What To Watch This Weekend: 'Fantastic Beasts 2,' 'Widows,' More

This pre-holiday weekend features new releases that are sure to dazzle moviegoers. Leading the pack is the highly-anticipated second installment of the "Fantastic Beasts" saga, "The Crimes of Grindenwald," starring Johnny Depp as the dark wizard Grindenwald and Eddie Redmayne as magizoologist Newt Scamander.

Craving a good thriller drama with a stellar cast? "Widows" stars Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki and Cynthia Erivo as four widows plotting a big heist.

Meanwhile, fans of the comedy genre should check out "Instant Family," in which Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne play a married couple who decide to take a chance on becoming foster parents.

Last but not least, the road-trip movie "Green Book" will enthrall moviegoers with Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali playing a pair of polar opposites navigating the deep South.

Here's what to see and what to skip this weekend:

"Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindenwald" — Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Johnny Depp, directed by David Yates

Love and loyalty create a state of discord in the second installment of the “Fantastic Beasts” series set 70 years prior to the "Harry Potter" stories.

In the new movie, Eddie Redmayne reunites with David Yates to tell the story of the magizoologist Newt Scamander’s next mission: to stop dark wizard Grindenwald's plot to rule over all non-magical beings.

The saga continues with the powerful dark wizard Grindenwald (Johnny Depp) escaping prison and creating chaos all over Europe. Meanwhile, Newt (Redmayne) is trying to reconnect with his former love interest, Tina (Katherine Waterston).

As the story unfolds, the history behind the complicated relationship between Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) and Grindenwald comes to light. In the process, we also learn about the mystery surrounding the true identity of the repressed wizard Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller).

See it. The performances are compelling, though the film is overloaded with too many subplots.

Watch the trailer:

"Widows" — Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, directed by Steve McQueen

From the visionary director Steve McQueen comes the highly anticipated thriller about four widows coming together from different walks of life to carve their own fate and destiny.

Set in contemporary Chicago, the film stars Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki and Cynthia Erivo, four women who have nothing in common but the need to pick up the pieces of their lives after their husbands die in a failed heist.

At the center of the film is Veronica (Davis), the widow of master criminal Harry Rawlings (Liam Neeson). As she grieves over her loss, a gangster-politician (Brian Tyree Henry) threatens her life, demanding that she pay back the $2 million dollars her late husband stole from him, or else face grave consequences.

Feeling trapped and desperate, she soon concocts a plan to take back control of her life, enlisting the help of her fellow widows to pull off a big heist.

See it. The well-crafted caper film is further elevated by stellar performances and McQueen’s superb direction.

Watch the trailer:

“Instant Family” — Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne, directed by Sean Anders

Drawing deep from Sean Anders’ real-life experiences as an adoptive father to three foster care siblings, “Instant Family” deals with the roller-coaster ride of instant parenthood.

In the film, Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne play married couple Pete and Ellie who suddenly decide to become foster parents. As their journey unfolds, three siblings— teenager Lizzy (Isabela Moner), her younger brother Juan (Gustavo Quiroz), and their baby sister Lita (Julianna Gamiz)— capture their hearts. Before long, Pete and Ellie find themselves instant parents to three adopted children, setting in motion a train of unexpected events and complications in their new world.

See it. An enlightening revelation of the joys and pain of foster parenting, the appealing movie has a beating heart and a spunky soul.

Watch the trailer:

"Green Book" — Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini, directed by Peter Farrelly

Inspired by a true story, Peter Farrelly's latest film is a road-trip movie about two men — one black, the other white— who must reconcile their differences as they navigate the 1960s segregated American South.

The film stars Mahershala Ali as the incomparable Don Shirley, a classically-trained black jazz pianist, and Viggo Mortensen as Tony Lip, his sarcastic and combative chauffeur who was raised in the streets of New York.

As the two polar opposites travel to the deep South, they will have to depend on the "Green Book," a travel guide to business establishments that are safe for African Americans. However, they will soon realize that a travel book is not enough for them to avoid danger along the way.

See it. Mortensen and Ali are on fire with Farrelly's skillful direction.

Watch the trailer:

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Top Photo: Eddie Redmayne attends the UK Premiere of "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald" on November 13, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by John Phillips/Getty Images/Warner Bros)