‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’ is the latest instalment in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter films and sequel to the 2016 film ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’.

Set in the 1920s the film picks up almost immediately from where its predecessor left off, with Newt Scamander – played by the ever-impressive Eddie Redmayne – tasked with the mission of hunting down the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp), who believes wizards should rule over non-magical people, or ‘muggles’.

Most of the film is set in the magical underbelly of Paris and follows Newt and his muggle friend Jacob as they search for Grindelwald, who is busy collecting followers in preparation for war. Both parties are also after Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller), whose search for his own true identity takes on a major role in the plot.

Jude Law was given arguably one of the trickiest jobs in the film – playing a young, much less beardy Albus Dumbledore. The character was first played by Richard Harris, before being elevated to iconic status by Michael Gambon, and die-hard fans of the franchise were worried how Law would approach the role.

For me, he passed with flying colours, playing a less eccentric version of Dumbledore, but still with many of the quirks and traits that make the character so familiar.

The film is packed with action, humour, romance and plenty of fantastic beasts – as the name would suggest. The adorable mole-like ‘niffler’ was a favourite from the first film, and again plays a cute, yet key role. Potterheads like myself are treated to plenty of nods to the books, and flashbacks to Newt’s time at Hogwarts are a lovely throwback to the original Potter films.

Director David Yates was behind the camera for the final four movies in the Harry Potter series, and similarities between the films are clear. There is a slightly darker undertone to ‘The Crimes of Grindelwald’ compared to the earlier Potter films, but Yates manages to retain the magic and fantasy that made the series so popular worldwide.

Yates is signed on to direct a further three Fantastic Beasts movies over the next six years, and it will be interesting to see if he will be able to maintain the consistency of quality that his first two films have set, and that made the Harry Potter franchise so successful.