Harry Potter has come to end, not with a whimper, but with a bang. The final installment; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, in keeping with its otherworldly success, of the decade-long saga is by far the most captivating, emotional, and stunning to date.

This final film in the series follows Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) as they embark to destroy the final horcruxes – and, in turn, Voldemort (Ray Fiennes) himself. As the trio returns to Hogwarts to find the dark magic relics, we find that the safe haven of the wizarding world is a grim shadow of its former days. With a pitch-perfect Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) as newly appointed headmaster and the Order of the Phoenix largely disbanded, the fate of the final showdown between good and evil seems to rest in the ever-capable hands of our motley trio.

As an army of Death Eaters, dementors, and giants descend on the castle – led by an unyielding Voldemort – the epic battle begins. And it is magic like we’ve never seen before. The only one of the series shot in 3D, this installment is the most technically precise and enhances the magic to its most ominous and awe-inspiring capacity.

In the end, though, the true magic lies far deeper than the wands and the spells. Through touching montages and lingering close-ups, we are reminded that this story is about the simple act of growing up and the friendships that carry us through it all. And after 14 years of this spellbinding story, we have certainly grown up beside them.