The kids whom we've been following for lo, these ten years, are grown up to be the best wizards ever conjured by a brilliant, creative mind, and the prize goes to J.K. Rowling. So magical is her series of books and movies that the award hasn't been invented yet to adequately pay homage to the talent that allowed her to conceive and brilliantly handle a story of such grand sweep, depth and cast of characters. One can only imagine and envy a mind teeming with such fecund ideas and imagery. (Those living paintings!)

In the eigth and final chapter of the movie series, the young students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, have matriculated into young adults that we can relate to like never before. This is, perhaps, the grandest and most complex coming-of-age story every mounted by a film crew. As the final scenes fade into the end titles, we feel the ending of a spell and a journey. And, not without some sadness and satisfaction.

With Harry Potter's (Daniel Radcliffe) arch nemesis Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) in possession of the Elder Wand, the most powerful one in wizardry's world, he itches for the final confrontation with Harry, his sole threat to total domination and ultimate power. He's been slightly weakened by Harry, Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and Ron Weasley's (Rupert Grint) ability to destroy one of the Horcruxes that give him strength (in "The Deathly Hallows, Part 1").

To hasten his destiny, Voldemort and his dark forces launch an attack on the school while the wizards erect an invisible barrier to protect against their weapons or entering the grounds. It makes the school imregnable for a while, but it falls against their power and the grounds are invaded.

Harry finds another Horcrux but his true need for a victory over the dark lord are the three magical objects known as the Deathly Hallows, a wand that could not be defeated in battle, which Vooldemort now possesses;, a way to bring the dead back to life; and a cloak that makes the wearer invisible to Death itself. Harry obtains each of these but never all three at the same time, leaving him vulnerable. Word of Harry's quest reaches Voldemort who knows full well of the danger it poses against him, and it spurs his final batle.

The episode brings back characters from preceding chapters, sometimes in little more than cameos, but in the worthy task of resolving story threads or just as reminders of a few who participated importantly along the way. Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid, Garry Oldman as Sirius Black and Jim Broadbent as Professor Horace Slughorn are among these. But Maggie Smith as Professor Minerva McGonagall and Alan Rickman as Severus Snape are much more vital here, in the end game.

In a visit to the white mists of wizard heaven, we greatly enjoy an extended and vital scene with the inimitable Michael Gambon reprising his Albus Dumbledore role as mentor and advisor to Harry and his ward's destiny.

The visual elements, their design and state-of-the-art effects, are dazzling and tonally in perfect harmony with the subject matter. It is consistent with all previous episodes and damn near sets the bar for sheer artistry and scope. Cinematographer Eduardo Serra ("Blood Diamond") and production designer Stuart Craig ("The English Patient," "Mary Reilly" and aboard the Potter train since the beginning) are the artists most to be congratulated for the achievement.

Screenwriter Steve Kloves' contribution to the success of the movie series is well established and in this final chapter he has (arguably) defied movie history by showing that some stories can bear eight chapters. His end one will probably go down as his best and, perhaps, most remunerative. That remains to be seen, but bear in mind that he is Rowling's adapter of choice and another mark of her creative wisdom. He lives up to it by knowing how to condense and choose and preserve the drama of the source material in two-hour+ increments.

Director David Yates can also go down as one of the most effective since he picked up the reins in 2007's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, making him the man at the top for the last four chapters. Rowling goes down also as one of the producers.

This began with three young in the lead roles whose talents were secondary to how well they compare to the images of the books. While extraordinarily well done, especially with the title role, the talents that emerge after ten years of experience are somewhat less impressive than might have been. While Radcliffe is showing great promise in his continuing career, one might wish for a more dynamic personality to justify the central role of leadership in the well-stocked wizardry school and as he comes up against the most ravagingly evil power in their universe.

I don't see the trio's emergence into adulthood accompanied by strong developments in their craft. As sweet and lovely as they all are, I detect that their limitations are reflected in what Klove calls upon them to do in the screenplays. The question is whether the right "look" is enough and, I daresay, the success of the series indicates that it is. As for future careers, after ten years of exposure, no one need be concerned for their future in film. The crystal ball is clear: they'll have many a diverse opportunity to impress us. What can anyone do but applaud them and wish them well.

To be lauded, as well, is the entire supporting cast, a collection of very inspiring actors whose work here is uniformly inspired by the material they're fortunate enough to be breathing life into. Gambon, Fiennes, Rickman, Thewlis, Thompson, Coltrane, Oldman, Hurt, Carter, Hinds, Smith, Broadbent -- just some of those who put their hearts into it and gave the series magnificent living colorations.

In the end, it's Rowling's incredible inventiveness that makes it a can't-put-down book series with a not-to-be-missed movie series following closely behind. It's the grandness of the world she created and the fascination with magic that we all share. It's the humor that pervades the seriousness of evil attempting to deny us our destinies. It's probably a whole lot more, but it's certainly a major accomplishment in the reels of history.

                                      ~~  Jules Brenner