Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald early reactions — Johnny Depp is 'outstanding' in sequel that surpasses original

A dark wizard seeks to gain power and divide “pureblood” wizards from humans in 1920s Paris in the upcoming Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald. Written by J.K. Rowling and set some 70 years before Harry Potter went to the British boarding school and learned to become a wizard, the film is a sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which made $814 million at the global box office after it was released in November 2016.

Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald poster. Image via Twitter

Eddie Redmayne reprises his role as “magizoologist” Newt Scamander along with Katherine Waterston as Tina Goldstein, Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski, Alison Sudol as Queenie Goldstein and Ezra Miller as Credence Barebone. The film also stars  Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald and Jude Law as a young Dumbledore.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, the second of five planned movies in the Harry Potter spin-off franchise, hits theatres on 16 November. But some lucky fans and critics caught an early screening of the film over the weekend and as the social media embargo was lifted, the early reactions to the film have been largely positive.

And let's start with the usual hyperbole...

This movie is the most amazing thing ever! #CrimesofGrindelwald #FantasticBeasts #ProtectTheSecrets pic.twitter.com/bOGNtLIUgt

— Ana (@aalcindor3) November 3, 2018

Saw #CrimesOfGrindelwald Thursday. Johnny Depp turns out an outstanding performance in a showstopping turn as Grindelwald. Whether you’re new to the Wizarding World or a hardcore fan, it’s hard to resist the stunning visuals, flawless action and riveting performances. Fantastic. pic.twitter.com/3X9Dml7j3t — Simon Thompson (@ShowbizSimon) November 3, 2018

The happiest lil Newt after seeing #CrimesofGrindelwald AHHH I LOVED IT SO MUCH #fantasticbeasts #ProtectTheSecrets pic.twitter.com/aXBqbW2Rxz

— Tessa Netting (@tessanetting) November 3, 2018

Omg I’ve officially seen #FantasticBeasts the #CrimesOfGrindelwald AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH gonna #ProtectTheSecrets but GO SEE THIS FILMMMM😭😭😭✨ pic.twitter.com/vqNqjRYyAW — anna brisBOO!! 👻✨ (@BrizzyVoices) November 3, 2018

Fans claimed the film lived up to its hype...

THE HYPE IS REAL #FantasticBeasts #CrimesofGrindelwald #ProtectTheSecrets @FantasticBeasts ‼️‼️‼️ pic.twitter.com/pYlkfYSFrJ

— Tessa Netting (@tessanetting) November 3, 2018

with some believing it to be even better than Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

I enjoyed Fantastic Beasts The Crimes of Grindewald much, much more than the first film. #ProtectTheSecrets #harrypotter #fantasticbeasts #fandomventures pic.twitter.com/IStIdZXjeF — Fandom Ventures (@FandomVentures) November 4, 2018

They also teased a potentially shocking reveal...

Wow was lucky enough to watch Fantastic Beasts The Crimes of Grindelwald. Oh my god did not see any of that coming. #ProtectTheSecrets #FantasticBeasts

— Mike (@MaslankaMike) November 4, 2018

...but they all made sure to #ProtectTheSecrets

Incredibly lucky to have seen @FantasticBeasts early and so glad my bff saw it too... because I need someone to gush over this film with! #ProtectTheSecrets @jk_rowling pic.twitter.com/NzNit8ilWp — Shelby Isaac (@shelbyisaac) November 3, 2018

@jk_rowling WE LOVED IT!! Don’t worry, we’ll #ProtectTheSecrets pic.twitter.com/wvjtjopTvI

— Bree (@bleach226) November 3, 2018

As always, there's someone who challenged the status quo.

#FantasticBeasts2 has all the tell tale signs of a butcher job in editing. We enter scenes too late and exit too early, sucking any sense of pace right out of the movie. Clumsily juggling half a dozen plotlines, this isn't surprising. — Brendan Hodges (@themetaplexcom) November 3, 2018

Watch the trailer for Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald here

(With inputs from agencies)