Does Harry Potter Enchant One Last Time?

While 12/21/12 may be the end of the world, for many of us 7/15/11 is the end of our childhoods. As the screen fades on Harry, Ron and Hermione for the last time and the train pulls away from Platform 9 3/4, we cannot help but remember the beginning of that journey: not just their fated meeting on the Hogwarts’s Express, but the moment you first cracked open a Harry Potter book.

For me it was on the night of my 11^th birthday (yes, the same age as Mr. Potter in Book 1). Although the first few books were already out, it wasn’t until I was given Sorcerer’s Stone that I started the series. Ever since beginning chapter one in my grandparents’ house, I was hooked and have read every word since.

Now I should backtrack and explain that I’m not the super fan type. I’ve never been to a . I don’t own Gryffindor clothing. I haven’t read any of the books more than a couple of times. I can’t quote lines of dialogue or answer trivia questions like: “What color robe was Ollivander wearing when he sells Harry his first wand?”

That being said, I, like many my age, count Harry Potter as a huge part of my childhood. The brilliance about the series is the way the books grow up along with the reader. You start with a story about children, and end with a story about adults with real problems and consequences. There are just some things that magic cannot fix. So it is safe to say that I grew up with Harry. Or maybe as Harry did, is a more appropriate term.

I didn’t grow up an orphan nor was I accepted to a magical U.K. boarding school, but we all have faced some of the same challenges as Harry. And, if you read the books along the same timeline as I did, dealt with those issues at a similar time. While I doubt you’ve battled an ultra-powered evil wizard, sometime in your teens you’ve had to deal with abandonment, new-found responsibility, loyalty to friends, alliance with government, having your first love, your first loss and, more than anything, the struggle between right and wrong, good and evil. Strip away the wands and spells and that is what Harry Potter is about. And that is why so many millions of young adults have gravitated to the books, and count it as a huge part of their childhood.

They are a masterpiece of literature, with humor, adventure and just good, old-fashioned storytelling. I know my kids will read about Harry Potter and I like to think their kids will, too.

But what about the last movie? This is a film review and here I am blathering away while you just want one simple question answered: Should I see the last movie, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2," or not?

The answer, quite simply, is: yes. That is, if you’ve seen the other films or read the books. If you’re a Potter newbie, you’d be pretty lost in a film that doesn’t waste any of its 130 minutes on exposition.

The complaint with “Deathly Hallows Part 1” was that it was mostly background information, a build-up to a climax that never happened. Well, my friends, that climax has it’s own movie.

The plot for "Part 2" is quite simple, more the culmination of many different stories than its own. Harry, Ron and Hermione (played once more by Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Waton) must band together to defend their beloved Hogwarts and vanquish Lord Voldemort (the deliciously evil and nose-less Ralph Fiennes) once and for all. I could go into more detail here, but since those who will be interested in the film probably already know the plot — and those not interested won’t care for more detail — I’ll leave it at that.

While “Part 1” was mostly back story, “Part 2” is almost exclusively one giant action sequence. But what a sequence it is. I can’t think of a better long-form action sequence in recent memory, except for maybe the Battle of Helm’s Deep in “Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers.”

“Deathly Hallows” is a great way to end the series. It is a battle of the ages, between good and evil, featuring a veritable "Who's Who" of Potter characters, all played by great character actors and featuring impressive direction and cinematography. While it’s the most action-heavy film of the series, “Deathly Hallows Part 2” is a touching and exciting conclusion to a franchise that will surely satisfy even the most die-hard of Potter fans.

The film does leave me with a few questions: Why, despite the good actors and direction, did all the Potter films have a lack of human soul, a certain detachment from reality that leaves the audience feeling more like an observer than a participant? Why did this film need to be in 3-D, which did little but add some depth and a lot of dark, slightly blurry backgrounds? And, perhaps most puzzling, why is Voldemort — the most powerful wizard in the world — not able to get a tooth brush or some nail clippers.

What I'd see this week:

• For some adventure - “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2”
• For some laughs - “Horrible Bosses”
• For some drama - “Beginners”
• For the kids - “Winnie The Pooh"