Just ten years ago I stepped foot inside a theater to witness the big screen debut of my favorite book series. A boy of ten years, hoping my very next birthday would land me a letter from Dumbledore, just as Harry received. As I grew up, the books stayed with me, powering me through tough times and great times. It wasn’t until the fifth book I realized this series would soon end, as it now has. I am twenty years old now and still find myself drawn into the magical world of Harry Potter.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was, as everyone now knows, split into two films roughly equal in length to finish off the story as accurately as it possibly could. While the film is technically proficient, it seems to drop the ball in certain sections.

Dobby’s grave begins this film, just as it ended the last. What isn’t explained very well is the location they’re at. From the books we know they have arrived at Bill and Fleur’s home, however the recently married couple only appear for a brief second before Harry begins unraveling the plot for this final film. He still has three Horcruxes that he knows he must destroy to stop You-Know-Who.

The gang finds themselves breaking into the unbreakable Gringotts Bank, where Helena Bonham Carter does a smashing job pretending to be Hermione pretending to be Bellatrix Lestrange in Polyjuice disguise. There they ride the rails in a very Temple of Doom-esque fashion, falling swiftly before hovering inches off the ground (with a shot that all but makes you look down at Hermione’s cleavage… no joke), grab the fourth Horcrux, and escape riding on a very impressive looking dragon.

They quickly return to Hogwarts, school overrun by Death Eaters and Snape serving as headmaster. Harry and friends join the underground resistance forming and push the Death Eaters out of the castle. After that, one great, big, giant, epic, super, fantastically, magical battle ensues.

Character deaths occur, Horcruxes are destroyed; kisses are stolen in the fray. Everything begins to ramp up, going ninety miles a minute frantically attempting to clean up all the plot lines before coming to the epic showdown of Harry and Voldemort himself. This rushed plot seems to fill the mold for most of Part 2, as if director David Yates and screenwriter Steve Kloves attempted to push the plot at blinding speeds so the final battle could occur. Notably short are Molly Weasley’s showdown with Bellatrix and the deaths of key characters that we have little time to mourn.

Alan Rickman’s standout performance continues to impress as he draws his portrayal of Severus Snape to a highly satisfying conclusion, giving his character the redemption it so desperately deserves. The core trio has grown and as have their acting chops, servicing the film nicely. It was also enjoyable to see old characters get their chance to shine once more before the conclusion. Professor McGonagall kicking serious ass is always welcome.

One problem that has seemed to plague some of past Harry Potter films, and especially this one is transitioning from scene to scene. While mostly well done, it can feel jarring to slowly and quietly build up the plot, and move to the next point. It feels almost like someone sat down on the remote and hit the skip chapter button. Where Part 1 of Deathly Hallows was an incredibly faithful adaptation of the first half of the novel, Part 2 clumsily steps over some of the details that veterans to the series might clamor for. What this film lacks in keeping up with the complicated plot it more than makes up for with action filled set pieces and wonderful special effects.

The series has grown darker over the years, much darker. In fact don’t plan on seeing this one in 3D or else you won’t be able to make out much of anything. The 3D lens on the camera causes the film to appear darker than it should, and Voldemort’s army of Death Eaters are mighty dark. It adds nothing to the experience except some ashes blowing in your face and a vertigo-inducing cliff. This film was very obviously put into the 3D post production bin, which I don’t really appreciate. If you want to do 3D, I am all for it, but at least do it properly with actual 3D cameras.

These are but minor annoyances to fans who know what is coming and just want to experience it as quickly as possible, pausing only for mere moments before jumping back into the action. The end of the seventh book is portrayed as well as it can be in two hours and does a fantastic job of giving people their last taste of Pottery goodness before it fades away.

The end of Harry Potter is bittersweet. It is a series I began as a ten-year-old boy, and a series that is now completed a little over decade later. While the battle may be won and the books no longer coming out, I will always hold a special place for The Boy Who Lived.

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The Good: Harry Potter turned epic action film. Better than Transformers because the explosions mean something.

The Bad: The plot isn’t as strong as Part 1. It is gone for good, no more Harry, no more Hippogriffs, no more House Cup, no more Weasleys, no more Dursleys, no more Hagrid or Snape or Dumbledore, no more Hogsmead or Diagon Alley, no more Hogwarts.

The Ugly: Post production 3D. Gandalf meets Morgan Freeman meets Dumbledore (little too much light in the background of the scene in question).

Score: 8.75 out of 10

[All pictures are taken from the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Trailer]

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Second Opinion by Ryan McGinley

If you haven’t seen all the advertising everywhere, this is the last Harry Potter film that will conclude the book series, and what a satisfying and bittersweet ending it is. Part 2 picks up exactly where Part 1 left off. As soon as the camera pans on to Harry kneeling at Dobby’s grave, the plot doesn’t stop rolling until the credits do. The pacing is set differently than the books to fit into the two hour time slot, and this works for the movie, filling in what you would need, but doesn’t give you much more. The decision to follow multiple plot branches tries to help those who haven’t read the books, and those who did read the books will feel slightly shafted because some of the better more detailed parts of the last battle were left out for time purposes.

The acting reaches its peak with this movie, maybe not for our three heroes, but the secondary characters really shine, especially Dame Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall. Daniel Radcliff, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson have been working on their characters for more then half their lives, and it really shows in this final installment, as they capture all the emotion conveyed in the books. Even with the dark setting, the writing leaves room for some laughs along the way to help lighten the mood. As a follower of Harry Potter since near the beginning, I have loved the movie interpretations, and this last movie gave me the closure I wanted. But as I walked out of the theater it left me wondering “What if they did it this way, or followed the book more closely here” which is something you may get from every book turned movie, however I thought about it after Harry Potter more then any other.

The Good: The acting is done amazingly well, and you get the conclusion you wanted all along.

The Bad: Was that Gandalf the White or Dumbledore?

The Ugly: Die-hard Potter fans will be left wanting a little more, maybe a deleted scenes extra could fill that void.

Score: 9 out of 10