My hot take: It’s ok for franchisees to die once they’ve reached their main conclusion. Star Wars, Harry Potter, Marvel phase 4 has all been beating a dead horse to try cash in as much as possible on already established storyline / universes rather than leaving them be and building the next big franchise

I really thought Fantastic Beasts would be a story about a man who had been outcast from society for being different, who had resigned to the love and company of magical creatures, learning to love humans again and healing from the pain that humans have inflicted on him in the past. And, in the end, even fighting to save humankind. But nope. That story about love did not happen. No character arc for Newt at all. And it could've been such a beautiful story!

Ironically Tina was an auror so was probably the most equipped to stop Grindlewald more than a teacher, baker, poltitan and a zookeeper lmao

The thing that's so frustrating about the Fantastic Beasts films is that the aesthetic is on point. Wizards in early 1900s New York, long coats and hats works so well.

I feel like there could have been an extremely sweet little movie about magic/muggle friendships in Fantasstic Beasts if Eddy Redmayne and Dan Fogler had just been allowed to do what they did best, and they had stuck to a tight and closed plot

Another important theme of hp was identity. Harry was discovering his family origins, and the world where he belonged. Fantastic beasts could have been about the outcasts of the magic community, the fight for animal creature rights, compassion and heart warming friendships. I always thought that placing Grindelwald on the movie was really a stretch.

The reason why the Harry Potter movies were so successful to me was because each successive film matured with its audience. By the time The Deathly Hallows came out, it had some very mature themes about life and death compared to the earlier films. The films were very unique in that regard. These newer HP films I didn’t even know were related to franchise because the films have been so synonymous with youth. So seeing an adult play the main character made me think it was just another film.

It's such a shame because I love the first movie of Fantastic Beasts. Out of all the Harry Potter characters, I relate to Newt the most and it's so heartwarming to see his love and passion for magizoology. I would love to see just Newt going around the world with the plots revolved around him and his struggles educating the magical world at large about how misunderstood those animals were. But nooo, we need to dive around this over-complicated plot about Grindelwald while they made Newt standing around like a useless lamppost because the plot literally has nothing to do with him

Here's what I would have done with the franchise: - Dumbledore vs Grindelwald trilogy - Fantastic Beast standalone film - Creation of Hogwarts - Origins of Azkaban - Beedle the bard's stories animated film (each story with a different animation and told by a different actor) - TV show about the Marauders/First War - TV show about young Voldemort

It breaks my heart to see how literally every good franchise from my childhood gets torn apart by incompetent story writers and politics

I never understood why Fantastic Beast was the direction she chose. All I have ever wanted to see was the Marauders. Loony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs at school with Snape and Lily leading into Voldemort’s first rise. Why was that not the choice?

I've watched the first Beasts film and I was like "that was pretty cool, the way the villain and Newt stories connected at the end without them having nothing to do with one and another was actually good, can't wait to see what they are going to do with their possibly rivalry :D" And then I watched the 2nd one and I was like "What the fuck was that???"

I’m shocked you didn’t talk about the theme parks, their success is literally mind blowing, completely changed the industry

Its dead because HP revolved around a set of 7 books that people held dear in their hearts. Remember how insane the book releases got? I remember getting GoF and OotP and the queues were mental. People seem to forget this. You didnt touch this early on in the video when you should have, harry potter was becoming a thing well before the first film came out. Once those books were finished on screen, so was the franchise.

What I thought was so strange about the fantastic beast is the fact that no one asked for it. I remember when I was a teenager going online to read fanfictions and there was thousands of them. The storie about the Marauders, the next generation or the origin of Voldemort were among the most common themes. The studio producers didn't even needed to guess which stories the people wanted to be created next, they litteraly could have gone on google to find out

I think they just couldn't choose what they wanted to focus on and too much was happening at once. I think the Fantastic Beasts movies should have been 2 separate series. Fantastic Beasts with Newt going to different countries and going on adventures finding the beasts. And then a different series with the first wizarding world, Dumbledore and Grindelwald. I never understood why they bothered with it being called Fantastic Beasts when that was totally put on the back burner. They could have been cool stories on their own.

I really wish we could let franchises go once they've run their course and wrapped up their story. I know a lot of people still enjoy the franchise, but I think a big part of that is that there's not much replacing it. I'm grateful I was able to experience the Harry Potter books/movies as a kid, and I'm sad that the current generation of kids don't have a "legacy series" of their own, just their parents and grandparents moldy old stories repackaged over and over and over again. Like thrice reheated pizza.

