Take My Geek Card! I Don’t Understand Fantastic Beasts 2 | Breaking Geek

Welcome to Breaking Geek, a column that just won’t go away, where uber-geek Nick Doll offers commentary, reactions, and theories regarding the most interesting news of the week (or whatever he feels like), using his expansive knowledge of all things geek!  Today I admit I was out-geeked by Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. 

Well, that was embarrassing.

Obviously, I pride myself for being a Geek. It’s a very important part of who I am both on LRM and in everyday life.

Being a self-proclaimed Geek, I know far more than the average movie-goer about massive franchises with countless characters to remember such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars. My memory is designed for pop culture facts, and I do an extreme amount of rewatching movies from these franchises, so I’m an expert on films like these and I’m the person family and friends lean over to ask, “What’s the name of this Avenger again? Is he new? Where did we see him?”

I must say, I had a startling revelation that I wasn’t the uber-geek I thought I was this past Saturday. Though I’ve already lost interest in the Fantastic Beasts films after the first film – not my cup of tea, this fantasy/magic nonsense that also includes Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings – my mother was very interested in seeing the sequel so we went.

Unlike the first film, I was shocked and ashamed that I had no idea what as going on at any minute, who the important new characters were vs those we’d never see again, including not knowing who pops up in the Harry Potter films and books, as I’ve only read them once and I haven’t seen all the films.

So now I was that guy. I didn’t bother my parents or best friends, who were also there, with my questions, but I was so lost.

This isn’t a review, but I will say the film reminded me or Iron Man 2, in that it seemed to set up a whole lot, but it felt like nothing happened? Or, at least, none of it matters yet? I only saw Grindelwald commit like, five crimes. It all seemed like a set-up for who Credence really was, a reveal that comes at the end and must be important, but I don’t know why it’s so important. I can’t remember why Credence was important in the first film. I didn’t remember how he survived; I thought he died!

In short, it felt like a film that was stalling until the next one, as this is a five-movie series, don’t you know?

Is this what being a casual movie fan is like? Both at my day job and when discussing general audience with fellow LRM writers, I like to call these people the uninitiated or civilians, those who don’t come to sites like LRM for details about upcoming movies. People who don’t rewatch a film, therefore leading to memory gaps in the MCU going strong for 10 years or Star Wars which has been a Geek staple since 1977.

Now, perhaps this proves my best friend and my experiment we carried out on his wife was wrong. When we showed her Star Wars, we did it chronically by Episode number, not the order they were released. We did it at home so she could ask questions, but she must have been feeling like I was watching Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

“Which characters are truly important? Who carries through into the original, most beloved, trilogy?”

Even after that, watching all movies six movies available on Blu-ray and seeing The Force Awakens, months later when my civilian friend saw the trailer for Rogue One on a Marvel movie, she was so confused. Based on the other films she had seen, wondering why what she assumed was a trailer for the next film in the trilogy had no Rey, Finn, Poe, or Kylo Ren in it. We had to explain this was a chapter, not part of the trilogy, that took place between films we had shown her. I think she gets it… now.

I guess the whole point of this Breaking Geek is to admit I’ve been humbled and out-geeked by a franchise.

It would be very hard to be an expert in everything, and not-so-fun as I’d be watching more franchises I don’t care for like Transformers or more Fantastic Beasts films.

Am I still uber-Geek? Yes. But it is important to know my shortcomings and admit we all have our eyes on a different prize. And the memory to match.

Because on a final note, I remember very few names from the Wizarding World and can’t remember half of them from the film I just watched. I can name countless oddly named Marvel, DC, and Star Wars characters, among others, but these Wizarding names just don’t stick.

Only so much room in any given Geek’s mind palace, I suppose. So, if you’re looking for insight on Fantastic Beasts films going forward, I’m probably not the writer to turn to.


What Geek Franchise are you an expert in and which would lose you, as I was lost? Let’s discuss!

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