Movie Review: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Two years after the release of the very first Fantastic Beasts film, a dark chapter that many have anticipated and waited for in J.K. Rowling's "Wizarding World" film series finally reveals itself in theaters - continuing the adventures of the eccentric yet clever Newt Scamander as he investigates a case given to him by mentor and former professor Albus Dumbledore. Of course, that case revolves around one "Gellert Grindelwald" -  a Dark Wizard who wanted to orchestrate a revolution that could have grave consequences in the world of magic and beyond.

That in itself is the premise of "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" - the second of a planned five movie prequel series set before the events of the Harry Potter films and featuring heroes we haven't known and those younger and well before their time in the Potter films. Directed by veteran franchise director David Yates, The Crimes of Grindelwald acts as an "Empire Strikes Back" sort of sequel - giving more emphasis to Grindelwald and his portrayal in the big screen by the ever talented Johnny Depp. After being revealed at the end of "Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them" when his "disguise" as Pecival Graves (played by Colin Farrell) was blown by Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), Depp's Grindelwald is in full force and free to act as the unopposed dark magic user with plans to wipe out the old Wizarding order and supplant it with his own. This in turn leads to a series of events that has returning characters Tina Goldstein, her sister Queenie, and the No-Maj friend of Newt, Jacob Kowalski.

Also returning in this sequel is Ezra Miller - who reprises his role as the lost and angry Credence. Seeking to find answers and the love of his lost family, the film shifts its focus away from 1920's America and into Europe - where much of the story takes place in Paris and London. Harry Potter fans will also get to see a familiar name in Nagini - the future snake pet of Lord Voldemort who still retains her humanity and acts as Credence's closest friend in the Fantastic Beasts timeline.


FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD - Final Trailer
Playing of course the young Albus Dumbledore is veteran actor Jude Law - and he is an exceptional presence as he is one of the main links between the Fantastic Beasts series and the Harry Potter films later on in the Wizarding World timeline. His story is quiet interesting and further establishes more of the future old headmaster of Hogwarts' past, as well as his complicated relationship with Grindelwald. Speaking of pasts, Newt's old flame Leta Lestrange also makes her debut in the series, as does Newt's own brother and Leta's fiancee Theseus Scamander (played by Callum Turner).

As with the previous film, Fantastic Beasts is definitely another chapter in magic and wizardry no JK Rowling or Harry Potter fan will want to miss. There's more to the story down the line, but this dark chapter is another ride you will not want to miss if you want to see more of the Potterverse. It is now playing in theaters - courtesy of Warner Bros. Philippines!

Rating - 4/5

Movie Review: Overlord (2018)

Few movies manage to capture that sense of thrill, unpredictability, and a plot that sounds pretty straightforward and B-Movie like yet surprisingly comes out as one of the sleeper hits of 2018. That's Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot Productions' "Overlord" in a nutshell - a War Horror film produced by seasoned director J.J Abrams and directed by Julius Avery that tells the story of a group of paratroopers that are dropped into Nazi territory the day before D-Day to take out enemy towers... Only to discover something more sinister is at work that could change the course of the war if unleashed.

Overlord Trailer

From the onset - Overlord looks like your typical World War II film with Germans conducting ihumane  experiments to turn their soldiers into superhuman weapons, but it becomes more involved and personal as the story runs its course. You follow the story of Pvt. Ed Boyce, his commander Corporal Ford, and a ragtag band of surviving American soldiers as they are dangerously airdropped in enemy lines to conduct an important sabotage mission. What follows is a lot of tension, collusion with an unexpected ally, and a lot of dread that could make for a nice shooter and stealth game. I've compared much of the movie to the classic iD Software game "Wolfenstein", and it shows with its action, pacing, and concepts that remind me of the Nazi shooter that sees all kinds of enemies and monstrosities out to kill you as you march to defeat Hitler and his soldiers.

Now the comparisons to Wolfenstein aside, Overlord makes for one heck of popcorn movie with its good share of gore, dirty comedy, and stuff you'd expect from Abrams' produced films. The protagonist Boyce played by Jovan Adepo is likeable and it's definitely Abrams giving another young actor his shot at stardom. Corporal Ford is played by former hockey player Wyatt Hawn Russell, and he's a pretty strong and awesome deuteroganist character too. The main baddie is Game Of Thrones' own Pilou Asbaek - who shows his demented and twisted side like Euron Greyjoy by playing the Nazi commander Captain Wafner. All these elements make for some good casual war horror movie fun in Overlord - with the Nazi zombie monstrosities giving standard gruesome fare that you root for the heroes to shoot and dispose of before they get killed grotesquely.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend Overlord to fans of War films, Horror Movies, and those who want to see Abrams and his company succeed in yet another experiment that has potential to spin-off to other sequels. I definitely would like to see more of these movies and adding some monsters and horror fare like in the vein of Cloverfield is always welcome. Big thanks to UIP Philippines and Columbia Pictures Philippines for bringing this movie to our shores! The film is now playing in cinemas around  the Philippines.

Rating - 4/5

I'M BACK! Updates, Cosplay, and Game Review: Spider-Man (PS4)

Yes folks... I'm BACK and with a video game review to highlight that fact! After a brief hiatus and reevaluation of things in the past few months, I've decided to blog ever so often rather than force it on a daily basis (see my news site Pop Culture Crusader). As it is, I've gotten so busy with work, cosplaying, and multitasking on a lot of things can only been done so much, and it's time to give myself a bit of break on putting pressure on myself to blog on a daily basis... But here I am again missing the blogsphere and writing again as I prepare for my next set of adventures! I'll try to be more active on this site with my personal entries aside from movie and game reviews - so that being said: here we go with the first entry in a while!