A no-maj sequel fails to cast effective spell

FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD Direction: David Yates Actors: Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Johnny Depp, Cornell John, Carmen Ejogo, Wolf Roth Rating:

The sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) is so over-plotted, it’s almost incomprehensible. This is of course the franchise based on JK Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts… book, in which she explores what her created world was like before Harry Potter.

Returning director David Yates takes the viewer across magic-inflected realms in New York, London and Paris, circa 1927, where the forces of good and evil are constantly at loggerheads.

Elements of darkness and despair clutter the narrative, and the outcome of it all is oddly unengaging. There are clunky allusions to current conflicts along lines of race, gender and divisive politics. If it all sounds pointless, you’ve got the right picture.

The dark-arts wizard Grindelwald (Johnny Depp, hamming it to the hilt) has recently escaped from custody and is warning detractors to “pledge your allegiance or die”. It is up to a young Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law), soon to become headmaster at Hogwarts, his star student Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne, reprising his role) and their allies to thwart the arch-villain’s plans.

Crammed with sorcerers, witches and non-magic beings (or No-majs) the storyline also introduces an assortment of mischievous new critters, some cute, others creepy.

Like most fantasy adventures overly dependent on computer-generated jiggerypokery, a feeling of déjà vu pervades the second installment of the planned five-film franchise. Here’s hoping the next three biennial iterations cast a more effective spell.