Professor Albus Dumbledore knows the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald is moving to seize control of the wizarding world. Unable to stop him alone due to a magical blood pact, he entrusts Magizoologist Newt Scamander to lead an intrepid team of wizards, witches, and one brave Muggle baker on a dangerous mission. As they encounter old and new beasts and clash with Grindelwald’s growing legion of followers, the stakes have never been higher for the wizarding community.
Information |
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Language |
English |
Country |
United States United Kingdom |
Premiere date |
April 15, 2022 |
Running time |
142 minutes |
Genre |
Fantasy Adventure Family |
Budget |
$200,000,000 |
Box Office |
$407,150,844 |
Crew |
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Directed by |
David Yates |
Produced by |
David Heyman J.K. Rowling Steve Kloves Lionel Wigram Tim Lewis |
Written by |
J.K. Rowling Steve Kloves |
Music by |
James Newton Howard |
Cinematography |
George Richmond |
Edited by |
Mark Day |
Production Co. |
Heyday Films Warner Bros. Pictures |
Distributed by |
Warner Bros. Pictures |
Top Cast |
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Official Trailer |
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Movie Collection |
Movie Order: #03 in Fantastic Beasts Collection
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The Plot
The Blood Pact and the Ambush in Kweilin
Albus Dumbledore travels to a Muggle restaurant to meet with Gellert Grindelwald. The tension is palpable as they argue about their shared past and how their goals were once aligned. The conversation revolves around the blood pact they made years ago, a magical vow that physically prevents them from fighting one another. The meeting concludes on a chilling note; Grindelwald tells Dumbledore to stay out of his way, making it explicitly clear that he intends to burn down the non-magic world, regardless of whether Albus helps him or not.
Meanwhile, deep in the jungles of Kweilin at night, Newton Scamander is tending to a Qilin, a rare magical creature capable of seeing into a person's soul as well as the future. As the Qilin gives birth, Newt is ambushed by Grindelwald’s acolytes, led by Credence Barebone. The dark wizards overpower Newt, kill the mother Qilin, and kidnap the newborn to take back to their master. However, unbeknownst to the attackers, the Qilin had birthed twins. After recovering from the attack, Newt discovers the younger, surviving twin and manages to save it.
Back at Nurmengard Castle, Grindelwald mercilessly slaughters the kidnapped older Qilin twin to harness its blood for precognition. By gazing into the reflection of the dead creature's blood, he receives a vision of Albus Dumbledore showing the blood pact vial to Newt and Theseus Scamander within the Hog's Head Inn.
Counter-Sight and The Great Wizarding Express
Seeking a path forward, Newt and Theseus head to the Hog's Head Inn to question Dumbledore. Dumbledore admits he remains powerless to break the blood pact, preventing him from engaging Grindelwald directly. However, he reveals he has a plan to stop Grindelwald from tearing the world apart with hatred, though he urges the brothers to trust him implicitly. Elsewhere, Eulalie "Lally" Hicks recruits Jacob Kowalski. Jacob is currently suffering through the Great Depression and deep heartbreak after Queenie Goldstein left him to join Grindelwald’s disciples. Although he initially wants nothing to do with the wizarding world, he eventually agrees to help.
The group convenes on the Great Wizarding Express heading for Berlin, where Newt, Theseus, Bunty Broadacre, and Yusuf Kama greet the newcomers. Newt explains their strategy: to thwart Grindelwald's future-seeing abilities, they must engage in "confusion," splitting up and performing different, seemingly random roles to obscure their true intentions. Newt distributes key items: a tie with a large golden pin for Theseus, a coreless wand for Jacob, and a note for Bunty containing instructions that will burn once read.
Upon arrival in Berlin, Bunty has Newt’s suitcase duplicated into half a dozen identical copies to further confuse the enemy, while the rest of the team visits the German Ministry of Magic. Their plea for help falls on deaf ears; Anton Vogel, the current Supreme Mugwump and Minister, refuses to intervene for political reasons. The team is forced to watch helplessly as Grindelwald is acquitted of all criminal charges by the International Confederation of Wizards (ICW), clearing his path to run for the position of Supreme Mugwump. In the chaos, Theseus is captured.
