Fantastic Beasts 2 is a frustrating film. On the one hand, it's expertly cast, it's filled with wonderful set pieces, and it features the still-breathtaking imagination of J.K. Rowling. On the other hand, it's slow and plodding and feels very much like setup for the rest of the Fantastic Beasts series. The plot is not dictated by the actions of the characters but by the necessity of the narrative. The story requires certain characters to arrive in certain places at certain times, which requires some hand waving on character motivation.
For such a slow film, it also ends quite abruptly. The climax of the film is exciting, but leaves you with a sense of incompletion. And, as said prior, this is very much the setup for the rest of the series. Despite the slow pacing of the film, it also feels overly stuffed with content. It introduces several new characters--many of whom appear poised to play important roles in the rest of the saga. The whole movie could have taken another two hours to give each character their arc, but that would leave us with a 4+ hour movie.
Still, it's not all bad. Once again, J.K. Rowling's imagination takes center stage with new magical creatures, new interesting magic, and peeks at this strange, wonderful world that has captured much of the world. It's also filled with important mythology for the Harry Potter world, and I'm sure many Harry Potter fans will enjoy it based on its importance to the overall narrative. (I certainly did).
But imagination and mythology do not cover up for the film's fundamental flaws, and I suspect that Fantastic Beasts 2 will only be considered in the context of the broader story. I strongly recommend this for anyone who loves the world of Harry Potter, but there's not much there for anyone else.
2*/4*
