The original Fantastic Beasts was incredibly thrilling and magical. This sequel is almost the exact opposite. Sure it's intention clearly is to set up future events which is fine but couldn't they have done that and offer some adventure and spectacle?
And what about Grindelwald? The title refers to his crimes. Apart from some brief sequences and the conclusion he hardly is even in the film. (Plus I preferred Colin Farrel. Johnny Depp just doesn't do it for me. Farrel brought much more soul and darkness to the character.) Same could be said about Newt. He and his delightful beasts stole the show and were incredibly important and prominent in the original. Here they almost seem like were secondary characters. Best character of the film BTW was the niffler. Or should I say the one that had the most impact on me. Since the creature showed a glimpse of what once was.
Even if the world building is all you cared about this sequel still is disappointing. It doesn't do enough to make events thrilling. Not once did I feel dread or see a proper buildup of tension and suspense. Sure at one point you do want to know who Credence is. But that was just because it was the only arc that makes the character mysterious and compelling. Did the reveal at the end really had an impact on me? Please. That is like me telling you the meaning of life is 42. You won't get it until you are familiar of the world and the wildest speculations. Am I required to know the world? For the original I didn't had to know a single thing about Harry Potter and it's universe. This sequel demands it.
The conclusion I did find compelling. However I had an eerie feeling since it very much reminded me of the original Harry Potter series where at one point you had two sides in the magical world. Newt being in the middle or not being interested in politics made him a very refreshing character. The good versus evil angle usually is a very simple bit effective plot device. But I don't think they managed to really bring out the complexity of the characters who were more than just only good or only evil. And this becomes painfully obvious in the conclusion where some of the actions are completely confusing. Actually the whole film is pretentious and confusing without ever offering substance to back it up.
Fantastic Beasts should be about the beasts and their antics. I am fine with that taking place in Harry Potter's universe. But for J.K. Rowling and David Yates doing a repeat is just misguided and terrible. Overall this sequel is utterly disappointing and reminded me why I disliked every Harry Potter film made after the fourth one. And I was so much on board with Fantastic Beasts. Now I am not sure!
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