Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald comes out this Friday, November 16th! It is the movie I have been most looking forward to all year. I was fortunate enough to catch a special advanced screening event hosted by Warner Brothers in New York City last week. Being among the first people in the world to watch this movie was such a dream. While I am sworn to secrecy and can’t say too much about the movie, what I will say was that IT WAS AMAZING. I want to start off by giving a huge huge thank you to Warner Brothers Pictures for arranging my trip to New York and providing me the best day ever.
It only seems fitting to start from the very beginning when discussing one of the best days ever. So my journey to NYC to see Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald actually begun a few weeks ago when I received an email from someone on behalf of WB asking if I would be interested in attending an exclusive fan event/screening of the movie prior to it’s release. They also mentioned that they would take care of the transportation to and from NYC to accommodate my guest and me. 🤔 Hmmm let me think about it… UH YES🙋🏻♀️! Considering that I am such a big Harry Potter fan, have reread the books every Christmas, and think the world of J.K. Rowling, I absolutely jumped at the opportunity to head to New York for this special screening. The week beforehand I could barely contain my excitement to see this movie. Finally Saturday, November 3rd rolled around, with wands ready and my platform 9¾ shirt, I boarded my Amtrak train from Philadelphia to the Big Apple for a truly magical day.
Upon arriving in New York City, I had reservations for brunch at the Lillie’s Victorian Establishment in Times Square. I have heard great things about Lillie’s and have been wanting to try it for a while now. They were so kind to invite me in to dine and it was definitely worth the wait. It was honestly one of the best brunches I have had in a very long time. Their place is so cute and was even decorated for Halloween. I’ll have a full blog post about my time there coming soon! After wandering the streets of New York, taking an overt amount of pictures, and some shopping, it was time to make my way to the main event at The Regal EWalk movie theater.
I checked in for the screening of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and received my reserved passes, a deathly hallows pin and a keychain. At check-in I also met the coolest Newt cosplayer who was invited to the screening from California. He was nice enough to lend me a baby niffler for a photo op. I then proceeded upstairs to the theater. Side note, I didn’t realize how big NYC theaters can be and just how many escalators it can take to arrive at your designated theater, but any who. I made it inside, found my seat, and began geeking out immediately when I saw the Fantastic Beasts promo photo displayed across the big screen. The anticipation was at an all-time high. It should be noted that it was my first time at the Regal EWalk Theater in Times Square and I was thoroughly impressed at the cleanliness and comfortable chairs. They had the sofa-reclining chairs with unique pull-out tables for drinks and popcorn which I found really neat and super useful.
Before the movie began, I was approached by one of the Warner Bros’ staff and was asked if I would want to participate in Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts trivia. I happily obliged as I was in the company of fellow Harry Potter enthusiasts and was honored to represent them in a game of trivia. A few others and myself took our places at the front of the theater to introduce ourselves and say which Hogwarts house we are in (for me: Gryffindor house obviously). The trivia was a lot of fun and afterwards Warner Bros gifted me with Grindelwald’s wand aka The Elder Wand.
The moment we have all been waiting for: the movie is about to begin. Like I said, I was sworn to secrecy before the movie, they had us repeat the oath: “I Solemnly Swear that I will Protect the Secrets of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.” Although I cannot go into detail, I can still tell you my thoughts about the movie overall. I loved the movie, and not-so-surprisingly, I liked it much more than the first Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I felt that in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the main characters: Newt Scamander, Jacob Kowalski, Credence Barebone, Tina and Queenie Goldstein, were laying the groundwork and setting up the plot for the remainder of J.K. Rowling’s series. There was a lot of slow, gradual character development in the first movie to introduce these people as our new protagonists, so it’s no surprise that the newest installment could only go up from there. What I was thrilled to see in this movie was the homage it paid to the original Harry Potter series and the fans. I’ll admit that I had high expectations for this movie. The Crimes of Grindelwald successfully exceeded all of my expectations. By the end of the movie, let’s just say I was thoroughly MIND-BLOWN 🤯.