The first fantastic beasts and where to find them movie is actually really entertaining and stands on its own legs perfectly fine. Honestly, the two sequels have left a sour taste, but the first one, i can actually rewatch and have a great time every time i do so.

Ya know what I’ve always wanted for the Harry Potter universe. I’ve always felt like the wizarding could pull off an awesome horror movie. Like have students from different explore a forgotten place with dark magic only for it to go horribly wrong. The wizarding world should some horror movies thrown in.

I was waiting for you to mention how amazing that fight between Voldemort and Dumbledore in Order of the phoenix was integral as it was the 1st real showcase of how powerful wizard fights can be visually represented well on screen :)

Deathy Hallows Part 1 is actually my favorite of all the movies. The whole tempo is just great and the time for the character developement hardly needed before the final film. The dancing scene gets me every time. I'm very glad that they split the last movie.

It will never not be funny that JK messed up her own lore and rules in the Fantastic Beasts movies.

As an adult looking back at the series, I just have one question. Why tf weren't social services called on the Dursleys???

Watching those old scenes, something remember I like about the character Harry is that he has long bangs. As in, he doesn't show off his scar. It's a subtle visual nod to the fact that he perhaps feels a tad insecure or embarrassed about his fame. Intentional or not, I like that it's there.

From what I've heard regarding everybody suddenly having long hair in Goblet of Fire. Apperently the actors were asked to not cut their hair between the movies, so that the staff on set could do it instead when the filming was about to begin. However, due to some misscommunication before making this movie, people were under the impression that that hairstyle was what everybody was suppose to have, so no one did anything about it.

The reason why everyone had long hair on the goblet of fire was because of the new director. Previous films, the cast was told to not cut their hair, so it can be done first day on set. The New Director didn't know this but liked the look. So he had the cast keep their hair the way it was when they showed up. Apparently, Rupert Grint was not thrilled about this 😅

13:34. I loved that bit about the attention span of a fork. I think Hermione should like to introduce it to her emotionally stunted teaspoon.

The problem with the Crimes of Grindelwald is not that it is dull and has no plot. The problem is that it makes no sense and has too much plot.

I do think that it was very much the books that created the hype around the wizarding world, the movies "just" expanded on it. While Rowling wasn't writing high literature, she was excellent at world building. I regularly found myself returning to the books for the fillers, the descriptions of life at Hogwarts, small details that made everything come to life. The problem is: she seems to have forgotten that the world building was what made the series work. If you take that away, what you're left with is a pretty standard good vs. evil tale. Nothing terrible, but nothing special either. Fantastic beasts could have worked if they had allowed comfort and wonder to be priorities instead of mindless action. Let's be honest, the world is going to shit and signs of that were there long before the first Fantastic Beasts movie was released. People are desperate for distraction and there is a reason why, for example, Ghibli movies got so much attention during lockdown. Not everything has to have a big plot, sometimes it's enough if it makes you happy. They struck gold with Eddie Redmayne, he could have easily carried a miniseries where Newt focuses on a different Beast every episode. It could have been charming, whimsical and expanded on the Harry Potter lore. Instead we got the action of the last Harry Potter movies without the lead-up. You don't feel for the characters, because you don't know them, you don't care for the world, because it's already chaos, and you don't care how it ends, because, guess what, Harry Potter comes after it, so you kinda already know. The only good things about the Fantastic Beasts films were Eddie Redmayne and Mads Mikkelsen, but sadly they just weren't given enough to work with to actually save the series.

The downfall of the franchise is very sad to see. Guarantee within 10 years we have a legacy sequel

Crimes of Grindelwald has one of THE worst writing in entire film history. It’s really incredible. The out of nowhere reveal about the baby switch, then the even more out of nowhere reveal that that switched out baby was actually drowned in the sea… Hooooo my goooooood

The4thSnake did a video about the Wasted Plotential of the Fantastic Beasts Franchise, where his proposed fix was keeping the first film the same, having Crimes of Grindelwald be just about him and Dumbledore's relationship and their epic duel, then the 3rd film would be Quidditch through the Ages, essentially making the Wizarding World storyline an Anthology series.

I didn’t watch fantastic beasts because it’s not hogwarts. The reason Harry Potter caught my eye was because we watched a boy in a bad home who experienced a new world. I was in awe when I saw the castle.

