To date Harry Potter has become one of the most consistent franchises in modern cinema. I used to be able to say that their wasn't a bad film in the series but now The Crimes of Grindlewald has halted that great streak. While not without its positives this film is very weak due to its messy story and sloppy pacing.

The cast of characters that return from the original film are retain their likability with solid performances. Eddie Redmayne is great as Newt again he's much more vulnerable in this film and he plays that part of the character well. Tina, Queenie and Kowalski all remain good additions to the cast that sadly do not get their due screen time. Jude Law is excellent as Dumbledore, he's in the film very little but lights up the screen whenever he is. Johnny Depp carry's a great presence and good charm that makes his character captivating whenever he's on screen.

The visuals of the film also retain their quality and continue to build this side of the Wizarding world. The beasts continue to look excellent and the production design for the new setting of Paris, I'm glad this series is taking us to new parts of the world that continues to flesh out the magical universe.

This films is in one word: boring. There is almost no story to speak of and simply follows the characters on vague quests around Paris for 2 hours and the pace never picks up or builds its characters in interesting new directions. It's messy to no end as it suffers from a major lack of focus.

While Johnny Depp is good as the character, Grindlewald is yet to establish himself as a worthy villain. The character is fairly one note and simply wants to take over the world. The past between him and Dumbledore is hinted at, not so subtly, but never truly goes anywhere or adds anything new to the conflict.

The film also spends far too much time in setting up the next entry in the franchise. I know the films needs to have conflicts to carry over into the next film but it takes away from the narrative of this entry when there's no story that makes this film worth the watch on its own.

The Crimes of Grindlewald is a complete disappointment that forgets everything great about this franchise. It's a complete corporate product that fails to stand on its own. There is no focus to its characters or story that make the film relentlessly boring and messy. I hope Rowling learns from the mistakes of this movie and improve upon them in the next entry so I can get back on board with this franchise.

4.6/10 - C (Poor)