I had speculated and favored some theories of the movie going into it. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them left fans slightly underwhelmed, but definitely wanting more. As a Potterhead myself, it gave me two years to piece together how exactly the filmmakers along with J.K. Rowling would move forward with the next four sequels. The hype for The Crimes of Grindelwald is REAL and it’s completely justified. Now that all of the trailers for the movie have been released, most people know that a number of beloved Harry Potter characters will indeed be making appearances such as the great Albus Dumbledore and the infamous Nagini. It is awesome to see these familiar characters in a new light and time-point in their lives. I have got to say that I am completely sold on Jude Law as the young professor Dumbledore, he is just as wise, calm, powerful, and lovable as ever. We also get a closer look at Gellert Grindelwald, who’s ominous past has loomed over the Harry Potter series for years. Dan Fogler is sure to bring the comic relief as Jacob Kowalski, Newt’s no-maj sidekick in the movie. Leta Lestrange (Zoe Kravitz) and Thesius Scamader (Callum Turner) are new characters who bring depth to the plot and also provide a complex love-triangle with main character Newt. Eddie Redmayne is back as the quirky, beast-loving, magical zoologist Newt Scamander, with a much better sense of self and development. It’s also great seeing Ezra Miller return as Credence Barebone, the obscurial who’s fate was unknown at the end of the first Fantastic Beasts. All of the characters are coming into their own and are setting the stage for what is sure to be an epic unfolding of events. I can’t wait for you all to see the newest installment, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald! The movie is really well made, with the evolution of CGI and special effects, the magical universe practically jumps off the screen, I can only imagine how much more it would in IMAX.
Without giving too much away, be prepared for another amazing adventure when these beloved characters take us to the streets of Paris for some more mischief managed. Expect the unexpected, along with humor, Potterisms, romance, revelations, and so much more. Also, did I mention there are nifflers… BABY NIFFLERS?! And if that still doesn’t do it for you there is a Hogwarts scene (or two) that will bring back memories from all the magical things we missed out on simply because our acceptance letters got lost in the mail #MuggleProblems. As if seeing the movie 2 weeks before it hits theaters wasn’t enough, I was able to live-stream chat with the cast of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald immediately after for an exclusive Q&A about the film. Not sure the day could get any better (unless of course J.K. Rowling wanted to surprise me in the theater which I wouldn’t have been opposed to either).
Wrapping up my day in New York, I was invited to dinner at Le Rivage, a beautiful authentic French restaurant in the theater district. The food was a perfect ending to a perfect day! Again, I’ll have more about my time there in a blog post coming soon, but thank you so much to Le Rivage and Chef Paul for having me.
ONLY 4 MORE DAYS! If you haven’t gotten your tickets for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, what are you waiting for?!?! Get your #wandsready & go get your tickets here. I can’t wait to see it again, and can’t wait for you all to see it so that I no longer have to #ProtectTheSecrets. Be sure to let me know your thoughts on the movie as well. In the meantime I’ve also left a link to the trailer below. Special thanks again to Warner Bros and Allied Global Marketing for the invitation!! ❤️
Stay tuned for more adventures…
xoxo Mimi
I admit that I wasn’t especially thrilled with the first film, but after hearing that you liked this one much more than the first, perhaps I’ll give it a try! It looks like they made the event super special and it’s so cool that you got to participate, and take away a few keepsakes too. Also, loving your outfit! // This past holiday season, I started rereading the Harry Potter series for the first time. It’s been quite awhile since I’ve read the series, so it almost feels like I’m reading it for the first time. I realised that I remembered more from the films than from the books. Right now I’m working my way through book 5! // Have you watched the Cursed Child? I watched it this past summer and loooved it. The production was amazing, and I quite liked the soundtrack too -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey’s
Yayyy so awesome! Can’t wait to see it 🙂
Very nice!