After a lengthy cinematic hiatus, J.K Rowling is back with the next installment in the Harry Potter series: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. After Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them, a prequel to the Harry Potter books, came out last year, Rowling is back at it again, delving deeper into the magical world of wizarding. This new addition to the already world-renowned Harry Potter Universe follows Newt Scamander (played by Eddie Redmayne) on various adventures throughout the U.S. and Europe.

The movie begins in 1927 at the American Ministry of Magic where the infamous Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) is being held captive. With a dramatic escape, Grindelwald sets out on a mission to garner followers to create a new world order ruling over muggles (non-magical people). Newt, the protagonist, happens to be at the British Ministry of Magic to uplift his travel ban that was put in place due to his actions in New York from the previous movie. He is granted his wish at a price: to find and seize Credence (Ezra Miller), a powerful teen with a seemingly dark and mysterious power. However, Newt is not the only one looking for him. Grindelwald is also trying to find Credence as well. To Newt’s surprise, he is assisted by his former professor Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law). Joining Newt on his second journey are his co-stars from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. At this point, the story evolves into a complex and entertaining series of action-packed events. David Yates, the director, is not afraid to take a turn to the dark side.

In this rendition of the series, the movie takes a drastic turn in plot and style. The movie explores the backstory of Dumbledore, specifically as a young professor. Yates’ inclusion of Hogwarts will make every Potter fan feel warm inside. Guest appearances including Professor McGonagall and Nagini form a great link to the beloved Harry Potter series. Despite its deep complexity, which can make it a little hard to follow, I recommend the movie to all Potter fans. To those who have never read or seen Harry Potter, this movie may be confusing. For example, Jordan Zornberg, a junior who has never seen any the original movies stated, “The movie was hard to follow, but I liked the action and intensity of it.” On the other hand, seasoned fans were not all that impressed. Terrence Deegan, a junior stated, “The movie was rather simple. I expected more complexity from the Harry Potter series.”

Following this adequate sequel, Rowling has plans in place for a total of five movies in the Fantastic Beasts series, meaning there are still three more opportunities for Rowling’s genius storytelling to come alive.