“The Twilight Saga” comes to an end, in this highly-anticipated final installment of the epic, romantic, blockbuster franchise. I’ve never been a “Twi-Hard” and don’t plan on being one in the near future. I’ve never read any of the books. And, much like the other films in the series that I’ve seen, this is a dreadfully, mediocre movie. However, it also includes one of the best surprises of any film released last year.
At the end of “BD Part 1”, we find-out that Bella (Kristen Stewart) is alive…and she’s now a vampire, just like her husband Edward (Robert Pattinson). Bella had given birth to a girl, Renesmee (I’m still trying to recover from that birth scene) and the only way to prevent her from dying was to turn her “immortal”. “Part 2” picks-up just a few days later. Renesmee is a healthy half human/half-vampire, and growing rapidly every day. And she has her own, personal protector – Jacob (Taylor Lautner), a convenient way to keep him in the story.
So all is perfect in the Cullen clan – until the enemies of the Volturi coven, led by Aro (Michael Sheen), find-out about Renesmee and think she is an immortal child – a pure vampire child – which is against the law. So, to protect Renesmee, members of the Cullen clan set-out to round-up friendly vampires who will help them in a possible fight to the death with the Volturi. Jacob (who does take his shirt off one last time, ladies) also gets his werewolf relatives to assist in battle.
The first hour and a half of “Breaking Dawn – Part 2” is as rough an example of filmmaking as you can get. The pacing’s all over the place, the dialogue is so corny it’s laugh-out-loud funny, and the use of “green screen” for action scenes in the woods is shockingly bad. Oh, and Renesemee is, unintentionally, one of the creepiest looking babies in movie history, because she’s some weird CGI creation. Very scary.
And then, we get the final thirty minutes that “Twilight” fans far and wide have been waiting for – but may not be expecting. There is a twist that takes place and it’s incredibly effective. Since I hadn’t read the book it worked on me perfectly. But, after doing a little research, the twist also works on those who thought they knew this story inside and out.
That’s all I’m going to say – except that I give a lot of credit to director Bill Condon and screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg – they got me. In fact, this shocker saves the film from it’s destiny as one of the Worst Movies of the Year.
Because, outside of the surprise, there’s very little here to recommend. Sheen does make a memorable villain. He’s had a very solid acting career, but this may be the role he’s best remembered for. And the overall experience of watching a “Twilight” film in a theater is fun: constant screaming and clapping and cheering from the first scene to the closing credits. (By the way, the final credits include all the major actors from the entire series, not just this finale, a nice decision).
“Breaking Dawn – Part 2” is rated PG-13 for graphic action/violence, disturbing images, and adult language and content. It’s appropriate for teens and up. Fans are sure to enjoy it, but if you’re not and you find yourself in the position that you have to see this movie (like me) the last half-hour will, at least, entertain you.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2” gets a C-.
Is this truly the end of the series? Don’t bet on it. Just as these characters are immortal there’s a good chance that “Twilight” will come back to life at some point as well. Certainly the people behind The Razzie Awards are hoping for another, since “Breaking Dawn – Part 2” dominated this year’s event, winning 7 Razzies, including Picture of the Year.