The Guardian newspaper film critic has slammed the new Harry Potter film saying "It's simply that it's hard to mourn the demise of a franchise that was never more than half-alive to begin with."

Critic Xan Brooks called the last two films a "prolonged death rattle" and said it couldn't end soon enough for him.

"Deathly Hallows looks great, in the way that a show home looks great." he writes adding that "the likes of Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Imelda Staunton and Helena Bonham Carter flit between the scenes with the satisfied air of jobbing actors who have been offered walk on roles at the world's most expensive fancy dress ball."

While accepting the financial success of the films Xan writes;

"What remains to be seen is how they fare once the final credits roll; how they will stand up 10, 20 or 30 years down the line. Try as I might, I can't shake the suspicion that these films are too obviously built for purpose and too lacking in wit, warmth and humanity to survive much beyond the moment."

Ouch.