
- A violent and angry crowd is shouting outside the ministry for magic. A flag is set on fire and falls into the crowd.
- Credence tries to assassinate Dumbledore. Spells blast and rip apart city streets and buildings, which change into a dragon-like creature made of moving buildings. It chases, charges and attacks Dumbledore.
- A creepy prison guard eats grubs and tells Newt that he won’t come back alive from visiting his brother.
- Dumbledore explains how he, his brother Aberforth and Grindelwald were duelling when Ariana got caught in the crossfire. He says they never knew whose wand killed her but that he has always blamed himself.
- Queenie shoots a spell to help Kowalski.
- Grindelwald blasts Credence backwards and threatens him about the existence of another magical creature.
- A character is flipped over, hit with pots and pans, and strangled with carpets.
- A storm appears to burst out of a suitcase. Another suitcase is full of attacking animal books, another has violent bludger balls, and another has baked goods.
- Newt is blasted in the back by a spell, and his suitcase is forcibly removed from him.
- Kowalski suffers the cruciatus curse.
- Grindelwald tries to kill Credence.
- Grindelwald and Dumbledore fight, blasting curses at each other. Shards of glass fall all around them. Grindelwald is blasted off a cliff where he disappears.
Sexual references
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore has some sexual references. For example:
- Dumbledore refers several times to the fact that he and Grindelwald were in love with one another.
- Dumbledore and his brother speak about the summer when Aberforth fell in love with a girl who was sent away. There were rumours about a baby. The baby turns out to be Credence.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore shows some use of substances. For example:
- A character drinks in a bar on a train.
- Drinks are served at a gala event.
- A poison drink burns through a door.
Nudity and sexual activity
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore has some sexual activity. For example, Kowalski and Queenie kiss.
Product placement
There’s no product placement in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
Coarse language
There’s some mild coarse language in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, including ‘stupid sod’.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is a fantasy adventure and the third movie in this Harry Potter spin-off series. Well-cast and with a fast-paced plot, full of twists and turns and fabulous special effects, this is a dark tale best suited to pre-teens and teenagers.
The main messages from Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore are that even in the darkest of times, courage and purity will prevail. Unity can cast its own spell, conquering hearts and vanquishing those who want to use magic to harm instead of heal.
Values in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore that you could reinforce with your children include teamwork, creativity, trust, hope and courage.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore could also give you the chance to talk with your children about the real-life consequences of behaviour like:
- betraying people you love
- allowing yourself to be swept away by anger
- going to any lengths to gain power
- using (or killing) animals for your own personal gain
- holding hatred in your heart and refusing to see others for who they are and who they could be.