Unlike Harry Potter, the spin-offs haven't been nearly as beloved. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore just hit theaters in mid-April, and while the franchise has struggled, this latest one seems to have pleased its audiences for the most part. Fans have watched these films enough to form lots and lots of opinions about them, good and bad.
Although fans of the series tend to agree on a lot of things, there are some Redditors who appear to have very unpopular and controversial opinions on the series that are not discussed enough in the fandom.
They Don't Deserve The Hate They Get
The Fantastic Beasts movies aren't exactly widely loved, popular movies, even among die-hard Harry Potter fans. In 2016, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them earned an audience score of 79% on Rotten Tomatoes; in 2018, the sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, got an audience score of 54%; and the third movie got 84%.
Even though a lot of people don't exactly love the franchise, some fans think they don't deserve all the hate they receive. Reddit user nekomancer-kun said, "I actually find the films enjoyable. Newt Scamander actually became one of my favorite characters in the franchise."
Grindelwald Is A Better Villain Than Voldemort
Voldemort is certainly widely considered one of the greatest villains in movie and literary history, consumed by a dangerous desire for power and domination, and willing to destroy whoever stood in his way. Even though Voldemort is one of the most famous villains of all time, some fans think that Grindelwald is a better villain than Voldemort.
Redditor [deleted], wrote, "Grindelwald is definitely the more interesting and better villain. His message sounds slightly appealing and he's good at selling it."
Madds Mikkelsen Is A Better Grindelwald Than Johnny Depp
One of the biggest surprises of the first movie comes when the villain, Percival Graves, played by Colin Farrell, is revealed to be Grindelwald, portrayed by Johnny Depp. Depp returns as Grindelwald in the 2018 sequel but for the third film, Depp was replaced by Madds Mikkelsen.
While most fans are devastated that Depp has been replaced, some think Mikkelsen is better for the role. Reddit user Redpythongoo said, "Mads will be a MUCH better Grindelwald. I am so tired of the Johnny Depp character that he played on repeat for 15 years. Mickelson is incredible and creepy."
Dumbledore and Grindelwald's Relationship Is Just Queerbaiting
Harry Potter isn't exactly the most diverse, inclusive franchise that provides good representation for those of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds and sexualities. A mere few weeks after The Deathly Hallows was published in 2007, J.K. Rowling confirmed that she always viewed Dumbledore as gay and that he and his friend-turned-enemy Grindelwald fell in love when they were young. Rowling has faced a lot of backlash over the years concerning the lack of LGBTQ+ representation in Harry Potter, and her failure to directly mention and discuss Dumbledore's sexuality in her books. With the Fantastic Beasts movies, fans hoped that the romantic relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald would be addressed, and while it sort of has, some fans are still upset about the lack of representation, arguing that Rowling is refusing to openly portray Dumbledore as gay.
Reddit user JadedToon was outraged about Rowling being "so blase about them being lovers but now is all coy and subtle about it in the movies. [Harry Potter] could really use some representation like that...for a series that was built on the idea of found family, acceptance, and tolerance NOT to include it now is just the height of hypocrisy!"
Newt Scamander Is Annoying
Most fans think that Eddie Redmayne's endearing portrayal of Newt Scamander is one of the strengths of the Fantastic Beasts films, but alas, not everyone agrees with this. While most people find Newt extremely relatable, heartwarmingly awkward, and compelling, others find him annoying and uninteresting.
Reddit user u/booksandbacardi asks, "Does anyone else find Newt Scamander to be an annoying character to watch? I'm probably being harsh here but his shyness and constant staring at the ground gets old."
American Wizarding World Is Weird
One of the most interesting parts of the Fantastic Beasts movies is that audiences finally get a chance to witness how the American wizarding world functions in comparison to the British wizarding world. While it was fun to get to see American wizards in action, some fans did not enjoy the way they were portrayed at all.
Redditor HooDooSquad felt like the filmmakers "screwed up America. Like, 'We have strict wand control because of the Salem witch trials,' isn't reflective of American opinion at all."
They're Better Than The Harry Potter Movies
The Harry Potter movies are widely loved by most fans who grew up reading the books, and they are also generally considered pretty solid movies. It's no secret that the Fantastic Beasts movies are significantly less beloved than the Harry Potter ones, but some fans think that they might be better.
Reddit user u/getoutmyway98, argues that "as a film series, it’s MILES better than the Potter film series was two installments in...I like the Fantastic Beasts series because it’s much more complex...whereas Harry Potter was WAY too simplistic and boring, at least in film form. They were Sparknotes renditions of better books. Fantastic Beasts is more than that."
Newt Scamander Is A Better Protagonist Than Harry Potter
Even though the Fantastic Beasts movies aren't exactly fan favorites, Newt Scamander is very widely loved by the Harry Potter fandom, his awkwardness and shy mannerisms endear himself to fans everywhere. In fact, some fans think that Newt is a better protagonist than Harry Potter himself.
Reddit user u/BarneySheldon said, "I find Newt to be a much more appealing protagonist than Harry. I find Harry to overall be clueless, selfish, whiny, and without help from his friends and others, pretty much useless. Newt on the other hand is capable, caring, and fair among other things...I just find Newt to be a much more relatable, and interesting protagonist."
Grindeldore Isn't A Good Ship
Despite J.K. Rowling's questionable beliefs concerning the LGBTQ+ community, fans have loved the romantic pairing of Dumbledore and Grindelwald since The Deathly Hallows first came out. The fact that fans get to see more of their relationship and history in the Fantastic Beasts movies only makes it more exciting, but some fans think that Grindeldore is a terrible ship.
Redditor u/rogvortex58 said, "I really never saw the logic in romanticizing a relationship that we already know is doomed to end in tragedy, according to the established canon."
The Costumes Are Ridiculous
One of the most beautiful aspects of the Fantastic Beasts movies is the costume design. In Harry Potter, all the wizards wear boring, multi-colored robes, but in Fantastic Beasts, the wizards walk around clad in beautiful suits, dresses, skirts, and robes appropriate for the 1920s. That being said, some fans think that the costumes are absolutely ridiculous.
Reddit user pinkycatcher finds these costumes "anachronistic. They 100% are outfits from that general time period, but not wizards' outfits. How does Dumbledore go from rocking a three-piece fitted suit in one year, and then a few years later go back to absurdly colorful robes? It makes no sense." This is certainly unpopular since the first film actually won an Oscar for the costumes.