The final chapter in the vampire saga is upon us. The "Twi-Hards" are rabid, but Stephanie Meyer wrote a vampire tale that leaves out a few key parts of being a vampire. They don't sparkle in the sun, they die a fiery death. The second key part missing is the fact that vampirism is a curse. Purist will need to set that fact aside. Twilight wasn't written for the purist. It was a love story written for girls. The final chapter finally hits theaters and the big question is, will it deliver?
The film picks up where the last leaves off. Bella is now a vampire and has to deal with life among the undead. She also has a daughter that is half human and half immortal. Bella spends the first part of the film learning to hunt and about being a vampire as well as dealing with Jacob, who has imprinted on Renesme. She also has to deal with Charlie who cannot know that she is a vampire.
The other problem is the evil Volturi. The governing body of undead who enforce vampire law. They are wrongfully informed that Bella and Edward created a vampire child. This is against the law and is punishable by death. The Cullen's begin a race around the globe to find other vampires to stand with them and protect those they love.
Is it a fitting conclusion or a sub par ending?
Let's start with what worked. Michael Sheen. He is so good a quirky. Sheen has done such a great job of balancing the comic mime style remnant of a early cinema movie actor with pure evil. Aro has an agenda beyond vampire law and he is brilliant whenever on screen. Stephanie Meyer may have the vampire myths a bit wrong, but she did write a quality villain.
The relationship between Jacob and Renesme also plays well. You tread dangerous ground when having a teenage boy in love with a child, but for whatever reason the magic seems to work. This is the first movie where I actually liked Taylor Lautner. The previous four movies had too much why can't she love me and in this Jake finally got over that. The reveal to Charlie was entertaining and the complexity between he and Edward was enter training to watch. There is talk of a spin off with Jacob and a fully aged Renesme. Good luck with that.
I enjoyed the other vampires. Carlisle introduces us to a bigger world than what we have seen in the past. The different vampires from all walks of life were entertaining to watch on screen and I was hoping for more of them. The Revolutionary War Vet, the Amazon Women, and the Irish family were all fun additions to the cast. The one flaw with a bigger cast is that screen time suffers. I missed Alice and it felt like there were people fighting for lines and things to do.
I think my biggest problem with Breaking Dawn 2 was the same that I had with the previous films. Kristen Stewart is hard to like. She looked a little better this time around, but she seems to deliver lifeless performances. Insert vampire jokes there. She never looks like she wants to be there. I wish they would have cast differently from the beginning. I will say she is consistent. She is boring in every film I have seen her in. Twilight has at least surrounded her with a strong supporting cast. I might be in the minority here, but the girls I sat next to said they would have cried had her personal life not affected their opinions of her.
The film does end in a very classy way by reintroducing and crediting the previous casts. There are some twists that are not in the book, but play well on screen. The Twilight Saga, like all franchises, has come to an end. It has been a series that will be credited for breathing some life into the vampire genre. It made young girls cry, sold millions of books, created superstars , and ultimately entertained all walks of life. The film will not get any Oscar love and will most likely be forgotten when the next craze hits. Twi-hards will love it and whether they are Team Edward, Team Jacob, or Team Who Cares Breaking Dawn Part Two does a good job of closing the book.
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