It's never easy to say farewell to a good friend. That sad goodbye is pulled off with epic style in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2."
This last stop at Hogwarts is the perfect capper to Hollywood's highest-earning film franchise. It's touching. It's action-packed. It never sacrifices story for 3D effects.
This slam-bang finale also delivers the sendoff fans expected, both for themselves and the characters they have come to care for over the last 10 years.
Picking up where 2010's "Deathly Hallows: Part 1" left off, Harry, Hermione and Ron (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson) continue their mission to destroy the seven magical Horcruxes that contain the fragments of Lord Voldemort's soul.
Director David Yates keeps the mood dark and creepy as Harry and his pals rush to retrieve the final Horcrux hidden inside Hogwarts and destroy Voldemort.
The stakes are high. Time is running out. And deep down inside Harry and Hermione know what others in the wizarding world have been trying to hide for years.
Harry must die to save the day.
Even those who know J.K. Rowling's books well will find themselves wishing away this inevitability in "Deathly Hallows 2." But Rowling's intentions are respected in this finale, which finds Hogwarts' magical halls of learning crumbling under the siege of Voldemort's forces.
Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) is now Hogwarts' headmaster. Thanks to Rickman's ambiguous portrayal no one really knows how evil Snape has become.
Under his heavy hand, Hogwarts' students are marched across the school's courtyard like Nazi soldiers. Voldemort's Death Eaters float in the skies around the school, keeping tabs on who comes and goes.
The staff and students have remained loyal to Harry. But as much as Harry would wish it, he cannot protect his friends at Hogwarts from the dangers to come.
Potter remains the wizard of awe
Director Yates took a lot of flack for introducing 3D to "Deathly Hallows 2," the first film in the franchise to use this technology. Yet Yates' strategy paid off.
Filled with fire-breathing dragons, serpents and spectacular battle sequences, "Deathly Hallows 2" is a jaw-dropping sight. But the story is never compromised by 3D tricks.
Yates also gives some Potter regulars room to shine.
Ralph Fiennes reaches new, malignant highs in "Deathly Hallows 2" as Lord Voldemort.
Rickman's turn as the inscrutable Snape takes on new power and clarity, particularly when audiences learn of his real reasons for hating Harry.
Veteran actress Maggie Smith also gets her chance, at last, to let her fury blaze in the role of Hogwarts professor Minerva McGonagall. When this schoolmarm finally pulls out her wand to buy Harry time it's an awesome sight.
The same is true for Potter favourite, Neville Longbottom, who morphs from a clumsy, nerdy student to man of action thanks to newly minted hunk, Matthew Lewis.
Still, Harry remains the focus in this finale, as does the power of love. That is especially true when Harry marches off to his showdown with Voldemort.
Greeted by the ghosts of his parents and his godfather, Sirius Black, Harry is ready to sacrifice his life for his friends without any regret.
He also asks one question:
"Does it hurt to die?"
"It's nothing," Sirius assures him. "Falling asleep is harder to do."
With that one question Harry conveys a bravery and innocence that touches everyone.
Radcliffe gives his all to this moment. His new maturity also shines in the film's final scene, where Harry encourages another young, insecure boy to hop on the Hogwarts Express and let new magic unfold.
"Together," Harry tells the child. "I'm here for you."
That final nod to the power of human connection is "Deathly Hallow 2's" real pinnacle. As Harry's mother tells him, "You are never alone." That thought stays with moviegoers as "Deathly Hallows 2" closes, as does the memory of Harry Potter -- a friend to call on whenever we're hungering for a little magic.
Four stars out of four.
