The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 Reviews

With a plot only a Twilight-mother could love, "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2" is unintentionally one of the funniest movies of the year, to the point where any sane moviegoer would suspect that most of the scenarios here were played for laughs and parody.

The Plot: After the birth of their half-breed daughter Renesmee, Bella and Edward must go on a good-will tour, asking for the help of other vampire friends in order to protect their daughter from the evil heads of the Vatican...I mean, the Volturi. But laughter ensues as the "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2" quickly turns into a twisted episode of The Munsters: mommy and daddy are vampires and the daughter is dating a werewolf.

OK, so if you enjoyed the final novel in Stephenie Meyer's series, word on the street is that you'll enjoy this installment the best. This might have something to do with Bill Condon being the first director to fully embrace the campiness of a world predicated on werewolf pedophilia and unprotected vampire sex, and also creating the most visually off the wall adaptation yet; with no regard to the viewing audience. But for every non-Twihard out there, "The Twilight Saga- Breaking Dawn- Part 2" will stand as one of the worst films of the year, in a series that has only gotten progressively worse.

Why this is clearly the worst film of the series: The film begins with Kristen Stewart doing her best mountain lion impression as she crawls along the forest floor, hunting a deer, and only goes downhill from there. I'm not going to bore you with what you already know, a la this film contains a wealth of bad acting from the likes of Stewart, who should never work again, Taylor Lautner, who probably will never work again and Rob Pattinson, who throughout this movie couldn't look more ready to be done with the series (although Michael Sheen does give an eccentrically interesting performance as Aro). What I will be addressing here is the cornucopia of other problems which make this film almost unwatchable. Just a heads up, some of my points will contain plot spoilers, so skip to the "Final Thought" if you are still planning on watching this "film".

1.The vampire v. werewolf conflict, which was maybe the most interesting aspect of these films to begin with, is all but done here. In fact, the plot encompasses more of vampire on vampire violence, where the werewolves play a submissive afterthought. Ok, I understand that this non-conflict is part of the story, and it may not seem like a big deal to some, but let me tell you, it doesn't lend itself well to any novice half-way interested in any of the prior storylines.

2.This movie contains some of the worst special effects of any big budget film (yes, including "The Green Lantern") in the past decade. I won't bother to touch on every terrible CGI fiasco which occurs here (the vampires running effects, the vampires leaping tall buildings in a single bound effects or the laugh out loud tearing of people heads off effects) for fear of rambling-on more than I already am. But that doesn't stop me from asking the one question that is on everyone's minds. What's up with that baby's face?! When Renesmee is an infant, while it is obvious that a real baby is used, for some reason her face is completely computer generated, with half-assed CGI at that. The baby's face is so obviously fake, extremely creepy and immensely distraction that it is sure to haunt your dreams long after you've left the theater.

3.There is pretty much one human in the entire film and he is an idiot! The human I mention is Charlie Swan, Bella's father. The issue with him in this film is not necessarily the character himself, but the sloppiness in which he is almost written out of the story. When we first see him, he is obviously concerned for his daughter, since he doesn't know if she is dead or alive. When he finally sees that she is all better, with what looks to be a one year old infant in her arms, he seems to be brimming with questions. But when he demands answers from Bella, and she dismisses him (this would make more sense if you saw it) Charlie does what any worried father would do, he accepts the fact that she can't tell him anything and leaves her with the vampire family.

4.From a bland joke about the Loch Ness Monster, to all of the laughable monologues, the script contains some of the worst dialogue outside of an ABC Family show. And must mention that about 50% of this movie consists of dull voiceover narrations from Stewart and Pattinson, attempting to either explain back-story, introduce new characters (which there are many) or simply explain what is going on in the scene.

5.The ending is a copout. Now, I don't want to give too much away for the few who still want to watch this, but there is a final battle sequence that occurs (FINALLY!!!) which in turn is the best part of the movie. And is absolutely ruined by a twist ending, which comes off as nothing more than a convention to soothe any crying teenagers not ready to witness a violent movie about dreamy vampires.

