the sequel has better and at times galvanizing special effects, a darker tone and a high-stakes battle between good and evil. Best of all, its characters are more vibrantly drawn, and tangled in relationships that range from delightful to lethal
the second chapter of the Harry Potter spin-off provides twists and glorious visuals, but it strains under the weight of a mountain of plot; J.K. Rowling.. wants to pack in huge amounts of story, but she plots for books, not for the screen
the architectural detail of J.K. Rowling's creativity is as awe-inspiring as ever; this "Fantastic Beasts" film is as watchable and entertaining as expected and it's an attractive Christmas event
as much as the new sequel bridges gaps to various "(Harry) Potter" lineages and personalities, it also ties into real-world history in intriguing fashion
an overstuffed sequel loses some of its magic; The second sequel in the fledgling spinoff follows a familiar pattern, but too many characters and too many storylines rob it of its most enduring charms
an enjoyable foray into JK Rowling's imagination, bolstered by a more appealing Eddie Redmayne, but you can't help feel The Crimes Of Grindelwald is still treading water until future chapters
admittedly, it's hard not to miss Harry and the sprawl of that eight-film epic: An entire generation's favorite story is a hard act to follow. But in his second outing, Newt has proved himself a lovable..wizard
by Brian Truitt [USA Today ]