Having J.K. Rowling as the screenwriter of the Fantastic Beasts movie in a billion dollar franchise was the biggest and most tragic mistake that this franchise has ever have. Can't believe they hire her who have no experience in screenwriting to write the damn script

I think your idea of filler is different than what a lot of people think filler is and why people hate it. Coming from anime, filler refers to things that weren't in the original manga or light novel an anime is based on, and is almost always of a significantly lower quality. It's this filler that people don't like, not a distinction between action and non-action.

A lighthearted mini-series about Newt and Jacob travelling and exploring different cultures and traditions around the world and their magical beasts sounds amazing. I think they've struck gold with Newt, he was an incredibly interesting protagonist and I loved his charming quirky weirdness, and from what I've heard, other people loved him too. It's such a shame that he simply didn't have a place in the Dumbledore/Grindelwald plotline, and we most definitely won't see more of him.The only moments I personally considered engaging in the latter 2 movies were of Newt interacting with his beasts or the nostalgic callbacks to Hogwarts. Rowling is no doubt a problematic and controversial figure, and I hope that if there are to be any other HP projects in the future, she realises the impact of her shortcomings, but who knows, she wasn't able to do so even after all this time and only seems to grow more arrogant.

The only thing I didn’t like about the conclusion of the HP series is the fact that Voldemort basically disintegrates. I think it would have been better for there to have been a body to show that despite everything he did and how scary he was, he was still only human. Not to mention the fact that the last time he just vanished like that he ended up still being alive. I wouldn’t trust it if I didn’t know better

Thank you so much for saying that the main core of Harry Potter is love. It's been so frustrating over the years seeing people think that the key to the HP franchise's success was just being a stale story about magic and wizards and Harry being a blank self-insert character in the books. This video is the first time I've seen a youtuber understand why I at least fell in love with the series as a child. I've stopped being invested in the franchise after cursed child came out and I do agree with the criticism people have had of the books since then. I also don't agree with many of the statements JKR has made about the original books and about other creators online, nor do I agree with whatever fucking direction she wanted to take fantastic beasts in. However, I also find it disingenuous when people make long videos on the original series of books or movies and completely ignore how love and friendship had always been the core that made fans so invested in the series and books. This next part is more of a guess on my part because I have little idea on what's going on with Hogwarts Legacy. Had the fandom not fallen in love with the characters who viewed Hogwarts as their home, I severely doubt we would have grown to be so attached to Hogwarts ourselves. Personally, I think one of the reasons Hogwarts Legacy sold so well is because of how dear Hogwarts was to the fandom. It was a place they spent years with and a place many children who are now adults wanted to go to for so many years. It's almost like a promise had finally been fulfilled after years of waiting. Edit: I really don't think the franchise can be "saved" if the OG trio came back and I don't really want them to after reading about the horrible time Daniel Radcliffe had filming The Half-Blood Prince. The series imo is over. JKR had her chance to show that she could expand the lore of the wizarding world with the FB movies and she failed spectacularly to make most people interested.

Best scene in Harry Potter is the zoomed in shot of his face as he rides the Firebolt into the camera. So good

Focus was the biggest flaw of the Fantastic Beasts franchise. The reason why Harry Potter is so beloved is because we got to see the Wizarding world through Harry's eyes and see his relationships and friendships grow. With Newt, we got one film and he was quickly discarded soon after for the legacy characters. All Fantastic Beasts benefitted was Newt finding new beasts and exploring the untouched areas of the Wizarding world. Like I can imagine him interacting with the Centaurs to the mermaids to see if a creature exists.

I miss filler episodes. Buffy had so many filler episodes yet those are some of my favorites. The time spent watching well over 100 episodes made those characters SO endearing. By the time you finish season seven, they are your friends.

The Fantastic Beasts concept was so good. It would have been a great adventure seeing Newt save magical creatures around the world, maybe teaming up with various professors from the other Wizarding schools in order to start an official “Magizoology” field. The entire plot of Gindelwald vs Dumbledore could have just been a subplot that gets expanded upon in a later but altogether separate films. Perhaps in order to tie them together a plot about how Wizarding poachers are collecting magical beast resources in order to prepare for the global Wizarding war.

