The end is nigh. But as this has been a lucrative little earner for Warner Bros, not quite that nigh; the conclusion to the wizardry Potter’s adventures has been split into two parts so fans get twice the Potter, but at twice the price, naturally. Cynical marketing exploits aside, will the series go out with a spell-binding bang or whimper?

With Hogwarts now under the dark powers of Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and his chums find themselves on the run like criminals. Voldemort wants him dead, so he sends out his Death Eaters in search of him. Harry’s friends are prepared to put their own lives on the line for him as they help put Voldemort off the scent, but at great risk to themselves.

If Harry, Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) are to defeat Voldemort they have to track down the location of the Horcruxes. After discovering one of them, they soon realise that destroying them is trickier than they first thought. But with Voldemort’s dark magic growing ever stronger, the trio also find that there are very few places for them to safely hide.

When they are told of the Deathly Hallows however, it gives them all a glimmer of hope. Could they be the key to defeating Voldemort once and for all?

It’s reached that point in this franchise where it doesn’t really matter what you think of Harry Potter; this is the seventh film in the series, so those that have enjoyed the ride so far will continue to do so ‘til the very end. Likewise, this effort is highly unlikely to change the minds of those that are left rigidly cold by the teen wizard’s exploits.

All that’s left then is to determine where it sits in the Potter canon. Chronologically of course, it’s perched at the end, but how does it stand in terms of the overall legacy?

Firstly, it is far more enjoyable than the atrocious last episode that was Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, but that really isn’t saying much. It kicks off promisingly enough, with the first fifteen minutes alone containing more action and wizardry than its predecessor had in its entirety. And then familiar cracks begin to appear.

Essentially Deathly Hallows is one chase scene, lasting two hours and forty-three minutes, interspersed with lots of quiet moments with teens pouting at campsites. It’s as if there’s been some muted alliance with the Twilight cast to see which group of stroppy teens can emote the most. Ingmar Bergman would probably approve but it’s certainly not a staple of mainstream cinema that should be encouraged.

It also doesn’t help that the inordinate time the trio spend in rural campsites feels like a series of adverts for casual teen wear from Marks & Spencer. You half expect to see Twiggy and Danni Minogue sporting cosy knitwear, walk past the three of them, with the sound of autumn leaves crunching underfoot. Strapline: these are no ordinary wizards, they’re M & S wizards.

Clearly director David Yates was instructed to draw out the story for as long as possible, hence the finale being split into two halves. What story there is in part 1 though could have easily been told in an hour of film, which at least would have made it tighter and more enjoyable to watch.

If nothing else, at least it gave a fine bunch of English talent a day or two of work. Out of them all it’s only Fiennes who really has enough screen time to develop his character; his Voldemort finally comes to life allowing him to flesh out the darkness within him. Everyone else, including Julie Waters, Robbie Coltrane, Peter Mullen and Alan Rickman have nothing more than passing cameos.

As a way of setting up a finale Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows does its job well enough, albeit with far too much filling.

As far as part 2 is concerned, it can't come soon enough; if only to act as a bookend to a franchise that probably went a sequel or three too far. Let’s just hope that Harry, resplendent in knitwear, bows out in style with his final performance before taking up residence at Caesars Palace for a year or two. Now that we’d pay to see.