I'm a huge HP fan. Own every book, movie, tons of merch, re-watch and re-read regularly. I thoroughly enjoyed the first installment of Fantastic Beasts. I can only partially put my finger on why, but the second didn't do much for me.

Don't misunderstand - the performances were fabulous. Redmayne continues to polish his already masterful portrayal of Newt, and Jude Law delivers what I felt a very true, nuanced performance as Albus Dumbledore that wonderfully captures his charm and empathy. The primary supporting cast (those who returned from the first film) are played well, and some are given a bit of room for development.

The film stumbles in its excessive use of monologues and flashbacks as exposition, rather than letting more natural dialogue and events tell the story. It spoon-feeds the audience heaping portions of backstory, often without much actual plot value (more on that later). I'm all for world-building, but here it feels lazy and heavy-handed. While on the topic of writing, the actions of several characters in the second and third acts simply don't make sense, given their personalities as established by this film and its predecessor. Sure, they make for dramatic moments and add some twists and turns, but they're so out of left field that they really shatter suspension of disbelief.

This installment also fails to have a real sense of where it's going, where the first succeeded. There are simply too many plates to keep spinning, and the writing was not up to the task. Several side characters had little reason to exist within the scope of this film. I'm sure they'll be relevant later on, but better writing would have given them purpose immediately. The final confrontation, while visually stunning, felt unimaginative and repetitive - those who fell merited little emotional response, given their characters' trivial importance to the story.

There is still much to love in this film! Creature design continues to be brilliant, truly living up to the film's name. Dan Fogler continues to bring the laughs as the oft-cartoonish Kowalski. Long-time fans are sure to be thrilled with the return to the Hogwarts school grounds, and enjoy meeting characters from the books previously not seen on the big screen (or the younger versions of beloved characters). Magic abounds, from the sinister to the silly.

I think it's safe to say that every HP fan will be adding this to their collection - but I can't say it stands on its own. I hope newly introduced characters are allowed room to grow in the next installment, and perhaps all these loose ends will find a satisfying conclusion. In the meantime, there's not much reason to re-watch this one, at least until the next one is released. A fun ride, but felt like a place holder.