The recently released trailers for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore has reminded us of writer J.K. Rowling and director David Yates’ ongoing magical franchise. Indeed, it’s been four years since Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald was released. Now, the third installment is slated for release this April, with Steve Kloves having joined as co-screenwriter, after serving only as producer for the first two movies. While the full trailer emphasizes humor that’s a little hit-and-miss, and a sense of magical fun that feels slightly forced, it's only an early trailer. It doesn't necessarily mean the movie will depart from The Crimes of Grindelwald's epic sensibilities, air of mystery, or its character pathos in the ongoing mythology—especially given the way it's titled.

But, interestingly enough, The Crimes of Grindelwald didn't have the best of receptions, especially among critics. So, while we wait for The Secrets of Dumbledore, it's a good time to revisit what have been some sticking points in that earlier installment for critics and for some fans, which, seen from a different angle, can actually be seen as its essential strengths. As such, here's why The Crimes of Grindelwald wasn't that bad.

Related: Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore: Cast, Plot & Everything Else We Know

The Intricate Storytelling Web

the-crimes-of-grindelwald-storytelling-web
Heyday Films

The lack of a standalone quality to the movie doesn't need to be a flaw. This is a movie that works on building incremental pathos to many characters’ arcs in unapologetic “to-be-continued” style. The spinning of storytelling threads, going from one to the other and back again, asks you to trust a storyteller who has always delivered in the past on an unspoken promise that everything eventually comes together in interesting ways. Many characters (Leta Lestrange, Yusuf Kama, Credence Barebone), besides the film's protagonist Newt, are on their own very personal quests for closure, but they're intertwined: "Your story is our story," says Yusuf.

There's a further meaning to this storytelling web: the reveals have to come from unlikely places because most characters play things close to the chest. Dumbledore, Leta and others all have deeply guarded personal secrets and have to play their cards right if they don't wish to lose everything.

Surprising References to Harry Potter Lore

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald (2018)
Heyday Films

The references to various, unexpected parts of Potter lore certainly makes this a film more ideally suited for longtime fans. It has more capacity to surprise that audience than newcomers. But movies will always work for some audience segments more than others—that shouldn't be a flaw. For example, there's the character of Leta Lestrange. Without the knowledge of what her family stands for—a pure-blood ancestry that would later find its calling in Voldemort's message—the emotions of this girl who had a confusing past, felt out of place, and aligned herself with the good side, won't be felt in the same way.

Another example is the emergence of Nicolas Flamel at the end. Why is this random character, briefly introduced a few scenes before, saving the day? But fans will know how close Flamel and Dumbledore are. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Flamel's stone is hidden at Hogwarts under Dumbledore's supervision. Eventually, they decide it's best destroyed, and Flamel chooses final rest over the immortality the stone gave him. Dumbledore notes to Harry that "to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure" and it's clear he and Flamel are two great minds who are well aligned. In The Crimes of Grindelwald, Dumbledore cannot join the fight just yet. So when Flamel, who hasn't seen battle in a while, feels the responsibility to come out of his reclusion in a moment of need, and his great powers are revealed, it draws a smile only if viewers are familiar with the way Dumbledore operates (which is to do his best to plant seeds in many places so that people on the good side of the fight are always somehow helping each other). As he insists in the original series when he's forced out of Hogwarts: "I will only truly have left this school when none here are loyal to me. Help will be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it." In The Crimes of Grindelwald, Dumbledore is absent, but his friend shows up in an important way.

Economy in David Yates' Direction

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)
Heyday Films

The way David Yates handles the revisiting of familiar places and characters is especially skillful. It never feels like an attempt to reproduce their magic and simply lean back on it. Rather, he acknowledges them affectionately but also matter-of-factly. When we go to Hogwarts, there's a shot of the castle in the distance and the music acknowledges this special place, but we don't linger. We cut to Dumbledore teaching a class with his trademark kindness, charisma and sparkle in the eye. All this is captured by a terrific Jude Law, but not given more time than what's required.

Yates has always been concerned with economy in the way he directs and edits. The best example of that is in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II. Even though there was a great battle going on, the camera's focus was kept on Harry and his quest around Hogwarts. When he had to go outside and move to a different part of the grounds, that's when the camera panned around the epic battle that had been raging in the background all along. A view of giants, a view of spiders, armies of people clashing, operatic music, and the full sweeping scope of things was perfectly conveyed in a short time. Yates brings this same sensibility to The Crimes of Grindelwald.

James Newton Howard's Overlooked Score

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)Heyday Films

While the score wasn't a point of criticism, it was certainly overlooked, even though it adds so much to the film. From the colorful energy of the title track "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" to the pathos of "Leta's Flashback" and "Leta's Confession" to the chilling grandeur of "Spread the Word" to the triumph in "Wands Into the Earth", passing by gentle romance in "Salamander Eyes", this is a strong and varied soundtrack that deserved more recognition.

Related: Here's 5 Reasons Why X-Men: Dark Phoenix Wasn't That Bad

Exploration of Complex Politics Surrounding the Rise of Fascism

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)
Heyday Films

The politics involving the duplicitous rise of fascism and the still-nascent fight against it have frustrated some viewers who would rather see quicker, proactive stands against rising evil. What these sentiments miss, however, is the point this ending tries to make: evil can (and will) easily use against you the flaws and weaknesses you reveal. In this scene, Grindelwald stirs the emotions of the crowd and a young girl, moved, reaches for a wand to attack an Auror. He sends his curse first and she drops dead. Grindelwald theatrically feigns grief, then tells his followers to spread the word: "It is not we who are violent." Through the Auror's mistake, he has made more followers.

This ties back to the idea of characters, Dumbledore chief among them, having to play their cards right and unimpulsively. If there are skeletons in their closets, as is Dumbledore's case, it might be necessary to make studied moves, and concede some battles in the attempt to win the war.