Thanks for this great video and spot-on analysis. I know the video is about the movies but I just wanted to mention that I'm sure the Cursed Child had a major impact on people's interest in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. The screenplay for CC was released in the UK July 2016 and the first FB movie was released in Nov 2016. HP fans were so excited for the release of the CC screenplay but upon reading it, it was like a gut-punch for many fans, me included. Well-established HP lore torn to shreds, the adult versions of the trio completely unrecognisable, ridiculously implausible central storyline and repeated re-hashing of HP themes with nothing new of value added. I was like "What the hell is this?!" and couldn't believe was that it was signed off by JKR, who didn't write it but planned the story with the writers and approved the script. That's before you get to the cash-grab aspect of creating a four-act play divided into two separate performances. My point is, after that I believe many fans like me felt rather wary of FB and as it turns out, our concerns were justified. The FB movies were all style over substance. JKR clearly doesn't seem to be that bothered about the quality of her output anymore or is so deluded about her own abilities that she keeps happily churning out sub-par content without considering the critical and fans' feedback. The other problem is, no-one wants their enjoyment of a fandom to become a moral conundrum but sadly, that's what JKR has turned it into. Unlike many authors, it's impossible to separate the HP/FB franchise from JKR's personal views/campaigning because of the financial benefit she constantly receives from it. She has even said on Twitter that, when people accuse her of alienating whole sections of the HP fandom, the royalty cheques make her feel better. And this coming from someone who created a series about acceptance and fighting against prejudice. Anyway, rant over. I'm just very sad about the whole thing. I think they should just leave it where it is and not produce any further movies but I imagine they will eventually 🙄

i would have loved a movie just about Newt and his quest on finding rare animals a home and the zoology in general. mix in some evil hunter or whatever and the first movie would have been a lot better already in my opinion

You mentioned the reveal of Hogwarts shot. That scene probably has the most interesting story out of any shot from any Harry Potter movie: When Columbus and his editor Richard Francis-Bruce, were trying to find ways to shorten the movie a little and part of that included trying to shorten that scene. John Williams, in all his wisdom, will always take a rough cut over a Final Cut. He went away, worked on the music, and when it came time for the scoring sessions, he pulled a rabbit out of his hat and made a scene that, without music, isn’t interesting and made it interesting. Chris and Richard turned to each other and basically said “Screw trying to shorten this part of the movie, that is staying in the movie unedited.” It’s one of a multitude of reasons why I’m thankful that John Williams was the first composer to work on the series. When any Harry Potter fan thinks about the music, you can always think about the stupendous work done by Patrick Doyle, Nicholas Hooper and Alexandre Desplat, who did phenomenal jobs in helping finish the story, musically, but it’s John music, especially the central leitmotif “Hedwig’s Theme”, that we all identify with as being the identifying music of Harry Potter.

To be fair though, if we get stories of Newt travelling around the world searching for Beasts, that means JK Rowling has to *write* world building on those places he visits as well, and her world building on places other than Britain is... Questionable. At best. Just look at the name she gives Japan's magic school. If they do that, JK will need a team of researchers with her to help not make those places an absolute caricature and cause people to start raising pitchforks for representing their locations badly.

I think we learned that if you want a good villain you should just cast Mads from the start

They should have taken us back to the life of Harry Potters parents at Hogwarts, all that drama between snape and lilly , taken us back to Tom Riddle times and ended it with showing us how riddle killed Harrys parents

It would have been relatively easy to work the theme of "love" into the Fantastic Beasts movies; If Rowling had actually had the spine to do something with the alleged Dumbledore/Grindelwald relationship.

The thing that always bothered me most about Harry Potter was that it had all those great ideas and things that haven't been there before but it was rarely explained properly how those things came into existence or how they work. In the original HP series, there was a ton of stuff that could've been explored in spin off films or books. There are so many things I was interested in, like what different spells exist, how do you "invent" a new spell. In the books we learn about very few spells but we literally have a library with hundreds of magic books. Then there are topics like, how was Hogwarts created, how did creatures like dementors come into existence (we have some info about that now, but still), what do wizard societies abroad look like, what kinds of different magic exists etc. So there is a lot. Even background stories for a lot of the characters would be interesting. So when the "fantastic beasts" was announced I was excited because I found that this was actually an interesting aspect and it had a lot of potential but as it was said, in the end it was barely about the beasts anymore and just once again devolved into the classic good vs evil trope.

I would LOVED to have seen a trio of single biopic style films on the marauders, Snape and the first wizarding war. Fantastic beasts could have been a fun spin of as a singular film if it had a PLOT like you said.

To this day I am so confused to why they didn't choose marauderers as the spinoff, in the fandom itself, they are just as popular and the original trio reallyy.

