Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

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If last year's first half of the finale marked the beginning of the end with a gripping feeling of doom and gloom, this wraps things up once and for all on a note of melancholy. Oh, it's dramatic, to be sure: gorgeous, somber and startling as the young wizard faces his destiny and fights the evil Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). But the end of this staggeringly successful movie franchise, an epic fantasy saga spanning eight films over the past decade, provides a necessary emotional catharsis for Harry and for us. Even those who aren't ardent Potterphiles might find themselves getting unexpectedly choked up a couple of times. That's always been the real magic of the series, based on J.K. Rowling's novels: that mixture of the exotic and the everyday, the otherworldly and the utterly relatable. No longer the innocent children they were when they entered Hogwarts, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) are growing up and moving on, and so must we. That the future of the wizard world hangs in the balance in this final installment is only part of the tale. Still, director David Yates has accomplished the difficult task of bringing it all to a close in satisfying fashion. PG-13 for some sequence of intense action violence and frightening images. 130 minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.

Christy Lemire, AP Movie CriticAssociated Press text, photo and/or graphic material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. Neither these AP Materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use. The AP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing.

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