Final Fantastic Beasts 2 trailer finds Grindelwald on the war path

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

One of the most anticipated movies of the Fall – or the most anticipated, according to Fandango – is FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD. Continuing off the story started in the last FANTASTIC BEASTS movie, this new Wizarding World adventure finds Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) unleashing his dark wizard might on the world. Only Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) and the gang can stop him, and in the new trailer, we see plenty of wizarding action, dazzling visual effects, creepy creatures and more than our fair share of Easter eggs.

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Now that we’re about a month and a half away from the movie this final trailer gives up a lot of goods on the movie, including showing the most we’ve seen of the title villain yet. More importantly, we have a lot more context on where characters like Credence (Ezra Miller) are at, why Newt was chosen by Dumbledore (Jude Law) to hunt Grindelwald, and the relationship of those latter two men (did you catch that Mirror of Erised bit?).

Between the spectacle and the overall content, this final trailer was thrilling, and really showcases the new visual aesthetic of the movie. In the first movie, it seemed director David Yates and his crew were still trying to figure out how they wanted this new side of the WW to look and feel, wanting something a bit grittier and more grounded. I never quite thought they nailed it, but here they certainly have a better grasp on things, and the movie looks far better on a VFX and cinematography front. If they want to turn this into a new multiple movie franchise this is the one that has to have the quality to prove such a grand plan is a good idea, and so far I believe it will. 

Here is the plot synopsis:

At the end of the first film, the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) was captured by MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America), with the help of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne). But, making good on his threat, Grindelwald escaped custody and has set about gathering followers, most unsuspecting of his true agenda: to raise pure-blood wizards up to rule over all non-magical beings. 

In an effort to thwart Grindelwald’s plans, Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) enlists his former student Newt Scamander, who agrees to help, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided Wizarding World. 

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FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIME OF GRINDELWALD also stars Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Zoë Kravitz, Callum Turner, Claudia Kim, William Nadylam, Kevin Guthrie, Carmen Ejogo, and Poppy Corby-Tuech and hits theaters November 16.