I actually kind of liked the first fantastic beasts film it was a cool new story set in a universe that we were already familiar with then when the crimes of grindelwald came out I knew where they were going it wasn’t gonna be about newt or fantastic beasts just a prequel about Dumbledore and grindelwald that sets up the original series

Mads Mikkelsen is really perfect for his role. Jude Law and him are the only good thing of the Fantastic Beast series.

I dont think the franchise is dead. the success of Hogward Legacy clearly show that there are still people who love Harry Potter. the only problem is that JK seem to no longer realized the reason why people love it in the first place. I dont think she will ever become broke. Hogward Legacy, Universal Studio, and every merchandise from Harry Potter will always keep her rich. but I dont think we can expect any more great story coming from JK. she simply caught lightning in the bottle, and can not re create the miracle a second time. let hope many others creative mind will be able to get the right to expand the franchise in her stead.

The hair was long in "Goblet of Fire" because the actors were told not to cut it before filming for the hair stylists. When the director saw them after they got back from holiday, he said not to change a thing. This forced them to keep their hair long for the rest of the movie.

They also split book 7 in half for artistic reasons, to make the final battle more dramatic and a satisfying ending.

"The first movie didn't age well" My dude, are you kidding me? It's easily one of the best aged movies maybe ever. It has potential to forever be considered a classic for children, for how innocent and earnest it was, even quirky. I marathoned the series again not 2 months ago and was appalled by how well it was executed.

The FIRST Fantastic Beasts movie was good. I really liked Newt Scemander, it was nice to see a Hollywood movie that doesn't have a stereotypically "masculine" man. It was a good spin-off movie, and they shouldn't have made a sequel... especially because the sequel wasn't even ABOUT Fantastic Beasts, it was about Dumbledore.

JK kind of already dragged the Wizarding World into the mud when she made that tweet about wizards pooping their pants

With your final question of the video about the original trio coming back, I think it would only work if JKR keeps her hands entirely off the project. Because, lest we forget, even before the current shitshow with trans people, she was retconning characters into being gay, or black, or apparently having the wizards shit themselves instead of having toilets. She finished it with the Deathly Hallows and it should stay that way for her involvement.

Just some fun trivia: apparently, the harry potter actors just let their hair grow between movies, so that the people doing the costumes and all had something to work with. Usually, they'd get cut down significantly, but Mike Newell, the director of goblet of fire, just went "yeah thats great, we'll keep it that way." Thats why everyone has long hair.

13:29 I second this. I miss the 20 episodes seasons of shows and long anime seasons too. You get to have more time with the characters.

13:27 “filler is not a bad thing” - so true to me! That’s why these days I much more enjoy slice of life k-dramas and animes because they spend a lot of time with fillers to enhance character development and story immersion 😊

Very good analysis and depth into this video, Defo gave it a like!

Was she should stop talking ? She just saying facts

Man, magic duels could be so complex and interesting, Transfigurations, Incantantions, etc, and instead is two people staring at each other intensively while saying abstolutely nothing.

I think, somewhere along the way including the original series, the wizarding world aesthetic changed as well. I miss the kooky wizarding world fashion etc that’s more prominent in the books and first couple of movies. The FB franchise just looses it completely, through the muggle clothing, even the world it’s set in. I think that looses the magic of the established Wizarding World. There are times throughout the FB franchise where they could have gone full wizarding world aesthetic, as they’re not in muggle presence. Like when they’re in the speak easy in the first movie. Costuming is a big part of the visual side of world building, and I think that’s part of what’s wrong with the FB franchise, personally.

I think some people fear filler because of anime. Whole season? Just filler episodes? Nightmare.

My main issue with splitting the Deathly Hollows into two parts was that it was the trend that Hollywood was doing at the time it was released. Every major IP like the Hunger Games and even Twilight was doing it. My wife had never seen any of the Harry Potter films until a year ago when we binged them all in a weekend. Funny enough, she had the same reaction I did to the Deathly Hollows part one. A lot of it could've been cut and they could've just made a really long movie with an intermission for the final film.

The problem is is that Rowling is a book author which is completely different than screen writing

They should’ve made a short series about Voldemort’s early years when he was still Tom riddle at school. That’s what I want to see

Maybe J. K. Rowling wasn't confident about writing a world tour of what Fantastic Beast would have been had Newt travel around the world encountering new beast for his book but also solving the mystery in each place he visited. We would have gotten a bigger view of the Harry Potter world IMO.

