This November marked the beginning of the end for a series that has managed to capture the hearts of a generation. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the first installment of a two part send off, was every bit as magical and creative as the previous six movies, but,  unlike the others, Deathly Hallows takes on a more mature tone. The destruction is bigger, the deaths are greater and the villains are more ruthless. And as for our beloved Harry, Ron and Hermione, they’re no longer little kids: they’re mature, they’re adults and they’re ready to take on the task of killing the big bad wizard, Lord Voldemort.

Staying nearly parallel with the book, Deathly Hallows opens with the villainous Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) assembling his Death Eaters at Malfoy Manor. Fiennes portrayal of Voldemort seems to progress more and more each movie, and in Deathly Hallows, Fiennes captures the gritty evilness of Lord Voldemort in a way he has never done before. He hisses, he snarls and he sneers on screen, inflicting not only his death eaters with fear but the audience as well. As soon as Voldemort’s pet snake Nagingi, slithers on to the screen, with the intent to gobble up the poor witch that Voldemort has kidnapped, the message has been delivered to the audience,This Harry Potter is much darker and more terrifying than ever before.

The movie continues with just as much action and intensity with which it began. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) finds himself with the impossible task of killing Voldemort without the guidance of Dumbledore and without the safe, protective net of Hogwarts. Yes, you heard me right- no Hogwarts. Deathly Hallows manages to distance itself even more from its previous successors, with the elimination of the wizarding castle with which fans have come to associate their beloved boy wizard. But Harry, Ron and Hermione don’t have time for Hogwarts. In order to kill the dark lord they need to track down his Horcruxes, or in muggle language, scattered pieces of his soul. The only trouble is these horcruxes could be anywhere, and Harry, Ron and Hermione have no idea how to find them, or how to destroy them if they do get a hold of them.

Living like fugitives, the trio flees through the English countryside, living mostly in an enchanted magical tent. Having no other actors on screen to buffer their performance, the trio has the daunting task of carrying the movie solely by themselves. Not many young actors could pull it of, but Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint manage to do it effortlessly- a tribute to the almost ten years they’ve spent perfecting their parts.

As the movie progresses, the trio flies through one incriminating circumstance after another. In one instance they find themselves sneaking into the Ministry of Magic (under disguise, thanks to the use of polyjuice potion) and in another they’re caught running for their lives, trying to avoid dangerous wizard snatchers.

Never a dull moment, the movie seems to end all to soon, concluding with a tragic death and a cliff hanger ending, Deathly Hallows leaves audience members on the edge of their seat, desperately wanting the final chapter- which won’t hit theaters till this July.

This movie, more than any of the others, stands as a tribute to all the fans who have stuck with Harry through his whole journey. Though it may be darker, scarier and more mature, the magic and mystery of the series is still at the heart of Deathly Hallows. As a fan of the series, I applaud the brilliant acting and attention to detail, but as a movie-goer, I bounce up and down in my seat crying, “Is it July yet?!”