Only five years after its conclusion, Warner Bros. has given Hollywood’s latest franchise revival to the _Harry Potter_ series with _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_. Although the newest spin-off brings some fun adventures in its own right, the beginning of a five-movie franchise mostly offers scattered storylines and mixed reactions.

Directed by David Yates, who made the last four _Harry Potter_ films, _Fantastic Beasts_ surprisingly doesn’t always feel like it’s part of the same universe. It never fully commits to the United States’ underground wizarding community, nor to its central characters.

In fact, _Fantastic Beasts_ bears more resemblance to last year’s _Star Wars: The Force Awakens_ than it does to its mother franchise, as both films were tasked with paying homage to the originals while launching a new series. But where _The Force Awakens_ grounds its adventure in the experience of a couple of charming protagonists, _Fantastic Beasts_ forgets to make its lead cast even remotely memorable.

Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) arrives in New York City in 1926 with a briefcase full of mystical creatures. Before his personal background and interests are revealed, his beasts bust loose, entangling Scamander with a non-magical human, or a “no-maj,” Kowalski (Dan Fogler) and a pair of sister witches named Tina (Katherine Waterston) and Queenie (Alison Sudol).

Although each of these characters surely have their own stories, _Fantastic Beasts_ fails to tell them. Newt awkwardly mutters and stammers as other characters allude to his backstory, but never shows greater depth. Meanwhile, Kowalski, Tina and Queenie lack the personality and charisma that might make them memorable. Perhaps the only reason any of these characters are truly worth investment is because of Redmayne’s consistently remarkable performance.

While Newt and company scour the city, the American wizarding community copes with its increased exposure to non-magical society and a mysterious, looming threat. Both plotlines inspire curiosity and interest, but unfortunately they don’t coexist well. Newt’s adventures have little to do with the rest of the film, yet their paths cross out of nothing more than coincidence. The result is a scattered plot, shamelessly setting up the franchise’s future films.

_Fantastic Beasts_ is by no means a bad movie. It’s flawed and sloppy at times, but ultimately still entertaining. Newt’s adventures are charming enough and the mysteries intriguing enough that the film is capable of reminding viewers why many of us loved this original universe so much.

Yet for those who aren’t desperately itching for more of the _Harry Potter_ franchise, _Fantastic Beasts_ doesn’t quite cut it. The characters aren’t nearly as rich and captivating and the possibilities aren’t as endless. Between that and the stench of Hollywood’s money-grabbing sequel obsession, _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ fails to grab any new audiences.

**MOVE gives _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ 2.5 out of 5 stars.**