The more I think about it the sadder it makes me. Could you guys imagine an actual proper series of films with Mads as Grindelwald and Jude Law as Dumbledore? They’re both incredible actors, and there are so many incredible screenwriters out there who could’ve made this a drastic improvement upon the Harry Potter films

@13:20 I wouldn't call those scenes 'filler'. Filler is useless, it's the beach episode in an anime, if you take it away the story doesn't change at all. The slow scenes in Deathly Hallows Part I set the tone for the next 2 movies and for me was a moment of tension. The characters didn't break up but they could have at any moment. The fact that they stayed together through it all ties back to that theme of love you mentioned earlier. It was showing that theme of love holding the trio together, despite being at each other's throats. Great video overall, just wanted to add to that one point.

13:07 Deathly Hallows Part 1 is actually my favorite of the series. It humanizes and isolates the characters and in a really interesting way. It’s also the only film to not take place at Hogwarts. You truly felt the impact this journey has had on Ron, Harry, and Hermione.

Great job man. Quite possible the best video essay I have seen so far. I agree 100% about all your points. I personally knew that the fantastic beasts movies were doomed since they announced a 5 movie plan with no actual plan.. Their biggest mistake was that they got greedy and instead of giving us a well planned schedule they rushed it without knowing where to go with the script. Like they started with FB and said hey we will improvise down the road as we filming. They could have made a plan and produce a Dumbledore/Grindelwald standalone movie trilogy better paced and better scripted, with a standalone Fantastic Beasts movie. Also an HBO Max tv series which partners with Warner Bros for a Tom Riddle rise to power/First wizarding war or the History of the 4 Howgard's founders. They had so much content to take advantage of and they fucked up. The only solution I can think of is finishing FB with a fourth and final movie to tie loose ends and take the L like gentlemen. Then continue with a TV HBO max show with one of the projects I mentioned. But I have not faith at all in them since there are rumors recently that they want a complete reboot/remake of the Harry Potter movies with different actors. Their second option according to the rumors is a Cursed child movie adaptation. Yikes

IMO the Fantastic Beasts movie should've been a single movie in the style of a Steve Irwin "Crocodile Hunter" episode with a competent animal wrangler documenting the different magical creatures he comes across. That or a mini-series in a comedic "wizard mockumentary" style with a pretty competent but bumbling zoologist guiding a documentary team through his (not always safe) encounters with different magical creatures. Very light and humerous.

I've been wanting a high budget show set in the wizarding world. My pitch is a show set in modern day following an auror and their adventures. In my mind this could revitalise the franchise kind of like how the mandalorian gave fresh energy to starwars. This modern setting and auror lead opens it up to bring legacy characters back if need be i.e harry potter seeing he becomes an auror later in life. I also think a show would give us more time with characters then the movies can provide.

I loved FB1, especially its unique protagonist and his eccentric relationship with the world both as a muggle and as a magizoologist, AND his almost-over-the-top loving relationship with his "fantastic beasts." I found CoG & SoD disappointing first and foremost because they sidelined Newt. I agree obviously Rowling was looking to tell the Dumbles/Grindles story, and I understand your suggestion that instead the series should've done away with Newt after the first movie and focused just on the Dumbles/Grindles dynamic. But I think there's an even more interesting alternative that's all the sadder they didn't go for. Use FB1 as the springboard, or first movie in the series, for *two* series. Have it split into, on the one hand, yes, the Dumbles/Grindles story, and on the other... honestly I picture a series of almost Hercule-Poirot or Benoit-Blanc mysteries where each one is a separate installment set in a different corner of the world and basically the only recurring character IS Newt. To my mind, that's a golden concept, and a better opportunity than anything else that came before to nigh-limitlessly expand and worldbuild in Rowling's Wizarding World. There would have to be some loose throughlines through the series and probably a handful of other recurring characters, but the general idea would be to invoke those sorts of mysteries, only using that framing as a vehicle for the audience to join Newt on his adventures and learn about Fantastic Beasts ALONGSIDE him. The end of the series could be him writing the textbook. That done, a CoG or SoD with Newt as a side character COULD STILL work. Both series could be stories playing out simultaneously, with loose influences in one on the other, and potential for crossovers. It'd have the additional benefit of producing more money for the studios and being something the fans could really sink their teeth into. It'd be an MCU-*esque* approach, but limiting the scope of the crossovers to mitigate the whole "it's all connected, all 47,628 properties, and if you don't consume them all you won't understand #47,629, fuck you pay me" aspect. Newt as a spy or undercover agent of Dumbledore's for example, that maybe, frankly, Grindelwald never even meets or knows about -- Dumbledore's secret ace up his sleeve -- Is something I wish could've been explored a lot more, too. I think there's a very realistic and grounded approach to espionage that could be applied with the FB films following Newt's global travels documenting "fantastic beasts" while conveniently completing a small sideplot mission for Dumbles, without carrying the actual baggage of the war. In turn, those small missions of Newt's would have plenty of major implications in the Grindles/Dumbles war story, where the "baggage" of the war actually has the space it needs to be properly explored. In turn, the brewing conflicts could serve as a poignant backdrop for the otherwise lighter and more joyful FB films, where Newt's travels occasionally require him to be mindful of that. For a socially awkward quirky dork like him it could've made for a really interesting way to explore his character and create more serious tension in otherwise mostly lighthearted adventure stories, I think. EDIT: Lol I wrote this comment halfway through watching the video; Later on, you suggested something similar haha

