It’s tough to deny the pop cultural impact that the Harry Potter books had on an entire generation, one that grew up alongside that plucky wizard and his friends as they did battle against evil. The subsequent movies only added to the cachet, all while making well over seven billion dollars (yes, with a B) over the course of eight movies.

Hollywood doesn’t walk away from that cash cow.

And so we get the “Fantastic Beasts” series, a kinda-sorta prequel franchise that is based on an ancillary connection to the beloved Potterverse. The first one was fine, the second one was borderline incomprehensible … and now there is another.

“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” – directed by David Yates from a screenplay by Steve Kloves and Potter creator J.K. Rowling – is yet another effort to wring even more money from the Wizarding World writ large. Despite the controversial departure of Johnny Depp – who played big bad Grindelwald in the first two films – and the continued presence of Rowling and her controversial views, this movie happened.

It's admittedly better than the previous entry – an EXTREMELY low bar to clear – but it still is somewhat lacking in narrative cohesion. The already-muddled mythology is rendered even more difficult to follow by the fractured storyline of this film. That said, there are some good performances here and it’s a fairly solid film in terms of aesthetics (at least until the underwhelming climax). Ultimately, however, it’s a reminder that perhaps the Wizarding World would have been better off ending with Harry Potter’s final adventures.

BANGOR – Have you ever wanted to spend some time at a very special and VERY famous school of magic? Well, thanks to Some Theatre Company, now you can.

Sort of.

STC is presenting “Puffs: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic,” running through March 1. This show – written by Matt Cox and directed by company artistic director Elaine Bard – marks the company’s first-ever production at their brand-new space in the Bangor Mall.

Fans of a certain boy wizard might have occasionally asked themselves about some of the other students at this legendary school. We spent seven books (and eight movies and a stage play and so on) following him and his friends; what do you suppose was going on with the students who maybe weren’t so talented or popular? Every school has regular, average kids – even schools of magic.

That’s what you get with “Puffs.” It’s a chance to spend some time with the also-rans of the magical realm, the uncool kids who just want to get by, kids who are simply looking to get through school without having to deal with the horrifying mystic dangers that lurk around seemingly every corner. These are kids who are very aware of the magical hierarchy … and of their low place in it.

(Since you might be wondering what the deal is, the following disclaimer is featured on the “Puffs” website: “Puffs is a stage play written by Matt Cox as a transformative & transfigured work under the magic that is US Fair Use laws. Puffs is not authorised, sanctioned, licensed or endorsed by J.K Rowling, Warner Bros. or any person or company associated with the Harry Potter books, films or play.”)

I’ll admit to having been a little skeptical when I first heard about the continuation of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter-centric fictional universe. That story felt like it had been thoroughly told – did we really need to find new angles to explore?

And so I was surprised to find “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” such a charming, engaging film. Yes, it was a little overproduced and a little convoluted and less focused than it ought to have been, but it was still fun, which is all that really matters with movies like this.

But after seeing the second installment, I fear my initial instinct may ultimately be proven right after all.

Engaging prequel a worthy addition to J.K. Rowling's Potterverse

A look ahead at some autumn offerings

The summer blockbuster season has come and gone; 2016 proved to be a bit of a disappointment to many, though the season saw its share of successful films.