Rather than finding magical beasts, much of the movie felt like it was just one character trying to find another character, mixed in with backstory about other characters that most people probably don't care about/ hasn't had enough time to feel emotionally attached to yet. As someone who grew up with Harry Potter and loving the entire series, I wanted so, so much to love this movie, but left the theater feeling disappointed by the direction of this film. There was too much exposition but so little plot that much of the movie felt like it rode off sentimental value (which for some parts, wasn't even accurate to the original series.) That said, sentimental value works for diehard fans; there were still magical moments that I enjoyed, and I'm still glad I watched it because of the nostalgia factor and references made to the original series. The acting was good, the special effects were amazing, and I still plan to watch the next installment when it comes out. If anything, this movie felt like a very crammed filler/ exposition episode for a much bigger story.