“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I” is the seventh installment based on author J.K Rowling’s book series.

The movie is being split up into two parts so the movie distributor, Warner Brothers, can cash in on the Harry Potter hoopla one final time.

This installment finds Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson), and Ron (Rupert Grint) away from Hogwarts, looking for the horcruxes that contain pieces of the soul of the dastardly Lord Voldemort (Ralph Finnes).

What this movie should have spent 146 minutes looking for is its actual soul.

For 146 minutes, the film drones on like a soulless money monster through an animated sequence.

The angst ridden teenage brooding from Harry over his headmaster Dumbledore’s death in the last installment is an insipid love story that at one point is absurdly set to a Nick Cave song.

The plodding, mindless battles are all to set up for Part II coming out in June in 3D.

There are a few pluses in the film, Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) chews up any scene he is in but the rest of the cast leave something to be desired.

The film is a visual feast for the eyes when experienced in an IMAX theater.

Hardcore Harry Potter fanatics will be pleased with the back story and minute details

The casual viewer, however, will have wished the filmmakers condensed all of the book into one single film.

For all of the series’ magic and wizardry, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I” ultimately fails to cast a spell on the viewer.

Rating: C-

Click here for online editor Whitney Knight’s review of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”