Fantastic Beasts: 10 Reasons Why The Crimes Of Grindelwald Is A Massive Disappointment

Director David Yates has been with the Potter franchise for over a decade now, helming every installment since Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

That's six films set in this world, which is a lot to ask of anyone, and while Yates has done some truly great work in the franchise (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part 1 is his finest film work, period), if he can't muster up any more enthusiasm for the franchise than he does here, it's time to relinquish the reins.

Yates just seems tired throughout, leading to the dullest version of coverage imaginable for most scenes. Even his action setpieces here feel poorly constructed and edited, with the opening sequence of Grindelwald's escape being so choppy and featuring such poor lighting and composition that it's frequently difficult to even tell what's happening,

There's also just some really strange visual choices. In the past, Yates has always been a fairly concentrated visual storyteller, locking down the camera for everything other than action sequences, which he likes to shoot handheld in an attempt to create a more visceral sequence. But here, there are several handheld shots of quieter moments that feel very unintentionally shaky.

The film also has this very strange tendency of letting characters delivering lines in close up veer slightly out of frame. It feels like a mistake that Yates just didn't care enough about to reshoot, which is strange given his reputation as an exacting director who loves multiple takes.