Part of the trouble with planning a cinematic universe is running the risk that the films you plan to enhance that universe end up hurting the story more than helping. With the continuation of the Harry Potter universe, told through the eyes of Newt Scamander and his tale of fantastic beasts, the problem may have been announcing a five-movie line-up just from the get go. Though the first film was a relatively decent opener, the second part of the story – The Crimes of Grindelwald – ends up feeling like 2 hours worth of story that barely moves the story along. Not only can the writers not decide which story they want to tell – the story of Grindelwald versus the story of Newt and his creatures – but the characters don’t seem to move forward in any meaningful way, and overall it just seems like the story could have been compressed and put into the next film. Sure, the Harry Potter fans of the world are looking forward to three more movies about the magical universe they know and love, but can those additions at least mean something to the story being told?
ReelTalk 