What I like about Hogwarts Legacy that Fantastic Beasts maybe could’ve really done with is that it’s perfectly balanced in terms of tone & feel in that you get all the major recognisable elements of the wizarding world such as locations, spells & lore etc to pull on your nostalgia strings but it’s all been majorly revamped & embellished to provide a real breath of fresh air and a more unique experience from the films, but most importantly (although I’m only halfway through it so couldn’t say for sure) the story has a lot of intrigue and is clearly going somewhere which as you brilliantly made out Fantastic Beasts does not Also in terms of the big and small screen even, I do believe they could another movie or an HBO series but have it from a brand new writer & director to the franchise that still know it inside & out and don’t need to go to J.K. for any guidance, a bit like with Star Wars what Jon Favreau & Dave Filoni did with The Mandalorian and Tony Gilroy with Rouge One & Andor

I forgot that I had watched crimes of grindleworld movie until I saw clips from it in this video that I recognized. That's how confusing the movie is

7 prt one is the best movie in the series in my opinion. The atmosphere of hopelessness and despair, and having to persevere. through that is so good. Very post apocalyptic vibe.

This is not just exclusive to Harry Potter. When it comes to the success of major franchises, the most important thing found are characters and their relationships and themes. Then the world building comes second. It's how Harry Potter or ATLA have become timeless because the themes within those characters being so strong will forever be relevant.

Harry Potter isn’t dead on the big screen, the new movies are just terrible films. If Hogwarts Legacy is any indication, if they released a solid movie in the HP universe it would make soooo much money.

Excellent video. Thank you for your hard work.

I feel like Fantastic Beast should've been primarily about the Fantastic Beast themselves. If I were to rewrite it I would make it an exploration of the various magical creatures in the Harry Potter universe. Maybe the villains would be Muggle poachers who got their hands on Magic infused weapons given to them by a rouge wizard.

This is exceptionally well thought out and very well presented, and I also found it extremely fair and accurate very very well done

"Darker" doesn't always mean "More mature".

I wish Rowling would’ve written fantastic beast into books first. Then turn them into movies.

Main problem with filler is in my opinion when an entire TV series episode is dedicated to it. You wait a week to see the plot develop further, you expect your patience to be rewarded with the world developing, but instead you have to wait yet another week to get some genuine escapism from your actual life. In film it's not so bad, though the middle thied of Avatar 2 was painful inertia.

I love Newt and will miss him! But I feel the problem is The Fantastic Beast story don't have an over arching story with main plots therefore it will never be consistent. Additionally, I don't understand why the FB movies would follow Dumbledore & Grindelwald. Now I kinda understand why Dumbledore would want Newt because you know he does what is right & doesn't care for power. But overall, FB movies are not good for the Dumbledore & Grindelwald story. But I did enjoy the first one & that could have been a one & done with a new series that follows Dumbledore & Grindelwald that Newt would be in but not the main character. They should have called it something else & if you wanted beast in then throw some beast that make sense to the story. Although I love Newt, I don't understand why he's the main character when you want the Dumbledore & Grindelwald main story? They need to write an over arching story then build the scrips from there. It's alright to make some changes but the main story should be present in every movie. Edit: I'm sad that Eddie & Jude will be gone. I love Eddie as Newt & I loved Jude as young Dumbledore.

Had Fantastic Beasts just been an intentional one-off movie like Rogue One I feel like we'd have a different Harry Potter franchise right now.

