The Fantastic Beasts movies ranked worst to best

In 1997, J..K. Rowling wrote something to tide us Potter fanatics over for charity. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, written by renowned magizoologist Newt Scamander, was a compendium of magical creatures and guide to how this is relevant to the everyday witch and wizard. We had not only a Foreword by Albus Dumbledore and "A Brief History of Muggle Awareness of Fantastic Beasts," but notes from the students who made use of it. The films associated with the author are quite different but valuable in their own ways. Here are how I think they rank from worst to best.

1. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

There are things to be appreciated about this film. We get to meet an Ilvermorny professor who has no compunctions about telling men off. There are political machinations that echo the contemporary problems in Europe. And there is an element of suspense that keeps things interesting until the election of the wizarding world's leader. We saw Dumbledore and Grindelwald on a spectrum of interactions and intentions. For me, the confirmation of Ariana Dumbledore as an Obscurial was the most satisfying.

The problem with this film is that it certainly has an air of trying to wrap things up just in case. To date, we haven't seen the remaining two movies in the series and one gets the feeling that J.K. Rowling saw the writing on the wall. From the Jacob and Queenie wedding to the true identity of Credence's father, we saw several plotlines as "not as big a problem as we originally thought." Queenie's love was tantamount to a race crime and as the story unfolded concurrent to the rise and fall of the Third Reich , this was a significant theme. Grindelwald set Credence up to see Dumbledore as a threat and a traitor, which could have been a major conflict for the remainder of the series. The suitcase misdirection was fun, but eventually uninspiring. We got too many happily-ever-afters at a time when there should have been a turning point in the war against Grindelwald.

2. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

When I originally thought of writing this article, I was firm in my decision to have the best be the first,, but then I remembered the wider scope of the second movie. So here we have te movie that turned the name on a textbook into a lovable Steve Irwin stand-in who fights all sorts of forces to protect his friends and his fantastic beasts.

I do love the misadventures involved in Newt rounding up the missing creatures from his valise. Queenie and Tina are New Yorkers at their finest in being both savvy and tough and I fell in love with Jacob the moment he failed to get a bank loan. On the other hand, this is a story that doesn't have far-reaching implications for most of it. There is too much of the madcap and too little of the Second Salemers' effects. It would have been much more interesting if Director Graves hadn't been Gellert Grindelwald, but simply an acolyte who is sinister in his own right. And frankly, MACUSA is underused.

3. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

In terms of complexity, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is my favorite of the books and it has a lot to do with the reach of consequences. For that reason, the second Fantastic Beasts movie comes in at first place for me. MACUSA has been too permissive in its arrogant handling of a dark wizard. Jacob and Queenie reuniting at the end of the first film meant that they were at philosophical odds and in a legal quandary. Newt was a best-selling author who got in understandable trouble for nearly taking down New York City.

The best through-plot for me was the approach of war. The Aurors certainly see it on the horizon and there's a great tension between Newt and Theseus Scamander. While there are interesting things going on with wny Dumbledore and Grindelwald can't fight each other, this is a family-centric movie. Leta is part of that family, having been raised to think of herself as unacceptable within her own unit and her sacrifice being what unites the brothers is tragic and lovely. But what really cements this movie in its position is how Grindelwald is a reasonable man acting out of concern for the atrocities to come who would never strike first. His convincing of the crowd is truly captivating.

We don't seem to have more movies coming, but we can read the source material or enjoy the ones we have.