In the Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald film, directed by David Yates, the powerful dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald has broken free and his plan to rule over all non-magical beings has led to a divided wizarding world. The second film in the series, once again, follows magizoologist Newt Scamander, his no-maj pal Jacob Kowlaski, Jacob’s crush Queenie Goldstein, and MACUSA agent Tina Goldstein. Albus Dumbledore enlists Newt, his former student, to find Credence Barebone before Grindelwald does. Newt agrees to help, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead.

In this article, we'll be recapping the movie's biggest plot points and reviewing what elements made the movie work and those that ruined it. We've also got plenty of references to the Harry Potter Universe, along with FAQs.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald | Summary & Recap

Grindelwald Escapes

The movie begins with the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald being held in an American prison. Six months have passed since his arrest and British Aurors have come to escort him back to Europe to answer for his crimes. Abernathy, a MACUSA employee, is shown handing over Grindelwald’s wand and a pendant to the Aurors.

As the carriage takes off into the sky, pulled by flying Thestrals, Abernathy is left behind. He is shown pulling out the easily recognizable Elder Wand, Grindelwald’s wand, before he apparates to the underside of the carriage. In the carriage, Grindelwald’s appearance starts to change and he transforms into the real Abernathy and the person we thought was Abernathy turns into Grindelwald.

A battle takes place in the air, where Grindelwald gains control of the carriage and either kills or throws the Aurors out of the transport before he and Aberthany escape.

A Proposition

There is a three month time jump and Newt is shown waiting at the British Ministry of Magic. He runs into Leta Lestrange, his former friend from Hogwarts, and his brother, Theseus Scamander. Newt is meeting with the Ministry once again in order to have his travel ban lifted. They believe Dumbledore sent him to New York and are refusing to let him roam freely.

They give him a choice: join the Aurors to help stop Grindelwald and travel freely or stay in London indefinitely. They tell him Credence is alive and they want Newt to find him. Newt refuses and the job is given to Gunnar Grimmson. Theseus warns Newt that he is going to have to pick a side and that he’s being watched.

Meeting With Dumbledore

While Newt is walking down the street, trying to evade the Ministry member stalking him, a gloved hand catches his attention. Once out of sight, the gloved hand teleports him to a rooftop where Newt finds Dumbledore. Newt confronts Dumbledore, stating that he knew Newt would go to New York with the information he gave him but Dumbledore plays innocent.

Dumbledore reveals that he wants Newt to find Credence, who has been spotted in Paris. He gives him a card that will take him to a safe house. Newt refuses at first because of the travel ban. Dumbledore praises his good nature and big heart, which slightly sways Newt’s decision.

Unexpected Guests

Newt returns home to find the baby Nifflers are loose in the house. He helps take care of the creatures with his assistant, Bunty. When he hears something break upstairs, he finds both Jacob and Queenie in his house. Jacob reveals that most of his memories weren’t erased because the elixir that they rained on the city only erased bad memories and all of his were good.

Queenie tells Newt over dinner that Tina, her sister and Newt's love interest, is dating someone else after she saw in a newspaper that Newt was engaged. Newt, upset, reveals that the newspaper mixed it up and it’s his brother who is engaged to Leta. Newt notices Jacob is acting very strange and realizes he has been charmed. Queenie, who can hear his thoughts, is upset at the accusation but allows Newt to remove the magic.

When Jacob comes too, Queenie leaves. He chases after her and they argue. Queenie wants to marry him but it’s illegal in America for the magical and non-magical people to be together. She’ll be thrown in jail. Jacob thinks that she is crazy and Queenie can hear his thoughts. Heartbroken, she apparates away with plans to find Tina.

Chaos at the Circus

The scene shifts to Tina in Paris, who uses a statue to slip into the wizarding world. She arrives at a circus where magical creatures of all kinds are in cages. Credence is shown talking to a girl named Nagini. They are planning their escape when they’re interrupted by the ringmaster.

Before an audience, the ringmaster explains that Nagini can transform into a creature and will eventually be stuck in the body. She transforms into a snake and attacks the ringmaster, causing chaos to unfold. Credence and Nagini use the distraction, but they aren’t the only ones to escape. A Zouwu is set loose as the circus is packing up to leave.

Tina and a mysterious man were looking for Credence in the audience. They meet in the empty street after the circus has left and he introduces himself as Yusuf Kama. He reveals he may be related to Credence and they talk about working together. Scenes of Grindelwald searching for Credence are also shown.

