The much-awaited Fantastic Beasts recently hit the silver screens. The primary sentiment throughout has been, “It was at least better than the second one.” I guess this statement in itself can act as a review of whether you should spend your precious time watching the film.
Barring Jude Law and Mads Mikkelsen, I did not find anything else in the film worth the time. With every Fantastic Beasts film coming out, the creators seem to rely more and more on the nostalgic memories people have of the Harry Potter franchise.
Speaking of which, let’s talk about this another day and get to why you are here. Should you or should you not watch the Harry Potter films before Fantastic Beasts 3? Also, what do you need to watch before watching The Secrets of Dumbledore?
Since the Fantastic Beasts series is a prequel, you don’t need to watch the Harry Potter franchise. Although you will be able to identify Easter eggs and references if you watch all the eight OG films. However, you should definitely watch Fantastic Beasts 1 and 2.
When the first Fantastic Beasts movie came out, it had its own style and tone. It was more for the adults and not just the kids, and mainly it was for Potterheads who have followed the franchise very much into adulthood.
As a result, the stories were much more vast, extensive, and even complicated. So, watching the first two Fantastic Beasts films is a must if you are walking into The Secrets of Dumbledore (#PunUnintended).
The story is crafted in such a way that it is all in continuation. So even if you do watch the first two parts, you’ll need to pay attention because of the number of characters and subplots present in the third film.
What adds to this complexity is the identity of Grindelwald itself. The way Johnny Depp and Mads Mikkelsen play the character is very different, and the writers have also made a few changes to the way the character is portrayed.
So, when you think about all these variables, it is better to watch both the previous films of the prequel franchise before catching the latest one. Now that, that’s out of the way, let’s talk about the Potter films and the Potterheads.
As someone rightly put it, you don’t need to be a Potterhead to watch Fantastic Beasts 3. However, if you watch these films first, it would be a new world you’re introduced to. In fact, your experience too would be vastly different from that of someone who has grown up watching Potter films.
However, the writers have planted numerous little nostalgic references and Easter eggs in the movie for the fans. Besides this, they’ve also tried to push the audience’s boundaries when it comes to how well they know the universe. So, watching the OG saga can be a huge plus.
In the end, I’ll leave you with a simple answer. If you want to delve into this universe and immerse yourself completely, watch the Harry Potter films. If you just want to watch to pass the time or like any other weekend entertainer, watch just the Fantastic Beasts films.
About Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is an upcoming fantasy film directed by David Yates, with a screenplay by J. K. Rowling and Steve Kloves, from an original story by Rowling. It is the third installment in the Fantastic Beasts film series and the eleventh overall in the Wizarding World franchise.
The film stars an ensemble cast including Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Callum Turner, William Nadylam, Poppy Corby-Tuech, Jessica Williams, Jude Law, and Mads Mikkelsen.
Set several years after The Crimes of Grindelwald, it follows Albus Dumbledore tasking Newt Scamander and his allies with a mission that takes them into the heart of dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald’s army. Set in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and partly in Berlin, Germany, and leads up to the Wizarding World’s involvement in World War II.
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