6.One word: PEDOPHILE. Imprinting is a huge aspect in the novels. If you don't know what that is, "it's an involuntary mechanism by which werewolves become unconditionally bound to somebody (i.e. a soul mate) for the rest of their lives." Thank you Twilight Wiki page! The problem here is that throughout past films in the series, imprinting has been equated to not so much finding a soul mate or becoming someone's protector, but more so finding a mate or lover. So, when Jacob (Lautner) imprints on Renesmee with implications that he is in love with a child, visually it comes off as gross and super creepy, at the very least. Truthfully, at any moment I was expecting Jacob to yell, "You can't leave, Bella! I'm in love with your baby!"

Final Thought: I'll stop there and not even get into the troubling subplot pertaining to infants being burned alive, only because I wish to limit the amount of hate mail I get. If you didn't get it by now, this movie was so hard to sit though that I wish somebody in the theater had popped my head off about ten minutes in. And for everyone who wants to defend it by saying the points that I have just made aren't applicable here and "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2" is a good movie, because it is a pretty accurate adaptation of the novel (excluding the ending) then all I can say is, if the final novel is anything like this movie, then it must suck too.

Written by Markus Robinson, Edited by Nicole I. Ashland

Follow me on Twitter @moviesmarkus

The epic finale that will live forever

Great ending to the Twilight Saga! The director sure did a fantastic job sending the saga out with a bang. The fight was literally one of the best fight scenes of any movie I've seen. Major characters were dying all over the place. It became chaotic and unpredictable. I actually felt legitimate suspense because I had no idea what was going to happen next. I was loving it! The music throughout, as always, is exceptional. The movie soundtracks have never failed to fit the films perfectly. They're always the right songs for the right moments. Director Bill Condon shows he was more than up to the task of tackling this tricky two-parter. It looks exquisite. The direction has obviously been made with care and love for the source material and its fans. You need look no further than the film's closing credits (which give everyone of all the movies their due, even ones not present in this film). The inclusion of actual pages of the book was a nice touch. I'll greatly miss these characters who I've enjoyed seeing brought to life for five films now. For those who appreciated the books, the films and the actors involved, this should be a satisfying conclusion for you. I know it was for me.

Bella is enjoying her new life and new powers, after the birth of their daughter, Renesmee. Soon, however, their family bliss is threatened again, by a new menace. Vampire Irina believes a child like Renesmee could challenge the power and existence of the Volturi. As Irina rallies the Volturi to destroy this potential threat, Bella and the Cullens - together with any allies they can assemble - are preparing to fight a crucial, ultimate battle, to protect their family.

Really not that bad. Kristen Stewart is indeed a tough vixen/vamp, and the angelic Mackenzie Foy, as hybrid-baby Renesmee, is sweet and beguiling. And would Twilight detractors stop freaking out about the werewolf imprinting thing? It's not pedophilia. Jacob's bond isn't sexual or romantic at all at Renesmee's young age. It's one of protector and brother that will mature into friend then lover. Geez.

CLEVER TWIST that rocked me hardcore with a too-cute black & white yearbook retrospective of all castmembers involved. Well done, movie.

The Twilight films have been pretty bad on the whole. Being adapted from Stephanie Meyersâ(TM) bestselling novels, when tell the wildly overwrought story of a 100-year-old vampire who falls in love with a teenage girl who also finds herself the object of a werewolfâ(TM)s affections, there was little chance that the filmâ(TM)s would become great pieces of cinema but even with lowered expectations the five Twilight films was pretty terrible. Thereâ(TM)ll all badly plodded, indifferent directed and ludicrously acted movies that occasionally entertain due to their sheer audacity The last film in the saga, Bill Condonâ(TM)s Breaking Dawn Part 2 is the best in the series but itâ(TM)s also easily one of the yearâ(TM)s worst films.

