Visually enthralling, but a bit of a narrative mess

Rating: 5/10 (11 December 2016)

One of the most visually stunning films you'll see this year, 'Fantastic Beasts' is a spectacular ride most of the way, but slogs down in far too many spots and runs about 30 minutes too long. J.K. Rowling again proves she's one of the world's best storytellers, but throws way too much in here, and a number of the narrative threads fail to come together. My nine-year-old loved it, but my seven-year-old was squirming in his seat about 90 minutes in. The film is also darker than most of the Harry Potter films, and far too intense for younger children.
Rowling proves she can keep the Potter film franchise alive in the absence of new books, but next time she may want to temper her ambitions just a bit. Or at least hire a good editor.