After an absence of five years, J.K. Rowling’s phenomenally successful Harry Potter franchise has now returned to the big screen in the form of prequel/spinoff Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Based very lightly on the encyclopedia tie-in to her novels, Fantastic Beasts is written by Rowling herself – in her screenwriting debut – and is intended as the first in a new franchise of five movies.
Despite – or perhaps because of – the hype surrounding it, the film has been met with a mixed response. While its visuals, humour and world-building have been praised, many have criticized its incredibly slight plot and relatively thin characterization that leaves the actors to do all the hard work. It’s also underperformed at the domestic box office, which has cast doubt on whether all of the additional movies will actually happen.
We have a feeling, though, that Warner Bros. are going to plow forward with this ship regardless. What they have to do is – much like with their DC Extended Universe – improve as they go along and make sure the second Fantastic Beasts makes up for the first one’s shortcomings. If the follow-ups are to be great movies, here are a few things we want them to include.
