All Fantastic Beasts movies ranked from forgettable to fantastic

When Fantastic Beasts first hit headlines, it felt like the perfect idea—a spin-off set decades before Harry Potter. Focusing on a quirky magizoologist named Newt Scamander and his suitcase full of magical creatures sounded like an absolute win.

It promised a fresh story in the Wizarding World without leaning too hard on Hogwarts nostalgia. The first trailers sold that charm perfectly, with bizarre beasts, 1920s fashion, and the promise of new magical lore.

The first Fantastic Beasts movie was delightful—it gave fans fun characters, whimsical creatures, and a lighthearted tone that felt new yet familiar. But then came the sequels.

Slowly, the magic took a backseat to political drama, backstory reveals, and a whole lot of setup for a future that never really happened. The focus shifted from creature-based adventures to dense lore and backstory, making the films feel more like setup than entertainment.

With all three films released, ranking them is fairly straightforward—one remains solid, another is passable but forgettable, and the third is so dense with subplots that it’s hard to follow without a rewatch.

So here’s how the Fantastic Beasts movies stack up—from the one that misses the mark the most to the one that actually feels fantastic.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the writer’s opinion based on personal viewing experience. Reader discretion is advised.

The Fantastic Beasts movies, ranked

3) Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) - The overstuffed letdown

This entry lands squarely at the bottom—Rotten Tomatoes slapped it with a miserable 36%, and the CinemaScore of B+ says it all. Audiences didn’t hate it, but they weren’t exactly thrilled either.

The reason is that it’s overloaded—far too many characters are introduced, countless subplots run in circles, and big reveals feel more like cheap twists than meaningful story moments.

Paris looks beautiful, no doubt, the visual effects are polished, and there are a few flashes of dark intrigue from Grindelwald, but the emotional core is practically missing.

By the end, the film resembles more of a setup for future entries than a complete story on its own. The plot is so tangled that even die-hard fans struggle to recap the details. And that’s the biggest issue—when a story is forgettable despite being crammed with events, something clearly went wrong.

2) Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022) - A slightly better attempt

This one at least made a few things right—Rotten Tomatoes lifted it to around 46%, and the big win here was Mads Mikkelsen stepping in as Grindelwald. His calm, menacing take on the villain felt far more convincing and layered than the over-the-top approach from before. Many fans even called his performance the film’s saving grace.

Visually, the movie nails it—the spellcasting duels look incredible, the production design is top-notch, and the action sequences have more energy than in the last film. Plus, there’s a deeper dive into Dumbledore’s past, which finally gives audiences some emotional context that the series badly needed.

But even with these positives, the same core issue lingers: the story still feels like a chessboard being set up, with characters constantly moved around but without real tension or payoffs. Viewers gave it the same B+ CinemaScore — which speaks volumes. It’s enjoyable enough in the moment but forgettable once the credits roll.

1) Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) - The one that got it right

The first movie is still the only one that fully works—Rotten Tomatoes has it sitting at about 74%, and audiences embraced it far more warmly than its sequels. Well, it’s because it’s simple and charming. The story follows Newt Scamander on a mission to recover his escaped magical creatures in 1920s New York.

The creatures themselves steal the show—the kleptomaniac Niffler, the elegant Thunderbird, the tiny yet loyal Bowtruckle. They all add humor, wonder, and heart to the story. Eddie Redmayne’s portrayal of Newt is equally endearing—awkward, compassionate, and refreshingly different from the typical hero.

This film feels self-contained; it tells its own story while still expanding the Wizarding World in meaningful ways. No endless exposition, no confusing lore dumps—just a magical adventure that delivers on what the series originally promised.

Critics appreciated its fresh tone, and fans loved that it felt playful without being too childish or too dark.

Watching them in order today

For anyone planning to revisit the trilogy, the viewing order writes itself. Start with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them—it’s easily the most engaging and works as a standalone adventure.

Then watch The Secrets of Dumbledore—it’s uneven but has moments worth seeing, especially Mikkelsen’s Grindelwald. Finally, The Crimes of Grindelwald; only if there’s a desire to see how everything connects, even if it doesn’t connect all that well.

Watching them back-to-back really shows the tone shift. The first Fantastic Beasts movie is fun, colorful, and full of charm. By the second, things feel heavier, full of politics and setup. And by the third, even with a better villain performance, the emotional heart of the series feels buried under too much plot.

The trilogy’s quality noticeably declines—from a promising and fun start, to a cluttered middle, and finally to a conclusion that feels overcomplicated and emotionally flat. By the end, the magic that drew fans in at first is mostly gone.

Final thoughts

Out of the three Fantastic Beasts movies, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is still the one that feels closest to what the series was meant to be. It had a clear story, a cast of memorable magical creatures, and a lead who stood out because of how awkward yet endearing he was.

The sequels tried to go bigger with politics, lore, and action, but that came at the cost of charm and focus. The first film felt like an actual adventure; the other two felt more like long setups for events that never really came together.

That doesn’t mean the sequels are unwatchable—they have stunning visuals and some fun sequences. Mads Mikkelsen also brought a better take on Grindelwald, but the films never fully recapture the heart of the original.

In retrospect, the trilogy seems like a lost opportunity to develop a consistently compelling addition to the Wizarding World. Expanding a story’s scale doesn’t always enhance its impact—often, it’s the smaller, character-driven narratives that leave a lasting impression.