After seven previous films and boatloads of money, the Harry Potter films have come to an end with “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.” This film follows Harry and his friends as they race to stop the evil Lord Voldemort from killing them and taking over the world. In similar style to the previous movies, this entry boasts great special effects, a unique universe, and, for better or worse, memorable performances. However for all that this film does right, it still suffers many of the pitfalls of previous Harry Potter films.

I’ve always found Voldemort to be an interesting character, and he has always left me wanting more each time he has appeared. Naturally I was a little excited to see Ralph Fiennes front and center for the climax of the series, but I couldn’t help but laugh every time he opened his mouth. I couldn’t take him seriously as the villain and I’m surprised he managed to gain any followers prancing about the way he does. He came off too much like a cartoon and less like a fearsome, sinister force that I wondered what I saw in him in the previous films. I love Ralph Fiennes as an actor, but he was completely distracting to me this time around. Maybe I never noticed it before because Voldemort has had very little screen time until now.

Another issue that I had with this movie is the same issue I’ve had with every movie in this series. Each film is a loose patchwork of events from the books that become almost incoherent as the series progresses. I’m not trying to nitpick and say that the Hufflepuff crest should have been a lighter shade of yellow. I mean that the plot and characters take leaps in the story that make no sense if you haven’t read the book first. It’s practically a prerequisite for enjoying the films. At this point, I’m guessing that many of the people who are watching the final chapter in this saga have already read the books and fill in the gaps just fine on their own.

So why should you watch this movie if the villain stinks and the plot is a mess? I’ve got two words for you: Wizard Fights. Since everything in the wizarding world has come down to a fight at Hogwarts between good and evil, there are naturally numerous spells being cast on screen and they look really cool. When Harry and Voldemort finally had a showdown with each other, it was epic! If Muhammad Ali fought a bear on the back of a dinosaur, that would have been close to describing how cool the fight between the title character and his nemesis was. The rest of the battle was cool to see as well. Various characters point sticks at each other and flashes of light hit other characters. The only thing that would have made the wizard fights even cooler would have been if their sticks went, “Pew, pew, pew!” when they shot off a spell.

I don’t mean to sound completely sour on this movie, but at this point in the series I know what to expect from a Harry Potter movie. I really enjoyed the books and the movies can be somewhat entertaining. This one has great special effects, and cool action sequences. I wouldn’t recommend watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 for plot alone because it is not really a stand-alone movie. If you’re a fan of Harry Potter you’ve probably already seen it or you will see it soon, but if you’re a casual fan like myself, you’re not missing too much.

for how with a different actor this movie might have hit a home run.