To Paris

Newt finds a postcard on the floor from Tina to Queenie, stating that she is in Paris. Newt begins packing and leaving notes for Bunty. Jacob finds him and they decide to journey together once again.

Newt and Jacob pay a man to use a portkey to leave the country illegally and go to Paris. When they arrive in the same area the circus was, he uses a spell that shows him what occurred. He sees the creatures, the escaped Zouwu, and Tina talking to Yusuf. A feather from his hat had fallen off and Newt spells the feather to lead him back to the man and Tina.

Queenie’s Unraveling

Queenie enters the French Ministry of Magic and talks to the front desk in hopes of finding Tina. They tell her there is no record of Tina being in Paris and Queenie begins to panic, dropping her suitcase. In the background, two of Grindelwald’s followers are shown entering the Ministry as well.

When Queenie leaves, she hears Jacob and Newt in the crowd. She tries to catch up with them but they’re swallowed by the tide of people. The thoughts of others begin to overwhelm Queenie, along with her sense of loss and loneliness, and she ends up crying on the sidewalk in the rain. Vinda Rosier, who is loyal to Grindelwald, finds her and takes her to the place Grindelwald has made his base.

Queenie comes face to face with the dark wizard, who tries to persuade her into joining him so she can be with her one true love. Unswayed and defensive, Queenie leaves unharmed.

Lost Connection

Credence and Nagini track down the woman whose name was on his adoption paper: Irma Dugard. He believes she is his mother. They find a half-elf instead. She explains that she was a servant for his mother and is the one who gave him away. Having finally found some sort of connection to his past, Credence hugs the woman.

While this is happening, bounty hunter Gunnar Grimmson uses magic to become a part of the wall. Nagini hears something and Grimmson attacks, sending the killing curse hurling in Credence’s direction. When the curtains move, Irma is shown lying dead on the floor instead. Credence unleashes the power of the Obscurus, destroying the building and attacking Grimmson, who escapes unharmed.

But in the next scene, it’s revealed that Grimmson is not working for the Ministry, but for Grindelwald. He had killed Irma on purpose in order to steer Credence to the dark wizard.

Man with the Feathered Hat

In the next scene, Yusuf is in a bathroom and sees that there is some sort of creature in his eye. After Newt and Jacob find him, he agrees to take them to Tina. He leads them underground and lures them into a cell, where he locks them in with Tina.

Yusuf reveals that he has to kill Credence or he himself will die. He grabs his eye and ends up passing out. Newt’s Bowtruckle unlocks the cell door and they escape, taking Yusuf with them. On their way out, they run into the escaped Zouwu. Newt uses a cat toy with bells to lure it into his suitcase. He uses the safehouse card Dumbledore gave him.

Return to Hogwarts

In a magical moment full of nostalgia, Hogwarts is shown with “Hedwig’s Theme” playing. Unfortunately, the Ministry officials, including Theseus and Leta, aren’t there for good reasons. Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Torquil Travers, is there to confront Dumbledore because Newt was spotted in Paris.

Dumbledore denies having any involvement in Newt’s travels. They ask him to move against Grindelwald and he states he can’t. Travers plays a memory of a young Grindelwald and Dumbledore before using a spell to put magical cuffs on Dumbledore that will monitor his every spell. Dumbledore warns Theseus not to break up any of Grindelwald’s gatherings, since it’ll risk doing more harm than good.

While all this is happening, Leta is wandering the castle and finds a desk where she and Newt scratched their initials into it. She has flashbacks of her time at Hogwarts, where she met Newt but was relentlessly bullied by others. Present day, Dumbledore finds her in the classroom and tells her confession could help her and to not live with regret.

The Calling

Newt, Tina, and Jacob are at the safe house when Newt pulls the water dragon parasite out of an unconscious Yusuf’s eye. Tina leaves and Newt chases after her. Suddenly, they see dark sheets blanketing the buildings in the town. Tina points out that it’s Grindelwald’s calling. Newt makes a plan to find the box inside the French Ministry of Magic that can tell them who Credence really is.

