Fantastic Beasts The Crimes of Grindelwald reviews: What do critics have to say

Fantastic Beasts brought the magical world of Harry Potter to a whole new generation of fans.

Those who may not have grown up with the books were able to live the magic in a whole new way with the series of prequel movies penned by JK Rowling herself.

But with every new entry into a beloved canon, fans will become divided.

Here is what critics have to say about Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald.

Unfortunately for Harry Potter’s predecessors, The Crimes of Grindelwald is not faring well.

Rotten Tomatoes gives the sequel 57 percent, indicating mixed reviews, leaning ever so slightly positive.

The critics’ consensus reads: “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald has glimmers of the magic familiar to Harry Potter fans, but the story’s spell isn’t as strong as earlier instalments.”

Michelle Jaworski at The Daily Dot gave it 2.5 out of five stars, and wrote: “It has more to say than its predecessor, but the message gets jumbled in the process, leaving viewers wanting more or at least a little more breathing room.”

Olly Richards at Time Out gave it three out of five but was also critical.

Richards wrote: “With its callbacks to the Potter universe and a lovely eye for detail, The Crimes of Grindelwald has bags of intermittent charm and a warm familiarity.

“But too often, it feels like a beast that’s been overburdened.”

Nicholas Barber at the BBC was less than impressed.

He called Fantastic Beasts 2: “An unfocused, overwhelming and ultimately numbing sprawl that seems to drag on forever.”

Likewise, Manohla Dargis at the New York Times said: “Rowling has surrendered to her maximalist tendencies and so cluttered up the story that you spend far too much time trying to untangle who did what to whom and why.”

Fionnuala Halligan at Screen International was kinder.

Halligan wrote: “There’s real magic here, and nothing fake about the emotions which guide it.”

Slightly positive, giving it three out of four stars, was Johnny Oleksinski who wrote: “In his second outing, Newt has proved himself a lovable lizard – er, wizard.”

Also giving it three out of four stars was Geoffrey McNab at The Independent, who wrote: “The film boasts an astonishing level of visual detail and inventiveness.”

Angie Han at Mashable was also left disappointed, and wrote: “While it is possible, if you squint very hard, to make out some of the deeper themes at play here…the real driving force behind Crimes of Grindelwald seems to be a burning desire to set up a sequel.”

However, The Hollywood Reporter’s Caryn James was impressed by the film.

James wrote: “That the film remains enticing despite its evolving, still-pallid hero speaks to Rowling’s storytelling strengths.”

Fantastic Beasts The Crimes of Grindelwald is out in cinemas on November 16, 2018.