Having enjoyed the Harry Potter books and movies, I felt the story had been told well enough, and didn't feel the need for prequels or sequels. So I was in no rush to see this movie. Finally, having seen a preview for the second movie, I felt it was time to watch the first. The previews had dissuaded me as well, because the creatures all seem to be CGI. And they probably are, but I still found myself enjoying the movie. Yes, there were too many computer effects, but the characters and old time setting were fun and well done. The music was also very good. Truthfully, this movie probably couldn't be made with practical, non computer assisted effects, so with what they accomplished, it's actually pretty good. Just not as good as the original series.