The ending of The Crimes of Grindelwald shows Rowling is writing for shock, not consistency

I will admit: I have not yet seen The Crimes of Grindelwald. As far as reviews go, I cannot yet comment, but I will be sure to write one up when I do see the film. However, I am also not one to read up on things that matter to me (even if it includes spoilers), and you can be certain that anything set in the Wizarding World matters to me. With reviews rolling out and certain aspects of the film being released to the public, I have to comment on some things that are concerning, and after endless articles on this newest Potterverse film, I am left with just one thought: What the hell is wrong with J.K. Rowling?

Admittedly, as much as I love the Harry Potter series, I will not say that J.K. Rowling is another Hemingway, but she certainly could tell an excellent story. The character development may not have been amazing, but there was a certain way in which we go to know the characters. As for the plot, there were absolutely issues including regular Invisibility Cloaks that were supposedly not totally invisible and Quirrell's presence hurting Harry's head when it was convenient. However, for its target audience, the series was a near masterpiece.

When it came to the movies, there was obviously going to be issues in terms of cut parts or inconsistencies from everyone being able to fly (a marvel in the books when Voldemort does it) to Harry roasting a paper ball which apparently was not enough magic for the Ministry to detect in this scenario. Then when it comes to the "off-brand" Fantastic Beasts series, well, that is a different scenario. The first was a fun, off-center adventure featuring a well-known, un-established character played by an Oscar-winning actor set in an area that was full of potential waiting to be explored. However, we should have known at the time, with the introduction of Grindelwald, that this would be more of a prequel series rather than a spin-off series, but with Rowling doing the writing, I thought we would be safe.

But, boy, was I wrong.

Right off the bat, you can tell there was going to be serious issues in terms of re-imaginings and new introductions that were supposedly planned all along. First off, is there any reason to make Grindelwald look odd with two different eyes? It is well established that he was evil, but at the same time, he was able to convince many people to follow him based on his beliefs, not his crazy looks. Just because someone is evil does not mean he needs to suddenly have this crazy, off look; he could have just been a normal looking guy doing what he believed in (like many historically "evil" people).

Is the eye thing a huge deal? Of course not. It would certainly not be the first time that how I imagined someone in a book did not fit the description of how they appeared on camera. It happens. The main issue I have with these new stories is J.K. Rowling's insistence on adjusting canon and retconning things for seemingly no reason. I can see when some things make sense or fit neatly in to established knowledge such as Dumbledore's sexuality (highly implied anyway, good choice) or Ariana being an Obscurial (makes absolute perfect sense), but there are times when it just makes absolutely no sense or even detracts from the story. For instance, Nagini is a well-established character with more than enough background. She was a faithful and loved companion to Voldemort that was able to communicate via Parseltongue; what purpose did it serve to make her a former witch with a blood curse?

Adding new "facts" in to stories to appeal to fans, especially when it adds nothing to the story, is far from a good idea; pretending that you had that idea all along is an even worse idea. My only thought with this whole series as it moves forward is that I hope it does not fall in to Star War prequel territory. Sure, there is plenty to like about this series, and the Star Wars prequels were horrible for a plethora of reasons. However, it feels like there is potential that this series could fall in to disgrace for both hardcore Potter fans and casual fans alike, and that was before Rowling thought it was a good idea to change the entire Potterverse with an eleventh hour twist that makes absolutely no sense in terms of story, characters, et cetera.

There are ways to introduce new information in to established universes, just look how Marvel did it with Spider-man. There are even ways to introduce established characters in to prequel series, such as Legolas in The Hobbit. However, changing the entire plotline or character history after it has already been established is a quick way to lose fans, and Rowling is on her way to her "Bone-claws" moment.