In a world where sequels and spinoffs make more than any original idea ever will, it is no surprise to me that this film got made. If you were to have told me five years ago that J.K. Rowling was writing a film series about the rise of Grindelwald (Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (2007)) I probably would've gotten ecstatic, but now I'm almost wishing she would've just stuck to writing the stories and let someone else do the screenplays. As much as I love the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, this is a movie that felt more like a quick cash grab and fan service for its incredibly loyal fan base. So much happened in this film that it felt as if Rowling took the notes she had for a planned four hundred-page novel, and crammed all of that into a two hour and fifteen minute film. Its just so dense that it forgets to be fun. There are too many characters to remember, and so many needless subplots are shoved into every minute of the film that it feels bloated with scene after scene of expositional dialogue- explaining who certain people were and what their importance was.