Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)
Movie · 2022 · Fantasy, Adventure · 2h 22m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 1.0/10 (655.6K ratings)
Return to the magic.
Overview
Professor Albus Dumbledore knows the powerful, dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald is moving to seize control of the wizarding world. Unable to stop him alone, he entrusts magizoologist Newt Scamander to lead an intrepid team of wizards and witches. They soon encounter an array of old and new beasts as they clash with Grindelwald's growing legion of followers.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.0/10
IMDb: 6.2/10
Letterboxd: 2.60/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 46%
Metacritic: 47
TMDB: 6.6/10
Director
David Yates
Production
Warner Bros. Pictures, Heyday Films
Cast
Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Mads Mikkelsen, Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Callum Turner, Jessica Williams, Katherine Waterston, Oliver Masucci, Richard Coyle, William Nadylam, Maria Fernanda Cândido, Poppy Corby-Tuech, Victoria Yeates, Aleksandr Kuznetsov, Dave Wong, Fiona Glascott, Cara Mahoney, Maja Bloom
Where to watch
Max
Curator Review
Verdict
A glossy fantasy sequel with strong production values and a few appealing performances, but it’s weighed down by muddled plotting, franchise fatigue, and a story that feels more like connective tissue than a satisfying adventure. The wizarding-world scale is there, yet the emotional stakes and narrative momentum are thin.
Best for
fans of the Wizarding World who want to keep up with the lore
viewers who enjoy polished studio fantasy with period-setting and creature design
people especially interested in the Dumbledore/Grindelwald thread
Skip if
you want a self-contained fantasy adventure
you’re already tired of franchise mythology and exposition
you prefer brisk plotting and clear emotional payoff
Overview
This is a handsome but overburdened fantasy sequel that keeps trying to widen the mythology while struggling to make the central conflict feel urgent. The film has the expected studio polish, a few memorable creature moments, and the advantage of Jude Law and Mads Mikkelsen giving the material some presence, but the story often feels like it’s assembling pieces rather than building toward a satisfying whole.
Worth noting
What stands out most is the sense of strain: the movie wants to be a political fantasy, a character drama, and a magical caper at once, and those impulses don’t fully cohere. The result is less enchanting than dutiful, with long stretches that feel like setup for a franchise that’s already running on fumes.
Bottom line
If you’re deeply invested in the wizarding-world lore, there’s enough here to justify a watch. For most viewers, though, this lands closer to an expensive obligation than an essential chapter, especially compared with the more focused and imaginative fantasy films it resembles in spirit.
Top Letterboxd reviews
anna (2.5★) · 10948 likes
the title is so dramatic like wym "the secrets of dumbledore" he's just gay
hannah (2★) · 5574 likes
why does eddie redmayne still think he has to play stephen hawking
molly (1.5★) · 3872 likes
what was dumbledore's secret? that he was gay? baby that closet was glass
cerys (1.5★) · 2618 likes
the secret of dumbledore was that he was gay but jkr told us that in 2007 so idk why it needed a movie :/
Thomas Pinkerton (1★) · 2407 likes
When Dumbledore said to Newt: "Your friends are tired and want to go home."
He was talking about me
An iconic fantasy adventure about imagination, peril, and the emotional pull of a richly built world.
Topics
fantasy adventure, franchise sequel, magic and mythology, dark wizard, period fantasy, political intrigue, creature feature, ensemble quest, blockbuster spectacle