The bulk of the story centers on the epic battle for Hogwarts, in which all the characters we've grown to know and love fight to the death against Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) and his band of evil Death Eaters. But hardly any time is devoted to any of the characters except Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his two friends Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint). Even when several prominent characters are killed in battle, we get a quick glance at them but nothing more; it feels like director David Yates and screenwriter Steve Kloves were given a strict time limit to adhere to, and had to cut out most of the emotional heart of the story in order to meet it (indeed, Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is the shortest of the films, at two hours and five minutes). Having everything move along so quickly made it difficult even for seasoned fans like myself to really connect with the story, and made it impossible for newcomers to appreciate the relevance of each magical creature or mysterious incantation whipping by on screen.