Betrayals, Rescues, and Revelations
After reuniting with Dumbledore, the Professor informs Newt of Theseus’s imprisonment location and assigns Lally and Jacob to prevent assassination attempts on Grindelwald's political competitors. At Nurmengard, Grindelwald experiences a vision of Yusuf Kama arriving at his castle and Dumbledore traveling to Bhutan. Shortly after, Yusuf enters Nurmengard and allows Grindelwald to remove his memories of Leta Lestrange's death, promptly being installed as a spy within the dark wizard's inner circle.
Dumbledore walks through the streets of Berlin, knowing Credence is stalking him on Grindelwald’s orders. He confronts the young man, and a fierce duel ensues, fueled by Credence's anger over his perceived abandonment. Dumbledore defeats him and reveals the shattering truth: Credence is not Albus’s brother, but his nephew, the illegitimate son of Aberforth Dumbledore. Meanwhile, at an ICW dinner, Jacob and Lally successfully prevent the assassination of candidate Vicência Santos. However, Jacob’s reckless confrontation with Grindelwald allows the dark wizard to frame him for an assassination attempt. Queenie Goldstein intervenes, launching a chair at Helmut and his henchmen to distract them, allowing Jacob and Lally to barely escape.
Simultaneously, Newt infiltrates the terrifying Erkstag prison. He executes a daring rescue of his brother Theseus, navigating past a lethal Manticore and the prison warden. The group eventually reunites at Hogwarts and gathers at the Hog's Head for dinner. Dumbledore confronts his brother Aberforth about his responsibilities to Credence. Using a magical two-way mirror, a disillusioned and dying Credence contacts his father, wishing to return home. Albus then formulates a final plan, announcing that they must travel to Bhutan, where the election for the Supreme Mugwump will be held.
The Walk of the Qilin
Using a Portkey provided by the Room of Requirement, the team travels to Bhutan. They engage in a pitched battle against Grindelwald’s disciples, during which Yusuf Kama reveals his true allegiance, turning against the acolytes. Despite their efforts, Grindelwald uses necromancy to reanimate the dead Qilin he killed earlier. The zombified creature bows to him during the ceremony, rigging the election and leading to his announcement as the new Supreme Mugwump. Grindelwald immediately declares war on Muggles and begins torturing Jacob Kowalski in front of the crowd for his alleged assassination attempt.
The deception is unraveled when Credence, Queenie, and Newt step forward to expose the fraud. Bunty produces the surviving, true Qilin just as its reanimated twin collapses. The authentic Qilin walks through the crowd and bows first to Dumbledore. When Dumbledore refuses the position, the creature turns and chooses Vicência Santos as the worthy leader. His political machinations ruined, Grindelwald flies into a rage and attempts to kill Credence with a killing curse.
The Breaking of the Pact
As Grindelwald casts his spell to kill Credence, Albus and Aberforth cast spells to save the boy. The collision of intents—Grindelwald seeking to kill and Albus seeking to protect—creates a paradox that finally shatters the blood pact vial. Free from the magical binding, Dumbledore immediately engages Grindelwald in a duel. The battle is intense and destructive, ending in a stalemate with their wands pressed against each other’s heads and hands over each other’s hearts. Realizing he cannot win this moment, Grindelwald retreats and disapparates.
The aftermath is somber yet hopeful. The dying Credence is carried away by his father, Aberforth, with a phoenix mournfully following them. Dumbledore comforts Theseus, promising that he will continue to hunt Grindelwald. Sometime later, back in New York, Jacob and Queenie are married at Jacob’s bakery. Most of the group attends, including Tina Goldstein and Jacob’s new employee, Albert. Dumbledore watches the joyous celebration from a distance on the snowy street. After a brief exchange of gratitude with Newt, Albus turns and walks away into the night, alone.
