The stage curtains open ...

I had high hopes for this one going in ... some of the reviews praised this installment highly, so I put on the popcorn, turned off the lights and watched with anticipation. And though "Grindelwald" scores and does not disappoint visually, the rest of this film leaves a lot to be desired.

The story starts with Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp), a dark wizard being held prisoner for his crimes, escaping while being transferred from the U.S. to London for trial. Newt is asked to follow a lead in France by the Ministry of Magic, but he declines. However, a younger Albus Dumbledore approaches him and convinces him to go anyway. Back to help are Queenie and Jacob, although there appears to be problems on the horizon for the two lovebirds. Also in the mix from the first film are Tina, Leta and Credence. Putting all of these ingredients into the magical blender, we are led down a visually impressive path to a final confrontation that will much more define future story lines for the film's survivors.

This was a yawner. Even though, as I've mentioned, the visuals and special effects were amazing, they weren't enough to carry this movie. The final 20 minutes were almost worth the wait - but even after that extravaganza, I was still left unsatisfied overall. I applaud the fact that characters from the Harry Potter series are included and better defined and provided more history, and that J.K. Rowling is working to keep her fans happy - but this series of films, so far, does not have the same feel or emotional attachment.

I recommend this film for the die hard fan. But, if you are looking for a reinvention of the Harry Potter movies, you won't find it here. Newt and the Fantastic Beasts series does stand on its own two legs - and I do like some aspects of originality. I only hope the next film or two gets impressively better. Otherwise, it will be truly disappointing and not really worth keeping.