Doom and gloom dominate conclusion of Harry Potter series

Talk about a long goodbye.

Seven books, eight movies, 10 years.

But who's counting? Certainly not the gazillions waiting to witness Harry Potter riding off into the sunset -- or, more properly, waving as the Hogwarts Express leaves the station -- in the cinematic conclusion of J.K. Rowling's best-selling saga.

And just as Rowling's universe is divided between those with truly magical powers and merely mortal Muggles, so its movie audience is split between the true believers and those just going along for the ride.

If you're among the latter, however, you may need a quick refresher course before plunging back into the Potterverse. (Or maybe not so quick; watching the entire eight-part tale would take most of a day.)

As you might expect, "Deathly Hallows -- Part 2" picks up precisely where "Part 1" left off last November.

Harry's malevolent nemesis, Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) -- who, lest we forget, murdered Harry's parents and remains perpetually peeved that Harry himself survived his attack -- retains possession of the Elder Wand, one of the talismans that renders its possessor virtually invincible.

Slithery Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) has replaced Harry's mentor, Albus Dumbledore, as headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

As for Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his faithful wizarding companions, brainy Hermione (Emma Watson) and genial Ron (Rupert Grint), they're still on the run, searching for the Horcruxes that contain bits of Voldemort's poisonous soul.

Destroying the Horcruxes will destroy their fiendish foe -- but, as usual, the nobler the goal, the more brutal the battle.

It's an epic confrontation, one that leads from the cavernous vaults of Gringotts goblin-controlled bank to Hogwarts' haunted halls, as the forces of light make one courageous stand after another against the Dark Lord's murderous minions.

And, as the battle rages, Harry must come to terms with his history, his essential nature -- and the responsibility that comes from being, in Voldemort's words, "The Boy Who Lived."

Not for long, perhaps. But as long as he does, we know Harry (and his friends) intend to keep fighting.

It's all quite reassuring and undeniably stirring. Assuming, of course, you're a true believer.

For those of us who haven't quite succumbed to raging Pottermania, "Deathly Hallows -- Part 2's" arrival occasions a quibble or two.

And we're not talking Quidditch. Although, I confess, I do miss those carefree early school days, when the "Harry Potter" franchise offered a modicum of innocent charm to counter all the doom and gloom.

These days, director David Yates (who's called the shots on the franchise's final four installments) and screenwriter Steve Kloves (who's scripted all but one of the movies) double down on the dreary, displaying precious little interest in anything that smacks of unadulterated fun.

Then again, that's probably as it should be when the stakes are so high. But as "Deathly Hallows -- Part 2" marches from one grim, life-or-death action sequence to the next, a certain mechanical tone seeps into the proceedings.

That, in turn, too often pushes what's always been at the heart of the Potter movies -- the interplay among Harry, his friends and enemies -- to the periphery.

As a result, the glittering array of Master Thespians who have populated the movie through the years are reduced to frustratingly fleeting cameos. (Don't blink or you'll miss Oscar winners Emma Thompson as professor Sybil Trelawney and Jim Broadbent as professor Horace Slughorn.) As professor Minerva McGonagall, double Oscar winner Maggie Smith stands her ground at Hogwarts with commanding authority. Kelly Macdonald ("No Country for Old Men") proves a suitably ethereal presence as a ghostly Hogwarts resident. And -- hallelujah -- the wizardly Michael Gambon returns for an expectedly poignant reunion between Harry and his dear, departed mentor Dumbledore. "Of course it's happening in your head, Harry," Dumbledore reassures his most stalwart student. "Why should that mean it's not real?"

Alas, evil is most assuredly real in "Deathly Hallows -- Part 2," with Fiennes a frail but always formidable foe. Yet it's Rickman who proves this "Deathly Hallows' " most valuable villain, conjuring hidden motives and past heartbreak from Snape's shadowy past.

Speaking of the past, there's a brief glimpse of Harry -- alongside Hermione and Ron, naturally -- from their first years at Hogwarts. And it's a shock to realize that we've watched them all grow from childhood to maturity before our very eyes.

As always, Radcliffe retains an endearingly owlish demeanor. But he also captures the quiet determination of a young man determined to confront his life-or-death destiny -- making the world safe for good folks, wizards and Muggles alike -- with admirable aplomb.

He knows all too well what he's up against; as he reminds Hermione and Ron in a moment of frustration, "When have any of our plans actually worked? We plan, we get there, all hell breaks loose."

Ah, but Harry and his friends are willing to brave that hell all the same. And that makes all the difference in the world -- theirs or ours.

Contact movie critic Carol Cling at ccling@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272.