Daniel Radcliffe (right) as Harry Potter, with Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley.

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Part 1 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a different kind of Harry Potter movie for a myriad of reasons.

For one, it’s the beginning of the end – which is not a thought that sits well with me. I read the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone when I was in the eighth grade. That was a lot of years ago but I’ve been hooked on HP ever since.

Another reason is that this movie is dark. It’s emotional, suspenseful and heavy – themes that are certainly present in the other films, but not to this extent.

In this movie, there is no Dumbledore to make things better at the end. There are no quidditch matches and no scenes with fresh-faced students marveling at the joys of being a wizard.

Harry, Ron and Hermione are wiser, no longer naïve about the truth of the world: life doesn’t always have happy endings. It’s a sobering thought and this is a sobering movie.

Don’t get me wrong; there are still some funny, funny scenes. It’s still the same goofy Ron and wisecracking twins, Fred and George. Luna Lovegood is as spacey as ever. And wherever there’s Dobby the house elf, you know there’s some laughter and mischief.

But there’s no denying that this is a different Harry – he’s a man on a mission.

Radcliffe, with Emma Watson as Hermione Granger.

Dumbledore’s dying request was that Harry, Ron and Hermione track down all of Lord Voldemort’s horcruxes – enchanted objects that contain a piece of Voldemort’s soul. He cannot be killed until all of his horcruxes have been destroyed.

It’s the ultimate match-up of good vs. evil and the sacrifices either side will make to win.

I thought that the movie stayed as true to the book as it could – there’s a lot of information to fit in and even breaking the final book into two movies isn’t going to include everything. There were some things I was missing, but nothing that detracted from the overall story.

The acting, like always, was great. I especially loved Bill Nighy as Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour.

For some people – like me – the end of the Harry Potter series is a door closing on childhood. But it’s also a reminder that good always wins in the end.

As sad as the end makes me, I can’t wait to see Part 2.