Whether you are a real wizard or not, you gaze upon the dark, frightful opening of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" and clue in that big, bad trouble is coming.

And then you run.

You hide in the most remote corners of the wizardly realm. You cast every spell in the book to thwart Lord Voldemort and stay alive.

This is exactly what Harry, Ron and Hermione do in "Deathly Hallows: Part 1," the gorgeously grim beginning of the end for Warner Bros' blockbuster franchise based on J.K. Rowling's books.

Harry and his pals are long past those cute, cuddly days at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where they foiled Slytherin House bullies or sipped tea with Hagrid, the half-giant keeper of the grounds.

The time for childish fun and games is over, as this ominous instalment from director David Yates ("Order of the Phoenix," "Half-Blood Prince") makes all too clear -- as well as one other thing. Evil is everywhere in "Deathly Hallows: Part 1." And the dark side is winning.

As the film opens, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) waits within the emptied home of his fraidy-cat relatives, the Dursleys.

The door blasts open. "Mad-Eye" Moody (Brendan Gleeson) rushes in, along with Ron (Rupert Grint), Hermione (Emma Watson) and other Potter supporters.

This secret troupe is on a deadly mission and time is running out. To that end, the squad members drink a potion that transforms them into exact replicas of Harry Potter.

With a whoosh of their wands Rowling's hunted hero is transported to the safety of Ron's parental home. But the stakes are deadlier than ever. Not everyone makes it to this safe haven alive.

Big danger, big tease

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" is not for children, just as this menacing opener and other scenes make clear.

One of the best – and most chilling – comes right away when Voldemort presides over his henchmen within the dark, paneled bowels of his evil hideaway.

"I alone must kill Harry Potter," he hisses.

His terrified officers sit at Voldemort's table, listening and watching as their master dangles one of his bloodied enemies above their heads.

Voldemort inhales their fear. He hears their hearts racing and smiles.

With a tap of his long, pointy nails Harry's mortal enemy unleashes a snake to devour the hanging prisoner. It's go-time, Voldemort's signal says. The reptile knows it. We do, too.

This moody mix of fear, paranoia and violence clearly draws a line in the sand. It lets us all know, in no uncertain terms, that the evil ahead won't be pretty or easily overcome, especially as events build to the final showdown between Harry and Voldemort in 2011's "Deathly Hallows: Part 2."

But that's the big tease here and fans will buy it hook, line and sinker. You can bet your wands on it.

Director Yates does a great job of playing off his heroes' fears against vast stretches of desolate moors and rocky climbs -- and the visuals are stunning.

Yates' attention to detail does slow down the pace. Those new to the Potter story may find such painstaking detail just a little too confusing to bear.

For everyone else, however, "Deathly Hallows: Part I" does a fine job of whetting fans' appetites for Part 2.

Radcliffe and Watson both bring more complexity and vulnerability to their performances. Radcliffe also bears a five o'clock shadow, another reminder of how time has flown.

Grint also manages to give affable, ginger-headed Ron more of a man-of-action feel here, a hint, perhaps, of more acting range than fans may have suspected.

Radcliffe and Watson also share a screen kiss and a touching dance scene that comes just when things are at their darkest.

It's tender. It's sweet. It's also a reminder that these former child stars are careening into the grown-up world of Hollywood. Whether they can survive that leap and Lord Voldemort remains to be seen.

Stay tuned.

Three stars out of four.