I went into this with high hopes, since I enjoyed the original Harry Potter novels and the resultant movies a great deal.

But about 30 minutes into "Fantastic Beasts," I realized I was being bludgeoned by a movie that is ridiculously long on special effects and visuals, and woefully short on story and genuine character development, unlike the original books and movies.

Alas, the Potter wizarding world was been infected with the same greed and hubris that overran Middle Earth in the wake of the Lord of the Rings juggernaut. The Hobbit, a simple, lovely, one-volume children's story was over-inflated into a bloated three-movie monstrosity.

And now, the Potter universe is being stomped and punched and bled to death in the same manner.

I morn.