By Tony Johnson, Arts & Entertainment Editor

Devoted fans of the books and film critics alike grew incredibly skeptical when Warner Bros. decided to split the final film of the juggernaut Harry Potter series into two parts. However, worriers can rest easy. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 delivers.

Skeptics were thinking Warner Bros. just decided to squeeze in another movie just so more money can be milked out of J.K. Rowling’s classic franchise. This is true, but splitting the final chapter into two parts means more time with Harry and the gang. When Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson all appear on screen one at a time, the audience regains that sense of familiarity and gives an open-armed reception to these beloved characters and celebrated actors. Even though it’s been a year and a half since we’ve last seen these former Hogwarts students work out their wands, it seems like yesterday, largely due to the fact that we know it’s the beginning of the end. This realization gives off an enormous feeling of nostalgia that won’t be able to be shaken off until Part 2 hits theatres in July.

Part 1 begins where Half Blood Prince left off, with Harry, Ron, and Hermione setting off on a quest to find and destroy Voldemort’s remaining horcruxes, aka bits and pieces of Voldemort’s soul that he has strewn throughout the world in order to keep his immortality. Since the majority of this installment is just the three of them running around looking for these pieces or running away from Voldemort’s army of death eaters, it goes by incredibly fast for a movie that is nearly 2 and a half hours long.

This is a good thing and a bad thing. Compared to other entries in the series, it is the most action filled Harry Potter film since The Goblet of Fire. Deathly Hallows Part 1 more than makes up for the lack of action found in Half Blood Prince, and these intense sequences and set pieces are carried out through beautiful cinematography by Eduardo Serra.

The down side of this fast paced feel is the lack of or minimal appearances from favorite supporting characters such as Severus Snape (always flawlessly played by Alan Rickman), Harry’s love interest Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright), and Draco Malfoy (an underused Tom Felton), all of whom are hardly anywhere to be found. With Hogwarts not even looming in the distance, the freedom Harry, Ron, and Hermione now have takes a little while to get used to, and at some points takes away from the journey as they seem to transport to random locales within Europe or New Zealand.

Though it feels brief, Deathly Hallows Part 1 still has the emotional connection that can be found in all of the films. The action makes it go by fast, but the action is unmatched. It is still a grand escape, but it is an escape that doesn’t amount to more or less than the other chapters, and its main focus seems to be building up suspense and anticipation for the epic finale that will be found in Part 2. It is still a grand achievement that should be experienced by loyal fans and cinematic escapists alike, and it makes one hell of a goodbye before the end arrives. B+