Jumping into the action with no introduction the players or plotline, Breaking Dawn Part 2 beings with Kristen Stewart acclimating to her new identity as a vampire and new mother after four films of wrestling with whether or not to commit to a life of deathless beauty with Robert Pattinsonâ(TM)s emotional abusive immortal. The complete lack of a recap would probably make for a slightly confusing viewing experience for the uninitiated but the film quickly makes up for it by its supporting actors spout off copious amounts of exposition to fill everybody in on the specifics. That clunky inelegance carries over to the rest of the film, with most of the plot following the various members of the Cullen coven tracking down a small army of wildly stereotypical super powered vampires from all over the world to help fight off the vaguely sinister Volturi as they take several months to travel from Italy to Washington state to judge Stewartâ(TM)s half vampire progeny.

This dull international recruitment drive fills up much of the filmâ(TM)s running time because Breaking Dawn Part 2 is adapted from half of a book thatâ(TM)s already light on plot and heavy on supposedly profound introspection on the part of the filmâ(TM)s main cast. Breaking Dawn Part 1 focused on Stewartsâ(TM) marriage to Pattinson, their seemly endless honeymoon and Stewartâ(TM)s violent pregnancy and eventual turn to vampirism. Coupled with Part 2â(TM)s gathering of friends and epic final battle, you could probably edit together an uneven but much less languorous film. As it is, Breaking Dawn is two films that have a deeply unnecessary focus on meaningful glances and time filling minutia.

In addition to the protracted doldrums of the film narrative, many of the filmâ(TM)s performers are downright difficult to watch to. Robert Pattinson does as best he can as he has with the rest of the series, mostly by giving his character a slightly bemused and petty edge that somewhat deflates the intensity of Twilightâ(TM)s middle school break up emotional pitch. Kristen Stewart as a vampire is a lot less fidgety and marble mouthed than Kristen Stewart the human but her Bella Swan is still the least active protagonist in popular fiction. Taylor Lautner does the he can with tormented werewolf Jacob, especially in a hilarious scene where he has to explain to Stewart that he has become genetic betrothed to her newborn daughter but heâ(TM)s not an actor so itâ(TM)s tough going. The rest of the cast chomps on their poorly written melodramatic lines as best they can though no one leaves much of an impression except for Martin Sheen wonderfully over the top leader of the Volturi. He achieves a level of pure decadence that only a pedigreed actor can attain.

Bill Condonâ(TM)s direction is serviceable but it clear that this is a work for hire job not a passion project like Dreamgirls. While Condon was able to squeeze in a few moments of surrealist beauty (Bellaâ(TM)s nightmare wedding) and sensational horror (the childbirth scene) in the first Breaking Dawn, he mostly keeps his nose to the ground here and delivers the fan service as best he can. Itâ(TM)s also clear that Condon struggled with the filmâ(TM)s budgetary restrictions and lost the fight in a few critical areas. While no Twilight film is a budget buster, this film has suffered the most from being an independent production. The filmâ(TM)s werewolves look fine but anytime a special effect involving a person is involved, the film turns into a CW genre show. On the other hand the filmâ(TM)s berserk final battle is so impressive it almost makes up for the filmâ(TM)s general shoddiness.

In the finale, the assembled Cullen clan and friends have a confrontation with the Volturi in a snowy Northwestern field. The Cullens try to explain that thereâ(TM)s been a misunderstanding and the Bella and Edwardâ(TM)s miracle child isnâ(TM)t the anti-Christ, thereâ(TM)s a bit of back and forth and then all hell breaks loose. The big fight consists of vampires fighting vampires fighting werewolves fighting super powered vampires in brawl so insane that it damn near validates now only Breaking Dawn Part 2 but the entire Twilight series. Youâ(TM)d have had to have been either very creative or crazy to think that a gothic melodrama would have ended with a vampires being tossed in a pit of lava while other vampires rip the heads off other vampires but thatâ(TM)s what happens in this movie. The fact that the entire amazing sequence is essentially a dream sequence not only doesnâ(TM)t ruin the effect, it makes it fit in perfectly with Twilight non-confrontational confrontation dynamic. The Twilight series has always been trash but with this film it becomes glorious trash.

