The wonderful wizarding world of Harry Potter is back! Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a spin-off prequel to the Harry Potter series, brought the magic of J. K. Rowling back to theaters on Thursday, November 17.

Fans of the Harry Potter franchise will recognize the movie title straight away as a textbook used at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The film, set in the 1920s, follows the book’s author, Newt Scamander, in the process of writing Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Of course nothing is ever that easy in the wizarding world, and with the recent exiling of wizards from the muggle world, stakes are higher than ever. Without spoiling too much, I’ll just say that there’s a mix up and chaos ensues.

The cast of Fantastic Beasts did a fantastic job at making this magical world come to life. Eddie Redmayne played the lead role, perfectly portraying the geeky, adventurous and powerful character of Newt Scamander. Ezra Miller also had a notable performance playing the difficult role of the mysterious Credence Barebone, a new character to the franchise.

The movie started off quite slowly, and I admittedly almost fell asleep (but maybe that was due to the fancy reclining seats and the fact that it was 10 PM). I was surprised by this due to the non-stop action of other Harry Potter films, especially because Fantastic Beasts’s director, David Yates, did such an amazing job packing action into the last four Harry Potter films. However, when the suspense picked up and the plot took a very cynical turn, I became completely engrossed in the movie. I know that fans of the darker side of Harry Potter will be thrilled.

Despite the initial lag in action, Fantastic Beasts keeps moviegoers’ attention with major name drops. My attention was definitely piqued when I heard the characters mention Dumbledore, Lestrange and Grindelwald. Since the film is set in the Harry Potter world, there are many other aspects fans will recognize. From spells such as “accio” and “obliviate” to Hogwarts houses, the Deathly Hallows, house elves and more, Potterheads will be giddy to see these familiar wizardry concepts back on the big screen.

The movie ends like any good Harry Potter film: the main conflict is resolved but you’re still left with questions, setting up perfectly for a sequel. Warner Brothers has confirmed that Fantastic Beasts will be a 5-part series. The second installment, currently in pre-production, is slated for a late 2018 release.

Though I was a little underwhelmed by this new chapter in the Harry Potter franchise, the film’s special effects and acting were top-notch. I would highly recommend that fans go check this movie out. Even for those who have never seen Harry Potter, I recommend binge-watching the original 8 movies, then heading to the theater. I’m optimistic about Fantastic Beasts’s future, and am curious to see where J. K. Rowling will take this new aspect of the well-loved wizarding world she created.

Rating: 7/10