I think it would be cool if they didn't focus on movies, but a tv show. An interesting prequel idea would be if they had the Marauders in their school days with James, his friends, and other Hogwarts students. This would be able to appease Harry Potter fans by having a cast of characters they already know (without having to worry about casting actors from the movies), references to the universe, being in a familiar setting, and plenty of opportunities for the characters to get into lighthearted fun while also showing how it was becoming a dark and dangerous time under Voldemort's rise to power as they get older. This could add depth to the Harry Potter lore and timeline. I think it would've been a great idea if they had good screenwriters, actors, and enough financial backing, which I don't think they'd have a problem getting.

Ngl i liked that they split deathly hallows in two since it would feel rushed if all of it was forced into one movie and it helps the battle of hogwarts to be longer and better. In the book it was kinda short and underwhelming so i was glad the movie made it longer and added more to it

Deathly Hallows needed two parts. I wouldn’t class Part 1 as filler. In the book the trio (and duo) travelling around with the tent is my favourite part; it really sets in how f***** they are, and how alone

Plot holes, very useful spells that disappeared from Fantastic Beasts to Harry Potter, every wizard or witch dressed as muggle (Dumbledore is a banker now) when in reality wizards haven't the slighest idea how a muggle dresses, Newt and Tina that act like a teen would do, when they're more than 30. Dulbledore that knows about The Room Of Requirements when in reality he discovered it only in 1994 during The Goblet Of Fire. Fawkes is the "HP bar" of Credence's remaining life but during The Hald Blood Prince, he did absolutely nothing with Dumbledore. Dumbledore and Grindelwad did a blood pact so neither of them can attack the other, but somehow they managed to do it, resulting in Ariana death.

If you wanna look at Fantastic Beasts as a failure that’s fine, but to even suggest that the Harry Potter Franchise has “dwindled away” is so far off the mark, the franchise has only gotten stronger in the last decade and even inspite of controversy and the recent sales of Hogwarts Legacy proves that; it isn’t just; “doing well” it’s one of the highest grossing games in recent years and that’s just within 4 weeks of being released! And I was in Universal Studios a couple of weeks ago during one of the quietest parts of the year and the Harry Potter world sections were by far the busiest parts of the park. You can say the fanfare has died down, but just because you say something doesn’t mean its true and that could not be further from the truth.

The boycott for Hogwarts Legacy worked so well that it became the Number 1 best-selling game for a few months. Great job, guys.

I am part of the HP fanfic fandom which has become very different from the larger fandom, especially after 2019 when a new generation of fanfic authors/readers that refuse to read the original books (to spite JKR whom they disapprove of) came upon a Marauder-Era fic (All The Young Dudes, commonly abbrev. ATYD) that covers the life of Remus Lupin but gives him a very different characterization than in the books. They regard that as the ultimate fanfic and wrote fics based on it instead of official Potterverse content. Then there was a joke challenge to write content about James Potter and Regulas Black falling in love, again to spite JKR's official 'canon'. It went viral on social media and a lot of (probable) teenagers started writing "Jegulas" romances. Now to them, Remus was raised in an orphanage and is a bad boy. He is also dyslexic. He is gay and loves Sirius (which to be fair, was already long established in the HP fanfic fandom since before the Order of the Phoenix book was released). Lily loves Mary MacDougal and James loves Regulas not Lily. Regulas and James raise baby Harry together. Also readers are so desperate to get new Jegulas content from authors writing fics for a HOBBY that they harrassed the authors to release new chapters faster. The authors responded by "going on strike," as they called it, for the entire month of November 2022. I got this info from veteren fanfic readers and writers complaining about the new developments, because I couldn't read more than a few chapters of ATYD because it's not from the viewpoint of the Remus Lupin I know from books and earlier fanfics, but from a different character named "Remus Lupin." Many fans of the old Marauder era fics cannot stand the new generation of fics with the exception of "The Last Enemy" which is genuinely 'canon compliant'. In the HP fanfiction subreddit, Cursed Child was and is hated, the third FB movie was pretty much entirely ignored, and even the pinned thread about Hogwarts Legacy (which has been up for DAYS) sees less engagement than any post bashing or praising Severus Snape, or a post about who would win in a war, Muggles or Wizards, or a prompt about a crossover between Harry Potter and the Matrix, or a post dumping on a fanfic almost everyone hates or claims to hate like "Harry Crow" or "Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality." The HP fanfic fandom generates its own content, even the subfandoms who still regard the original seven books as 'canon' and complain about [insert character here] being written 'Out of Character' (OOC) in a lot of fanfics.