Piss weak end to a reasonably entertaining saga. Don't know why I was surprised, I skimmed most of the book too. For me, this would have been so much better if they just ended it with the last one and Bella waking up as a vampire. This tired finale has nothing interesting to say.

Four years. That's the amount of time I have known, willingly, about the books, the upcoming films, and all fandom related to this franchise. It has been a long road, but this film is supposedly a final chapter in the Twilight Saga and a welcome relief from all of the pomp and circumstance surrounding it. I am no fan of any of this. I read all four books for research purposes, and I have seen nearly all of the films, and all along the way I have suffered at the behest of my best friends, Twihards themselves. The story is well known, but in this last part of a two part film, we get to the crux. This book is the only one I was excited to see on screen, because it's the only film where anything happens. There's no more footsy, will they won't they crap. It's all about last ditch efforts, battles, births, and the ultimate question: after all this pandering, how are the decisions you made hastily going to effect the rest of eternity as a fanged freak? There is definitely an element of escapism; it's a beautifully shot film, amazing cinematography, and a load of Twilight inspired jokes. All these films were obviously made for the fans and it's reflected in a number of ways. The humor is for them, the gratuitous male nudity, the great indie soundtracks, shots of the gorgeous Washington landscape, and the constant close-ups of Edward and Bella's faces. The film wasn't too obvious, malicious, or incessantly boring, and if you're going to see any film in the theater, it's this one. As you might have heard the ending takes liberties from the book in a way that shocks the audience and makes for some great laughs. Besides that there is also some shockingly cheap and simply wrong CGI. This doesn't just go for battle scenes and feats of strength either. There is a child born to Bella and Edward, and it's completely CGI, face, hand movements, everything. It looks so disgustingly wrong and vile, on top of being cheap. There is actually a lot to laugh about in this, another Twilight fiasco, but you get what you pay for with these hideous monstrosities. Good luck if you're not a fan, and if you are, you shall be surprised, even if you have read the books.

Literally NOTHING happens.

We made it, guys! It's finally here! The final Twilight movie! I'm not one of the crazy Twihards but I've kind of enjoyed these films. Sure, they weren't the greatest. The acting and dialogue were hokey but the Twilight films aren't some of the worst I've seen. I had fun with Breaking Dawn - Part 2. It's not the greatest conclusion to a franchise but I enjoyed it. In fact, I really liked it but it's still Twilight.

The film picks up immediately where Part 1 left off. If you haven't seen Part 1, I suggest sitting out of this review because some of this stuff may come as SPOILERS to you. But since many of you don't give a crap about this franchise, I'll just go ahead and give you a synopsis. Bella has given birth to her human-vampire daughter, Renesmee. She died while giving birth but thanks to Edward's biting, she has resurrected as a vampire. Bella is enjoying her new life as a vampire until the Volturi, the vampire government or whatever you want to call it, find out about her child. As the Volturi make their way to Forks to attack the newlyweds and their bundle of joy, the Cullens assemble a group of vampires to help them defeat the ememy. They also get help from Jacob and his pack of werewolves. All the buildup pays off and we are given a freakin' sweet climactic battle to end this series.

If I were to rank the films from best to worse, it would go like this. Eclipse in first, this one in second place, Breaking Dawn - Part 1 in third place, the first film in fourth place, and New Moon in last place. This could have easily been the best entry in the series but it was missing the thing that made me enjoy Eclipse a lot. I can't really explain why I liked Eclipse. I think the reason is because I liked the whole Newborn subplot and the climactic battle. A large portion of this film is just buildup to the climax. The new vampires that they introduce were my favorite part of this film. If they made a spin-off film about them, I would pay to see it. The new vampires had cool powers and the actors who played them were pretty good.

