I'm starting to question whether having David Yates direct these movies is really worth it. The man clearly has a vision for the wizarding universe, but it's not really a vision I agree with. Plus the man has a serious tendency to make these movies more and more grim as they approach the end.

Case in point, the second Fantastic Beasts film. The first film was okay. I was not instantly in love with it like I was with the early Harry Potter films, but it was an interesting breath of fresh air and a good way to take a step back from Mr. Potter and his friends, and examine the wider universe only hinted at in Rowling's books. It had interesting creatures, good humour, relatable characters and it felt magical.

Sure, the wizards still looked more like British government bureaucrats (despite being American) than wizards, most of the magic on display instantly created like a million plot holes and the whole idea of American wizarding society being even more uptight than the British one was a bit hard to swallow. But, a breath of fresh air, even still.

And then there's the second part. Where there are very few fantastic beasts. Where old characters are railroaded back into the plot because they proved to be fan favourites, despite it making no sense whatsoever. Where everything is rainy, and wet, and grim, and dark. Where bad things happen to good people. And good people turn to bad people with no warning, rhyme or reason. Where J. K. Rowling, the screenwriter incidentally, once again reveals (cough: re-writes) something new and baffling about an old character from the Potter books.

Yeah, this film unfortunately repeats all the flaws in the last few Potter books and movies. With very few of the upsides.

That being said, it still is an interesting world. And I really like it. Even when it is given to me in less than ideal form. Plus, Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) is still very sympathetic and likable. The few beasts we see are cool and interesting. The chemistry between Newt and Tina (Katherine Waterston) still works. It is a shame that all the good things this film has it inherited from the original, but such is life.

Well, okay, Jude Law as young Albus Dumbledore was all kinds of fascinating. There just wasn't all that much of him.