Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010 David Yates)

Eduardo Serra has taken over on camera - known for his historical, natural light films he seems an odd choice for a special effects movie - though we benefit from some refreshingly natural night lighting.

Of all the series this is the one with a saggy middle (Steve Kloves writing) after a spectacular aerial battle opening. If you apply the Man Who Came to Dinner rule it needs Jimmy Durante to turn up. Nevertheless we get wonderful turns from Bill Nighy, Ralph Fiennes, Imelda Staunton and Helena Bonham Carter, and I found myself shedding a tear over the death of an animation - quite how that happened I have no idea. If you look how the special effects have improved since the first episode it's quite amazing. This is unmistakably a Part One. Nick Moran is in it too.

But the outstanding moment in the film is Ben Hibon's Framestore animation which is fucking fantastic:

It's actually better then the whole film. You can watch it here. It was apparently inspired by Lotte Reniger, but transcends her animations by a thousandfold (note even the lighting that makes it appear we're watching something theatrical - genius Q thinks the inspiration more likely Sicilian puppet shows). We had to run it twice.