The acting had its ups and downs. Kristen Stewart does a pretty good job as Bella Swan but I still don't think Kristen Stewart is one of the best actresses out there. I think K-Stew is prettier as a vampire than as a human. Robert Pattinson is still a boring actor. I never dug his acting or his character. Taylor Lautner, one of the best actors in the series, does another good job as Jacob Black. I find him to be one of the most likable characters in the series. Billy Burke returns as Bella's father and he is another one of the better actors in the series. Like Jacob, he is another one of the most likable characters in the series. He's not in the film very long but I was able to buy him as Bella's father. There's a dialogue scene between him and Bella and Burke acts pretty dad-like. As I mentioned above, I loved the heck out of the Cullen's vampire allies. My favorite out of all of them was Alistair played by Joe Anderson. With all his vampire makeup, I thought he looked a lot like Colin Farrell. Anyways, he was awesome. For some reason, I laughed at Michael Sheen's performance. He played the Volturi leader, Aro. The way he delivered his lines was just funny. His funny costume, his Marilyn Manson makeup, it's like he was in a Tim Burton film. Mackenzie Foy plays Bella and Edward's daughter, Renesmee and she did a decent job. With this movie on its way to becoming a huge success, Mackenzie Foy will start to get recognized and I can see her getting casted in more films in the future.

The climactic battle at the end of the film was just awesome. It was the best scene in the entire flick. However, the battle ends rather anticlimactically. It was so anticlimactic that I booed and two people got up from their seats and left. The audience I saw the film with was cheering and making comments during the scene like they were at a UFC match. There was also this lady behind me making comments about the movie every few seconds. Some of her comments were funny but then she just got annoying. I went to see this film at an 11 AM showing on opening day and it was not that packed but the audience was having a ball. I saw the last two films in the theater and those were packed showings. There were about twenty people at my screening but I think seeing it with a much bigger crowd would have been more fun.

The writing is still what you would expect from a Twilight film. Bill Condon's direction was pretty good. The special effects on Bella and Edward's baby was pretty bad at some points. He knew how to build emotion during the climax. I didn't get emotional during the climax because I'm not attached to these characters. I can just imagine a bunch of teenage girls bawling during this movie. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 wasn't a great film and many of you will avoid this film but I liked it. I also liked how they wrapped up the whole saga. It was an entertaining film and the theater experience was great as well except for the annoying lady behind me making comments. They also showed a brief teaser trailer for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and I let out a fanboy yell while it was playing. Good times, good times. It was a good ending to a franchise that I enjoyed.

Did you guys miss me? I know I haven't been posting reviews in a while. I plan to post some more reviews. I'm planning to review The Lord of the Rings Trilogy before the release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. I'm sorry if I angered you by mentioning Lord of the Rings in a Twilight review. Be on the lookout!

"I hated the first British invasion. I hate the second one even more."

It is quite surprising that this final chapter does have something to say. Things happen for a change, and the climax is efficiently urgent and exciting - until, however, we get hit by a ridiculous twist that makes it collapse entirely to the ground. At least it is over now.

Breaking Dawn Part 2 features some great action action sequences, but the ending to this saga is anti-climatic and doesn't take the story in any interesting directions. Sure they ended the story (technically), but I feel like there's plenty more that can be done with this story and I'm sure it's more of a problem with the source material than the filmmakers. I must say though, despite a huge budget and some good action sequences, the special effects are still very mediocre and not up to the standards of other blockbuster movies at all. They are sometimes distractingly bad (like the kid for example). The acting and dialogue have gotten progressively better than when the series started, but there's still some cheesy moments. The visceral final battle is very entertaining, but the movie suffers from some major pacing issues in the first hour. I must say this is possibly the best made of the Twilight series, but the highlight is probably still David Slade's Eclipse.

