MOVIE: "Harry Potter and the Dented Camping Stove," says Cheever.

In this first half of the final installment of Harry Potter, the battle between good and evil draws near. After the death of beloved headmaster Dumbledore, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) are sent on the run to collect a variety of mystical objects to be used in the fight against the evil lord Voldemort. However, little do they know that Voldemort’s supporters are closer than they think...

If there's one thing there isn't enough of in Harry Potter movies, it's time. Hollywood has so far struggled to fit the wide-arching plots of J.K. Rowling's boy wizard and friends into the measly two-and-a-half hours that a film allows. In the past, controversial cuts were made. Fans mourned the loss of Quidditch, or enchanted Christmas parties. The charm of a school for wizardry, a major draw in the books, needed to be nudged aside as the books' plots gained momentum and complexity. So for the last book, time, it seems, has been granted by splitting it into two. So what do the filmmakers do with this miraculous gift? They stick Harry and friends in a tent for half the movie.

And it's a shame, because the film kicks off like a magical whip-crack, with a terrific broomstick ride for freedom across London's dark skyline, a tense encounter with Voldermort, and a daring raid on a horribly changed ministry of magic. But then the tent poles go up, and the waiting begins.

In their defense, the camping scenes are a decent attempt to bring some humanity to characters often dwarfed by heavy, thunderous plot developments. It's here that the tensions emerge, threats are exchanged, tears are shed. Unfortunately, little else happens except for some failed Horcrux smashing attempts, a lot of yelling, and some bumbling, luck-driven discoveries that reminds us how much of the boy wizard's life has been governed by circumstance rather than action.

Don't get me wrong, I like Harry, Ron and Hermione, but I like them a lot more when they're out battling the forces of evil, rather than scowling at each other in a tent.