---
title: "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/fantastic-beasts-the-crimes-of-grindelwald/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/fantastic-beasts-the-crimes-of-grindelwald"
critics_score: 55
critics_reviews: 27
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018): what the critics said

Critics' score 55 from 27 reviews: 8 positive, 9 mixed, 10 negative.

The reviews split almost evenly between positive, mixed and negative. Nearly everyone agrees the film looks handsome: the cinematography, costumes and production design draw praise from admirers and detractors alike, and the creatures remain a reliable pleasure. Jude Law’s young Dumbledore is the performance most often picked out, with several reviews naming him the highlight. A handful of critics find it darker and more purposeful than the first film, with more to say about power and fascism.

The reservations cluster on the plot. Most critics find it overstuffed, hard to follow without deep franchise knowledge, and too busy arranging characters for future instalments to tell a story of its own. The spread is wide, from four stars at Radio Times to three out of ten at /Film. Johnny Depp’s Grindelwald divides them sharply: The Hollywood Reporter calls him the film’s major liability, while HeyUGuys and The Playlist count him among its strengths.

## Radio Times

Rating ★★★★. 13 November 2018. 

This is a sumptuous and absorbing spectacle that is an absolute wonder and joy to behold. David Yates navigates the densely plotted escapades with fast-paced efficiency and epic sense of wonder.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/fantastic-beasts-the-crimes-of-grindelwald-review-a-wonder-and-a-joy-to-behold/)

## Total Film — James Mottram

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 2018. 

Yates understands what makes the Wizarding World work, delivering a bigger and more complex universe filled with detail and charm while balancing darkness with light.

[Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/fantastic-beasts-the-crimes-of-grindelwald-review/)

## Screen Daily

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 2018. 

The film finds its feet and flies, with questions of family and identity at its heart. It is elegantly paced with explosive set-pieces that effectively set up the rest of the series.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/fantastic-beasts-the-crimes-of-grindelwald-review/5134399.article)

## The Hollywood Reporter — Caryn James

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 2018. 

The critic finds it a vibrant, engaging improvement on the first film thanks to better effects, a darker tone, and more vibrantly drawn characters and relationships. Depp's performance as Grindelwald is singled out as a major liability.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/fantastic-beasts-crimes-grindelwald-review-1158267/)

## Empire — Ian Freer

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 2018. 

An enjoyable foray into Rowling’s imagination with impressive craft and a more appealing lead performance, but it feels underpowered and like mere set-up for future installments.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/fantastic-beasts-crimes-grindelwald-review/)

## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 2018. 

The film bogs down in franchise detail and prequel plotting despite JK Rowling's fertile imagination. Jude Law's enigmatic young Dumbledore stands out as a highlight.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/nov/08/fantastic-beasts-the-crimes-of-grindelwald-review-jude-law-dumbledore-shines-in-saggy-sequel)

## Slant Magazine

Rating 2.5/4. 15 November 2018. 

The fun but more predictable sequel moves the series forward only incrementally, getting more mileage from creature interactions and set pieces than from its human-centered scenes.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/fantastic-beasts-the-crimes-of-grindelwald/)

## Evening Standard — Matthew Norman

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 16 November 2018. 

The film is visually bedazzling with rich cinematography and inventive detail, but the plot is overly complex and requires deep knowledge of the franchise to follow.

[Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/fantastic-beasts-the-crimes-of-grindelwald-review-totally-potty-but-visually-stunning-a3991821.html)

## The Times — Edward Porter

Rating ★★★. 18 November 2018. 

The film has entertaining qualities and sweet emotional moments but feels padded and flabby overall. The saga risks wearing out its welcome through excessive prequel expansion.

[Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/fantastic-beasts-the-crimes-of-grindelwald-review-harry-potter-spin-off-is-magical-in-parts-zj886khhz)

## Time Out

Rating 3/5. 7 November 2018. 

The sequel provides twists and glorious visuals but has too much plot to truly soar. It feels jumbled and rushed due to the volume of exposition and characters.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/fantastic-beasts-the-crimes-of-grindelwald)

## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis

Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 2018. 

The critic finds the film a clotted diversion cluttered with too much story and complicated plotting that requires untangling who did what to whom. It offers minor ornamental pleasures but surrenders to maximalist tendencies, with a tantalizing shift to Hogwarts as a bright spot.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/08/movies/fantastic-beasts.html)

## Sight and Sound — Pamela Hutchinson

Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 20 November 2018. 

The film is an overplotted caper offering sumptuous visuals but only scraps of substance. Its narrative mechanics are bewildering and exasperating, leaving the story feeling emptier as it expands.

[Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/fantastic-beasts-crimes-grindelwald-review-bottomless-bewildering-adventure)

## The AV Club — A.A. Dowd

Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 2018. 

