Don't bother trying to understand what happens in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" without seeing "Part 1." The final film in the lucrative franchise doesn't waste time catering to novices of the wizarding world.

Just get your facts straight about Horcruxes and Hallows before entering the theater.

"Part 2" is particularly satisfying to fans who have waited anxiously to see the final showdown between The Boy Who Lived and He Who Must Not Be Named, aka Lord Voldemort. Director David Yates executes every exciting moment from the book's final pages with grace, and the climactic Battle of Hogwarts is every bit as awesome as you hoped it would be.

"Deathly Hallows Part 2" isn't really a stand-alone film. It helps to recall the quiet, character-driven moments of "Part 1," because the latest film has too little time to really provide those definitive moments for each character. "Part 2" is one of the shortest in the entire franchise, and the film rushes over many of the film's big death scenes.

Yates does bring back the majority of the outstanding British cast for at least a cameo, and it's wonderful to see Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall and Michael Gambon as Professor Dumbledore return to command the most memorable moments of "Part 2."

The indispensable Alan Rickman also gets his moment to shine as Professor Snape, with his backstory being the most potent sequence in the film.

Of course, nobody can shortchange the three young actors at the center of the franchise. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson have grown into impressive thespians themselves.

Radcliffe especially holds his own alongside Rickman, Ralph Fiennes and the rest of the more experienced actors. Hopefully the "Harry Potter" franchise won't be the last we see of him on screen.

I was one of the people who didn't like the idea of splitting "Deathly Hallows" into two films. After seeing both parts, I'm even more appreciative of "Part 1," as most of its content would've landed on the cutting room floor had "Deathly Hallows" been conceived as a single film. Without them I don't think "Part 2" would have as much of an emotional impact.

Rest assured, "Part 2" provides those big fan moments - Neville Longbottom vs. the snake, Bellatrix Lestrange vs. Mama Weasley, etc. Point is, fans will walk out satisfied with "Part 2."

The real way to see "Deathly Hallows," however, will be back-to-back, in its complete four-and-a-half-hour glory. Just time your DVD screening of "Part 1" to finish a few minutes before the next showtime of "Part 2."

Grade: B+

Ticket Stubs is sponsored by the Hayden Cinema Six Theater. Showtimes at www.HaydenCinema6.com. Tyler Wilson can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com.