This movie is lavish special effects and cgi. The acting's good but the story is pretty simple. I wouldn't call it filler but I would call it backstory. It plays out like the real story is later on. Newt, the main character is good, and interesting enough but overall, I started to get lost by the end of it and sleepy. If you're a potter head who just loves being in this space, this one's for you. Some in the audience were laughing their heads off like they were seeing something I wasn't. I can only presume they've read the whole potter universe and were making connections I wasn't.