The critic finds little magic in the plotty, reference-heavy sequel that trades frivolity for soapy melodrama and feels like a heavier but less satisfying meal focused on milking the brand.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/theres-not-much-magic-in-the-plotty-reference-heavy-fa-1830320413)

## The Telegraph

Rating 2/5. 15 November 2018. 

The film suffers from severe prequel-itis, fussily rearranging characters and lore instead of telling a coherent story. It feels inward-looking and self-referential.

[Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/fantastic-beasts-crimes-grindelwald-review-gravest-case-prequel/)

## Variety — Andrew Barker

Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 2018. 

Real magic is in short supply in this cluttered expansion; it is the noisiest, most rhythmless, and least coherent entry in the Wizarding World saga, a confusing jumble of new characters and marginalia. Surface pleasures like costuming and score survive, but compelling stories are missing.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/fantastic-beasts-crimes-of-grindelwald-review-1203023598/)

## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri

Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 15 November 2018. 

The film is described as a tedious slog full of narrative throat-clearing and irritating character tics, though the ending rally scene offers a spark of interest.

[Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2018/11/fantastic-beasts-review.html)

## IndieWire — Kate Erbland

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 2018. 

The review calls it an overstuffed sequel that loses some of its magic, with too many characters and storylines robbing it of charm despite following a familiar pattern.

[Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/fantastic-beasts-the-crimes-of-grindelwald-review-harry-potter-1202018874/)

## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 2018. 

The film is an excruciating bore, both hectic and leaden with a grindingly complicated plot and charmless central character. It is enlivened only by stray glimpses of Hogwarts, a flicker of gay romance, and computer-generated creatures, leaving fans frustrated.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-fantastic-beasts-the-crimes-of-grindelwald-review-20181108-story.html)

## HeyUGuys — Luke Walpole

Rating 4/5. 15 November 2018. 

The critic praises the visually stunning and endearing qualities, noting it overcomes narrative missteps with new paths in the Wizarding World and strong performances, especially from Depp and Law. They single out the heavy-handed plotting as a complaint.

[Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/fantastic-beasts-the-crimes-of-grindelwald-review/)

## The Playlist — Charles Barfield

Rating B. 14 November 2018. 

The critic finds it a magical, darker, weirder, and more relevant addition, praising the rich visuals, chaotic storytelling, and allegorical elements. They single out the grand world-building and Depp's performance for praise, while noting it may frustrate some with its twists.

[Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/fantastic-beasts-2-review-20181114/)

## Den of Geek — David Crow

Rating 3.5 out of 5. 22 November 2018. 

The critic finds it a darker, leaner, more straightforward and better film than the first, with more on its mind regarding themes of fascism and power. Praises the visual appeal, new character introductions, and Jude Law's Dumbledore, but notes it's ambitious even if sometimes to its detriment.

[Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/fantastic-beasts-the-crimes-of-grindelwald-review/)

## The Wrap — William Bibbiani

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 14 November 2018. 

The sequel is exciting and enchanting but frustratingly convoluted, cramming too much plot into its runtime. The critic praises the glorious magic moments, levity amid grim elements, and time given to characters, while noting the dense storylines as the main annoyance.

[Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/fantastic-beasts-crimes-of-grindelwald-film-review-j-k-rowling-jude-law-johnny-depp/)

## Digital Spy — Hugh Armitage

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 16 November 2018. 

It's a beautiful return to the Wizarding World with magical moments and twisty lore, but struggles with juggling storylines as a middle film in a series, feeling like an exercise in positioning characters for future movies. Redmayne and Law shine.

[Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a869646/fantastic-beasts-crimes-of-grindelwald-review/)

## NME — Alex Flood

Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 15 November 2018. 

Beautifully shot and inventive, works harder on mythology but too much new info makes it confusing even for fans; clunky dialogue, but spectacle makes it tolerable for fans.

[Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/fantastic-beasts-crimes-of-grindelwald-review-2402568)

## Polygon — Karen Han

Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 2018. 

The film wastes audience time with cumbersome retcons and excessive setup for a sequel, though the beasts remain charming. It falters with plot filler, callbacks to better Harry Potter films, and shallow political allegories.

[Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/2018/11/8/18072518/fantastic-beasts-crimes-of-grindelwald-review)

## The Ringer — Zach Kram

Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 16 November 2018. 

The movie is messy and fails as a self-contained story, overly focused on setting up future installments with little resolution or satisfying conclusions in the present. It prioritizes long-term lore over immediate entertainment value.

[Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2018/11/16/movies/fantastic-beasts-the-crimes-of-grindelwald-review-harry-potter-jk-rowling)

## /Film — Josh Spiegel

Rating 3/10. 15 November 2018. 

The critic calls it a miserable, dull slog with excessive dialogue and lack of propulsion, complaining about the convoluted plot and poor execution of action. They single out the lack of excitement and story momentum as the main issues.

[Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/562392/fantastic-beasts-the-crimes-of-grindelwald-review/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/fantastic-beasts-the-crimes-of-grindelwald.md