Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part II

I'm just going to be honest. As an avid fiction reader, I judge J.K. Rowling's work to be about average. Initially, the world of Harry Potter was wry, witty and whimsical; not so the last three books. Rowling, perhaps sensing her core audience was maturing, or feeling the simple pull to write stories that were more complex, burdened her last three tomes with a confounding combination of plotting, emotional turbulence and darkness - and pushed the limits of suspension of disbelief. The final Potter book felt as if it abandoned joy altogether; even its conclusion, while it righted the world of witchcraft and wizardry, left me with a sense of loss that had little to do with saying goodbye to Harry and his friends. It led to a tumultuous battle for domination between Potter and Voldemort which was in many ways nonsensical, Rowling eschewing the rules of physics, life and death with the glib certainty that her devoted fans would accept her increasingly random fantasies with relish.

They did; they shelled out billions on Harry's world. And in the end, if my informal polls serve, Harry's denouement resulted not in readers closing the spine of "Deathly Hallows" appreciating the incredible conclusion of the journey, but rather with a shrug as if to say, "Well, I guess that's over."

After watching the final chapter of Rowling's series on film, search your heart and resist the temptation to fall in line with the sycophants: you'll feel the same way as you did when you finished the book. Lots of special effects, good acting: not a lot of joy.

The story picks up where Movie #7 left off: Dobby the House Elf is dead and Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) has pried the Elder Wand from the entombed clutches of Albus Dombledore (Michael Gambon); now, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) must find the remaining Horcruxes to destroy the evil wizard. Inevitably, the quest leads to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where the mother of all magical battles takes place, centered around the epic confrontation between Harry and Voldemort. It's a CGI spectacular augmented by the colorful characters we've come to love: Professor McConagall (Maggie Smith), Severus Snape (Alan Rickman), Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter), Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) and others reappear for the battle. And amidst the shattering of the castle, Harry, Hermione and Ron even find time for a little love.

David Yates' penchant for treating Rowling's source material as his personal gospel, while not as damaging as the pedantic Part I of "Deathly Hallows," makes of this final film an anti-climactic ride through fire, dragons, castles and wizard battles. Some sequences are truly wonderful: the Gringott's break-in is thrillingly realized, and the battle at Hogwarts represents - at last - a budget-blowing masterpiece. But for Potter fans, these are little more than the visual representation of a tale already told. And even if the performances are well-executed (particularly those of Rickman and Fiennes), hitting every Rowling stride means simplified, almost rushed, versions of the same. Witness the final end of Bellatrix, whose final scenes are so slight they're out of sync with the amount of screen time Bonham Carter has enjoyed over the last four films.

I'm unable to delve into the idiosyncrasies of Rowling's plot without putting myself on the "spoiler" list for all time; but suffice it to say that my partner, who is not a devotee but who dutifully watched the six prequels prior to the screening, spent the ride home asking me at least a dozen questions that I simply could not answer aside from my repetitive insistence that Jo just wanted it to be that way - contrary to all logic, and in some cases, even previous films.

Nor am I blind to the enduring relevance of the series' thematic triumphs: sacrifice, friendship, the ethics of power and the challenges of growing up. These explorations have in many ways made the journey worthwhile despite its shortcomings. And "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II" is still an enjoyable summer film, and it concludes the saga with some well-executed panache. But that won't stop you from going home feeling a bit let down from what really should have been a hugely climactic, exhilarating, emotionally satisfying film.