In Search Of The Lost Plot

Now don't get me wrong, I am not one of those Eng Lit types who is sniffy about J.K.Rowling - quite the opposite in fact. I'm a huge admirer, as any wannabe (and failed, let's be blunt) writer should be. What then to make of the mess of a movie that is Fantastic Beasts: the Crimes of Grindelwald? I can only repeat the sentiment I expressed about the later Harry Potter novels, specifically that Rowling's huge success seemed to have rendered her too important for meaningful editing. Her grasp of character remains in place and her invented world is capacious but in the Grindelwald instalment at least the text is overpopulated and drowns the plot. What we get is an extended scene-setter for later episodes to come. The special effects are superb and you keep watching in the hope that somehow it will all become clear. It is all good fun in its limited way but ultimate reaction must be one of confusion. A pity because Eddie Redmayne and Ben Fogler give good accounts of themselves. I think there was a theme of the blurred lines that separate good from evil and some less than subtle hints of the rise of fascism - both undoubtedly important topics but these get lost (at least for this spectator) in the gloopy porridge of the plot. 6/10 - could do better.