RETURN TO THE MAGIC.

As Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) prepares to fight his former lover, Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen), Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) gathers a team that will try to stop Grindelwald by confusing his ability to see into the future.

The third chapter in this series shows little sign of actual change or improvement; overlong and frequently underwhelming in most departments, the film makes it clear that simply replacing Johnny Depp with Mikkelsen was never going to fix the underlying problem of this franchise: it’s just not a terribly engaging concept.

That said, there are rays of light here and there.

2022-U.S.-U.K. 142 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by David Yates. Screenplay: J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves. Cast: Eddie Redmayne (Newt Scamander), Jude Law (Albus Dumbledore), Mads Mikkelsen (Gellert Grindelwald), Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Katherine Waterston. 

Trivia: After the controversy surrounding Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard, the star was fired after filming one scene as Grindelwald, leaving with a full $10-16 million salary.