Fantastic Plot Holes and Where to Find Them

Blog Post 12

When I went home for Thanksgiving break, I had several people ask me if I had seen the new Fantastic Beasts movie and what was my opinion on it. My reply was always the same.

“If I didn’t know anything about the Harry Potter world, I think I would’ve liked it more because there were just too many plot holes for me to look past. But at the same time, if I didn’t know anything about Harry Potter, I would’ve been even more confused than I already was.”

The movie wasn’t absolutely horrible, but it was very twisted and hard to follow. Many things didn’t match up with the original Harry Potter timeline and overall just didn’t seem to make sense.

To begin with, how was McGonagall even present at Hogwarts when she wasn’t even supposed to be born yet? In Order of the Phoenix during her inspection by Umbridge, McGonagall says she's been working at Hogwarts for thirty-nine years. Order was supposed to be taking place in the 1990’s meaning that Minerva started working at Hogwarts in the fifties. So how is she working there in 1927? It had previously been on Pottermore that she was born in 1935… So she’s been working as a professor at Hogwarts since she was negative eight years old? Now that’s impressive.

Obviously this minor detail doesn’t destroy the entire movie, but for me personally it did take away from the Harry Potter universe. Although this detail is arguably unimportant, it bothers me that something as simple as having somebody who wasn’t alive yet make a cameo into the film wasn’t noticed or edited. I understand that it was supposed to connect the old fans into this new work being created allowing them to see a young version of the McGonagall we know and love now, however I just feel it was a pointless mistake to make. It had no contribution to the film, so why bother?

Next, the blood oath had me hella confused. Maybe it had been mentioned before, but I have absolutely no recollection of it. It adds to the plot line, however I’m just wondering when was this oath created? If it had been created before Ariana’s death, Ariana never would’ve died in the first place because Grindelwald and Dumbledore would have been unable to fight. However, how could it have happened afterwards? Dumbledore ditched Grindelwald and his plans immediately after Ariana’s passing, so why would he seek to create a blood oath with him so they could never fight one another? It just doesn’t add up.

Lastly and most obviously, exactly HOW is Credence a Dumbledore? We have been given extensive detail on the Dumbledore family tree and a fourth Dumbledore sibling is nowhere to be found. And once again, looking at the timeline it wouldn’t even make sense! Percival Dumbledore died around 1890 and Kendra died in 1899. Credence was born sometime in the early 1900s, but how if his parents are already dead? So maybe Grindelwalds lying? Or did the series really just mess up this major detail…

While these huge plot holes did bother me, they didn’t necessarily ruin the movie. The effects were still great, the plot was still pretty good, and it expanded the Harry Potter universe so what more can you ask for? Plus, Jude Law in his gray suit made up for all of it.