Credence is taking care of a baby Phoenix when Grindelwald approaches him on a rooftop. He gives Credence a map that will take him to find proof of his identity.
Back at the safe house, Jacob meets Nicolas Flamel, the alchemist who owns the place. Flamel has a magical orb that they look into and see Credence, Nagini, a raven statue, and Queenie. Flamel tells him the statue is part of the Lestrange Mausoleum. Jacob sees that Yusuf has escaped, but his mind is set on finding Queenie.

Alone, Flamel sees Newt, Jacob, and Queenie with Grindelwald. He knows disaster is coming and he must find a way to help stop it.

Breaking Into the French Ministry

Newt uses a little bit of Polyjuice Potion to turn into his brother. He and Tina enter the Ministry but Theseus spots him. He chases after them and Tina restrains him. They search the archives for the Lestrange family tree. While looking, Newt finally reveals to Tina that he was never engaged and she’s relieved.

They’re caught off guard when the shelves start to move. They jump on the back of one that stops before Leta, who is in search of her own box. She discovers that it’s missing and there is a letter stating the box has been moved to the Lestrange Mausoleum. She sees Newt’s Bowtruckle leading to her spinning the shelf around to find Newt and Tina.

They’re caught by the guard and the Matagot, hairless cat-like guards. Leta attacks one and they turn aggressive, beginning to multiply. Newt uses the Zouwu, which can travel great distances quickly, to help them all escape and reach the mausoleum.

The Lestrange Mausoleum

At the mausoleum, characters collide. Newt, Tina, and Leta find Yusuf, Credence, and Nagini already there. Yusuf believes Credence’s true identity is that of Corvus Lestrange Jr. He tells the story of how his mother was taken by Corvus Lestrange Sr. against her will. They had a daughter, Leta. Yusuf and Leta’s mother died during childbirth and Lestrange Sr. had a baby boy with another woman. Yusuf made an Unbreakable Vow, promising to kill the one thing Lestrange Sr. loved, and it’s Corvus Jr.

Leta reveals that she killed Corvus Jr. when she was a child. On the ship to America, she swapped a wailing Corvus with a different baby just as destruction hit. They were put on different boats and the one with the real Corvus was flipped and everyone on board drowned. She doesn’t know the identity of the baby that she grabbed.

As she ends her story, the wall next to them opens up. Jacob is standing there and behind the wall is Grindelwald’s rally.

The Rally

Hundreds of witches and wizards are gathered to listen to Grindelwald. Jacob finds Queenie in the crowd and is shocked to see she is there of her own free will. Grindelwald begins speaking about the muggles, saying that they are not lesser but other. The Aurors arrive. He shows them a vision of World War 2.

He creates a ring of fire that only those loyal to him can cross. All, except one follower, make it through alive. Queenie tries to convince Jacob to go with her, believing Grindelwald will make a world where they can freely love each other. He calls her crazy and she goes alone. Credence, wanting to know his true identity, goes too and leaves Nagini behind.

Grindelwald uses the fire to attack the other Aurors, killing them. Newt and Theseus are fighting off the fire and Leta calls out Grindelwald’s name. She pretends she is going to join him and, the moment he turns his back, she attacks. This gives everyone else a chance to escape but she is killed by the fire in the process.

His True Name

Flamel arrives in time to help as the raging blue fire turns into a dragon and begins consuming the graveyard. With the combined forces of all the surviving Aurors and Newt, they cast a spell that extinguishes it.

When things calm down, the Niffler that escaped during the rally returns to Newt, slightly injured by the fire. It brought back the pendant that Grindelwald was carrying around.

A short time passes, and Newt and the Ministry officials meet Dumbledore on the bridge at Hogwarts. Newt speaks to him alone, recognising the pendant as a blood pact. Dumbledore explains it’s the reason that he can’t move against Grindelwald but there might be a way to break it.

The movie ends with Grindelwald and Queenie watching Credence. Grindelwald approaches Credence and gives him a wand, telling him his true name: Aurelius Dumbledore.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald | Analysis & Review

CGI and Visuals | 9/10

The CGI and visuals in this movie take it up a notch with stunning creatures and displays of magic. Each unique creature, like the Zouwu and the baby Nifflers, look life-like, not to mention they’re adorable. Once again, the visuals manage to do the wizarding world justice by creating a magical cinematic masterpiece. One of the most impressive moments happens during the climax of the movie with the blue dragon.

Unfortunately, there were a few scenes where the green screen was noticeable, due to lighting issues. The two scenes in particular happen when Queenie is in the elevator and at the end of the movie, after Credence uses his wand. While it isn’t terrible, it’s still noticeable.

