The penultimate Harry Potter movie is dark, emotive and in your face.

Essentially the film is a belligerent teenager - moody and full of angst but on the verge of becoming something far greater.

Diehard fans (and 99% of the audience) need no synopsis: Voldermort's return is almost complete and the world's best hope lies with Harry, Hermione and Ron as they set forward to find and destroy the horcruxes that will end Voldermort's life. Unfortunately they have no idea of where or how to achieve their goal.

Director David Yates has done a wonderful job of capturing the darkest of times in the world of wizards and muggles. Dark shadows, an absence of colour and a barrage of grimness add to the constant foreboding tone.

And while we all know what to expect there are a few surprises in store for even the most devoted Potterhead. Yates and screenwriter Steve Kloves have a few subtle additions that add to the experience as does a very cool stylistic animation sequence.

The other main addition is an unexpected nudity scene, itself an excellent homage to the movie Excalibur (the timing of which is obviously not a coincidence).

Yates manages to avoid completely sinking into the depression zone by consistently sprinkling small amounts of humour throughout the darkness.

He's helped by some good acting though Daniel Radcliffe's performance seemed a bit wooden at times - surprising given his recent strong showings. But very strong showings from Emma Watson and Rupert Grint provide enough to distract from the small failings.

The cinematography is stunning at times and the effects are both impressive and subtle. Certainly they were seamless enough to be believable.

In fact the believability only emphasises this is NOT a film for children. Moody, scary, dark and depressing, the movie has very few warm fuzzy moments.

Based on such a long novel, it's inevitable that a lot ends up on the chopping floor and fans will endlessly debate what was put in and what was left out. But overall it's hard to be too critical of the majority of the decisions.

Realistically the only real criticism I have of the film is the lack of exposition for people who haven't read the books. There are a few things that aren't explained adequately but could have easily been fitted in with just minor script tweaking: additions wouldn't have even been required.

Overall it's great set-up work for the grand conclusion of a series that has captured the imagination of half the world. It's the necessary darkness before the dawn but delivered with style.

(specific examples and spoilers are limited to the comments below)