Count me as one of the “Harry Potter” fans firmly against splitting the final book “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” into two movies. There are seven books, so there should be seven movies. Period.

Sure, important details can be lost when translating a plot-heavy book to the big screen. But movies are a completely different medium and shouldn’t be expected to translate every word to the screen. Nobody wants to sit in the theater for seven hours anyway.

There are legions of Potter fans who must be happy to see “Deathly Hallows” split to include more details from the final book. But at the end of the day, when you buy a ticket to “Deathly Hallows Part 1,” no matter the quality, you’re only seeing half of a larger, better story.

Now the good news. “Deathly Hallows Part 1” delivers quite a few big thrills and powerful movie moments. More importantly, the young cast led by Daniel Radcliffe give their best performances of the franchise. (more…)