There was very little humor, a lot of dark high drama, and a dollop of gratuitous flesh.
But. when the curtain finally rang down at the 11th hour - "Deathly Hallows" - the latest (last?) installment of the successful Harry Potter franchise ended with a whimper.
Not surprisingly, there were a slew of spectacular special effects (the star of the big-budget flick?) that kept ticket-holders on the edges of their seat, throughout the overly-long feature.
On occasion, for the first 1/3 of the slick endeavour, the J.K. Rowling magical tale dragged a tad, though.
A bit of judicious editing would have succeeded in - yawn - moving the high-stakes drama along at a faster (much-appreciated) clip.
Uh-huh!
Judging by what ended up on the silver screen - it was evident to moi - that Ms. Rowling's creative well has run dry.
Subsequently, it was easy to fathom why the once-talented writer lamented far-and-wide that "Deathly Hallows" would be the last wizard project to grace theatre screens ever again.
In spite of the fact the thought of a Harry Potter screening still triggers a frenzied rush (even at the midnight hour) for coveted tickets in - what had become - a regular pop culture event each outing.
The truth?
Although the ending is "flat", the producers have clearly left the door wide open for a younger generation of wizards to take the helm, I dare say.
The producers have given Harry Potter a proper send-off, though, by focusing mainly on all the loose ends in his intriguing mystical life.
In order to do so, for the most part, the roles of the supporting players were cut back.
Occasionally - Maggie Smith, Ralph Fiennes, and Alan Rickman - steal a bit of Daniel Radcliffe's thunder, though.
In the uneven splashy release, my main criticism falls on the scene that focuses on a "near death" experience of one of the characters.
Although Rowling and the producers had a smattering of state-of-the-art tools capable of real "magical wizardry" at their disposal, the scene failed to strike a glorious chord or even rustle up any wow factor where it was essential most!
It was all downhill after that!
Judging by the ticket sales reported in the media overnight, I expect that audiences will continue to flock to the theatre, and push the numbers into the stratosphere.
I wonder how the audiences are responding about the calibre of the Deathly Hallows once polled outside the theatre doors?
News at 11!
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