Storyline and Plot Development | 7/10

One of the weakest aspects of this movie is the plot. While it’s full of action and suspense, and the actors do an amazing job at portraying their characters, the story just feels a little all over the place. Even though Grindelwald is the biggest threat, the entire plot revolves around everyone hunting a character that was thought to be dead at the end of the first film.

On top of being hunted, Credence Barebone goes through so many identity crises. First he believes his mother is Irma Dugard, and then he’s told his name is Corvus Lestrange Jr., and then Aurelius Dumbledore (which may be a lie created by Grindelwald). It’s all very repetitive.

Character Development | 8/10

The story picks up nine months after the last movie, and while some characters have changed in appearance, they’re still the same. The biggest character change happens in Queenie. She was always the bubbly, innocent type, and we get a chance to see more depth to her character in this movie.

However, her sudden shift is a bit jarring. Midway through the movie, she’s standing up to Grindelwald and refusing to join him. Then, at the end of the movie, she’s begging Jacob to join Grindelwald with her and, when he refuses, she leaves him to join Grindelwald by herself.

The other characters have subtle character development that feels more natural, like Newt confessing his feelings to Tina in a roundabout way and finally deciding to pick a side at the end, when he claimed he didn’t do sides at the beginning.

Sound and Music | 8/10

The music does its job well to build suspense, tension, and magic, but it left behind the 1920s style from the last movie now that they’re in Europe. While it’s sad to see it go, it works since they’re no longer in America and things are getting serious with Grindelwald on the loose.

The best musical moment happens when we return to Hogwarts and “Hedwig’s Theme” plays. The overwhelming nostalgia just proves how powerful music in cinema can be.

Reception and Impact | 5/10

While the movie was praised for having more realistic looking (fantastic) beasts, better displays of magic, and featuring legacy characters, die hard Harry Potter fans couldn’t overlook the canon breaking events. This movie has too many inconsistencies when compared to the Harry Potter series and the first Fantastic Beasts movie, which is surprising considering J.K. Rowling herself is credited as the sole screenwriter.

Here are a few examples of everything that conflicts with pre-established lore: Newt uses Accio on the Niffler itself (and not the jewelry it’s hiding in its pouch) to summon it out of the suitcase, but in the first movie he had to chase it around an entire bank. Professor McGonagall is teaching at Hogwarts in 1910 (when Newt and Leta were students) but according to the Harry Potter Lexicon, she wasn’t born until 1935.

Final Score 7/10

References to the Harry Potter Series

Young Dumbledore and Grindelwald

There are two moments in this movie where a young Dumbledore and Grindelwald are shown, first in the image that the Ministry official creates and then again in the Mirror of Erised. The two characters may look familiar, because they’re the same actors that were used as the young Dumbledore and Grindelwald in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. The two are photographed in the book The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore by Rita Skeeter. Actors Toby Regbo and Jamie Campbell Bower returned for their roles.

Hedwig’s Theme

When returning to Hogwarts in the second Fantastic Beasts movie, a very familiar score is played. “Hedwig’s Theme”, featured in all eight Harry Potter films, is one of the most recognizable movie scores and it’s inserted at the perfect moment in the second Fantastic Beasts movie.

Nicolas Flamel

The alchemist and friend of Dumbledore, Nicolas Flamel, is featured in the second Fantastic Beasts movie. The name rings a bell for those who have seen the first Harry Potter movie. When Harry, Ron, and Hermione were trying to figure out what the three-headed dog was guarding, Nicolas Flamel’s name (the owner of the sorcerer’s stone) was their key to figuring it out. The sorcerer’s stone is also shown briefly when Flamel opens his cabinet to grab a book.

The Elder Wand

The most powerful, and most recognizable, wand in the wizarding world, the Elder Wand is shown at the beginning of the movie. Grindelwald, at this time, is the owner of the Elder Wand. In the Harry Potter series, Dumbledore was the owner before his death. It plays a big role in the last Harry Potter movie, since the mystery of who its owner is leads to Harry’s victory over Voldemort.

The Boggart and Riddikulus

During a flashback scene, both Newt and Leta are shown facing a Boggart in the cabinet in Dumbledore’s Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Newt even uses Riddikulus to change his fear into something funny. In the third Harry Potter film, when Professor Lupin was teaching, the same cabinet and same spell were used.