All's well that ends well, as William Shakespeare said (yes, folks, there were British writers before J.K. Rowling), and the eighth and final movie based on Rowling's creation, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2," does wrap up the good-vs.-evil drama of the teen wizard Harry Potter in exciting fashion.

Not without some bumps along the way, though. Director David Yates (who has helmed the series since "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix") and writer Steve Kloves (who adapted all but "Phoenix") have to cram so much action, effects sequences — this time in 3-D — and moments for all the familiar characters (and, remarkably at this late juncture, two new ones) that things can feel rushed.

"Part 2" picks up where "Part 1" left off, with Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his friends Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) searching for Horcruxes — the artifacts that contain bits of the soul of Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). Meanwhile, Voldemort has taken from Professor Dumbledore's grave the Elder Wand, the first of the Deathly Hallows that can bestow immeasurable power on a wizard.

These dueling scavenger hunts eventually lead Harry and Voldemort back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, now under the authoritarian thumb of Severus Snape (Alan Rickman). Harry's route introduces him to Dumbledore's long-absent brother Aberforth (Ciaran Hinds) and the ghost of Helena Ravenclaw (Kelly MacDonald), two new characters in a narrative already bursting with too many wizards, witches, goblins, ghosts and Muggles to track.

Most of the action centers on the battle for Hogwarts, as Voldemort's forces attack the school while the students and noble adults — including the Weasleys (Mark Williams, Julie Walters) and professors McGonagall (Maggie Smith) and Lupin (David Thewlis) — defend the castle. (Surprisingly, and quite charmingly, the standout in the castle's defense is long-maligned Neville Longbottom, winningly played by Matthew Lewis.)

Yates seems overawed by the decision to make this last "Harry Potter" in 3-D, and it colors some of the action sequences, such as a vertigo-inducing ride through the vaults of Gringotts Bank or the deadly strikes of Voldemort's snake Nagini. Some crucial scenes — the breakthrough kiss between Ron and Hermione (don't whine about spoilers — you knew this was coming) or Harry's curtain-call visit with some of the characters who have died in previous films — don't feel like authentic moments. They feel more like narrative necessities, or pandering to the Potter fan base.

The most enduring aspect of the "Harry Potter" films, and the reason this one works, is the acting of its three young leads. The series was blessed with great good luck, or perhaps wizardly magic, to find in Radcliffe, Grint and Watson three pre-teens who would grow up to be accomplished actors.

You might also credit their co-stars, a Who's Who of British acting talent — besides Fiennes, Smith, Thewlis and Rickman, there are return appearances by Emma Thompson, Jim Broadbent, John Hurt and Helena Bonham Carter, and a couple of surprises.

In "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2," Grint and Watson shine as the fondly feuding Ron and Hermione, and Radcliffe carries the responsibility of Harry's fate with gravity and grace. Through the ups and downs of the series, these three have stayed true and provided reason to hope that their lives after Hogwarts will be as rewarding and happy as those of their characters.

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'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2'

The boy wizard's saga comes to an overall satisfying, if somewhat rushed, conclusion.

Where • Theaters everywhere

When • Opens today

Rating • PG-13 for some sequences of intense action violence and frightening images

Running time • 131 minutes