The problem, as was the case in the first film, is that by the last third it all starts to look labored. What should be movie magic by the end turns into a standard, familiar, and inevitable confrontation with evil and an equally inevitable victory by our heroes. (Advice to Chris Columbus: there's only one Spielberg.)

Even though, whether reading the books or watching the movies, we know our heroes will triumph, in the books the suspense is terrific, while in the movie, by the end, there's too much of a spectacle, roller coaster feel. I couldn't help imagining the big battle as a thrill ride at a theme park.

It worked in the books. I admired the way the plot pieces snapped together with a satisfying click, and the evil that Harry confronts feels menacing and real, instead of obligatory and comic-bookish. Although, truth be told, those we're supposed to hate (other than Voldemort), the Dursleys and the Malfoys, are extremely wooden in both mediums. In particular, Draco and his father Lucius, are required to sneer and utter hiss-worthy lines that few actors could pull off, especially child actors.

The actors portraying Harry, Ron, and Hermione are again up to the task, infusing their characters with the necessary innocence and wonder, but coming off as three-dimensional. And the British thespians - Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, and Alan Rickman - are a joy to watch. Rickman's performance, in particular, provides thrills for the way it skates the line between camp and character. Not so for Kenneth Branagh's Gilderoy Lockhart. I found him to be too cartoonish and over-the-top. Kenneth seemed to be having a good time with the pompous character, but I wasn't.

Many of the films' weaknesses could be mitigated, were they headed by a more imaginative director. Or maybe they just needed to be more tightly edited. Two hours and 41 minutes is too much time to be in the hands of a pedestrian director; nor does it help that I feel that pop movies, like pop songs, have an ideal length - 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Still, there are a good many magical, engrossing moments, and as escapes to the movie theater go, you could do a lot worse.