From a non-book reading perspective.

Rating: 8/10 (12 April 2011)

Harry Potter is in some trouble, his headmaster has been killed, by Snape of all people and the dark lord's powers seem to be rising. Harry must find and destroy as many Horcruxes as he can find, in his journey he learns about the Deathly Hallows.
This entry is probably the best in the series since Prisoner of Azkaban. David Yates, who has helmed two previous installments in the franchise (arguably some of the weaker films) has finally seemed to find his footing with the first part of the last installment. Deathly Hallows is exciting, heartfelt and continues the story at a brisk pace, setting the viewer up for wanting more and ending the film on a good note.
The thing that helps the film most is how much crap has hit the fan. The story has finally moved past the years at Hogwarts routine and has set in motion the final battle that people have been eagerly anticipating. The biggest gripe about the films from the 4th book on, would be that they leave out too much. It's understandable, since the books get bigger and bigger. Splitting the finale into two parts was a good idea, both from a business standpoint and a filmmaking standpoint. It gives the audience more time with Harry and the filmmakers more time to tell the complete story.
I read the first book, it was good. It was gift, but I never actively went out to get the others, so my views on the films are from a film standpoint alone. Deathly Hallows managed to suck me into the world more so than others. No longer are we waiting for our heroes to learn magic spells, they are taking on the bad guys head on. I guess it's true for most series, the darkest is usually the best. Deathly Hallows is probably the darkest Harry Potter film yet because not everyone makes it out alive.
That would be a gripe I have though, a lot of the death scenes are only mentioned or give a brief second on screen. We are with characters we've known from films as far back as the beginning, so I would have liked a little bit more reflection on certain death scenes. Harry has lost his mentor. He must grow up and make decisions for himself, become more of a leader.
The amount of time, care and love put into crafting these films are clearly evident. One only has to look at the recent rushed attempts of the Twilight series to see that the studio and filmmakers are more keen on cashing in on the craze then adapting a story to screen. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone came out ten years ago. This is a franchise that, despite the books not being completed yet, wants to tell an epic story. It took the books ten years to tell the story, so it takes the films ten as well. Deathly Hallows is a great beginning to the end.