Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

After 45 minutes of watching I had to conclude: I don't care about any of the plot points (confused as they are) nor about any of the characters. Both FB versions come across as tired and derivative; there is NONE of the magic of the original books/films. Both come across as a blatant money-maker trying to squeeze out the last dregs of enthusiasm that fans had for the original films as well as setup for an unending number of sequels. BTW, Newt is not charming, just irritating, like a caricature from some old Monty Python segment. The film deserves an additional star for production values, but any film that I cannot even finish is automatically one star. It's that bad. Also: especially given the time period of 1920s, the blatant diversity political agenda is distracting. Part of the mood should show the quaintness (big red telephone booths, accents, double-decker buses) of England of that period. The diversity bit confuses that mood. But, of course, as a money-maker, the marketing types need to suck in every segment of the contemporary viewership.

Cool Extended Cut... an unexpected bonus. Going to have to see what was added. Now I know the theatrical release had mixed reviews and it's share of criticism and to be perfectly honest I did find it a bit slow in places but I enough this type of fantasy did at the end I was satisfied. Bit of a spoiler Grinderwald was again in the Harry Potter universal believes people with magic should be in charge, he says he does not hate us muggles after all we would be good servants. Seems like a common theme, like they say power corrupts.... money, political, or Fantasy magic power.... Power Corrupts

Not as good as FB1 and definitely one of the weakest films in the Harry Potter Universe. Its not the worst movie ever but only worth renting. It felt like it it should have been a TV series rather than an actual film just to separate all the storylines. It's not surprising non fans who aren't invested in Rowling's Universe would really hate it, it was a jumbled incomplete mess. Hopefully, they also explain or fix some of the potholes that dont make sense in the future films.