After an unbroken run of excellent family films, the Harry Potter franchise runs aground in its seventh instalment, which tackles the first half of the series' epic final volume. With Harry, Ron and Hermione on the run and the regular troupe of supporting actors reduced to the status of high-cost extras, it falls to Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint to carry the bulk of the action by themselves on an extended road trip. While the production values remain impeccable, a drifting story, sluggish pacing and choppy transitions will likely frustrate all but the most devoted of fans. Ending on a skirmish rather than a climax, the film plays more like an extended prologue than a story in its own right. But some stunning set pieces and a beautiful animated segment redeem things considerably.

Harry, Ron and Hermione walk away from their last year at Hogwarts to find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes, putting an end to Voldemort's bid for immortality. But with Harry's beloved Dumbledore dead and Voldemort's unscrupulous Death Eaters on the loose, the world is more dangerous than ever.