I have never been a "Twilight" fan, but I have attended every screening, and I must say that there is so much right in this mess of a story that works in ways I'll never be able to explain. As always, the cheesy dialogue and cruddy visuals take away from the emotion of the film, but when you have a climax that is more than this franchise has ever deserved, it makes up for it. Bella's daughter is shown many times as an infant at the beginning of the film, but the odd thing about it was that the choice of having a CGI baby in every shot ruined the emotions for me, and made me chuckle inside at a few truly emotional conclusions for the series. The entire film is the build-up to whether or not the Volturi is going to accept a Half-human/Half-vampire child. There are many things about this story that stand out above the rest, but in reality, it is just another "Twilight" film. The dialogue is bland, the visuals stale, and the acting is still very very wooden, but the climax was worth the ticket price. If you are a "Twilight" fan you will really enjoy this conclusion. For me, it's a hit or miss. But when it hits, it goes all out! I would say that "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2" is a satisfying conclusion for what it's worth.

Though the entire saga wasn't appealing to begin with, this final chapter was an appropriate and enjoyable send-off to seal the deal. Breaking Dawn Part 2 is able to get moviegoers, at least, with the stylized fighting-sequence, but still falters to its misdirected dialogue and acting. 3/5

It's rather fitting that the final chapter in the ''Twilight'' series combines all the good and the bad of the previous installments. This is a vast improvement over ''Breaking Dawn Part 2'' with a solid climax, some nice humour sprinkled into the film and finally delivering the violence that was lacking in the previous films to give them a punch. This film is still bogged down by some terrible dialogue, a cringe-inducing first 15 minutes and crappy special effects. It's a mixed bag, but for fans of the series, this will please them to no end, especially with a nice end credits sequence that does what the ending of a big franchise should do, pay its respects to those involved in these films.

Ignoring the ironic nature of the Breaking Dawn Part 2 poster taglines declaring love to be "forever," the box-office juggernaut that is the Twilight franchise is coming to an end. Based upon Stephenie Meyer's outrageously popular series of books, we've followed the love life of Bella Swan as she's experimented with human, vampire, and werewolf. The studio heads decided to take Meyer's final book and split it into two books. Breaking Dawn Part 1 had a wedding, honeymoon, pregnancy, supernatural birth, and Bella's death/resurrection. And yet, that movie was still crushingly boring. My hopes were substantially low for Part 2, despite director Bill Condon's (Dreamgirls) best efforts to jazz up all the awful plotting, characters, and romance. Then a funny thing happened. I started enjoying myself, and then the movie took some chances that I felt were daring considering its rabid fanbase. And then watching Breaking Dawn Part 2 became more than watching the film, it was also the experience of watching the audience. To that end, the movie delivers and I may rue these words but I kinda sorta almost liked enough of it.

Bella Cullen nee Swan (Kristen Stewart) and her husband, immortal vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson), have gone through the wringer. In her waning days as a human, Bella got knocked up during her honeymoon, and her half-human half-vampire baby killed its mama on the way out. Now Bella's a vampire and a mom (note to self: start writing new script - "Single Mom Vampire"). Her daughter, Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy's face on a whole lot of other people's bodies), is rapidly growing. She's mistaken for a vampire baby, which is a punishment worthy of death. This news gets Aro (Michael Sheen) to rustle up his Volturi forces, a group of vampires with super powers. They're coming for the Cullens and little Renesmee. The friendly vampires scour the world, gathering "witnesses" to the tyke's half-vampire status, but really they're gathering an army to defend themselves. It's super vamp against super vamp and heads will roll.

I clearly understand that I am in no way the target audience for this franchise, and that my reams of pithy words will find little traction in the hearts of the Twi-hard faithful, but I'd like to state that I've never been a hater of the movies. Well, let me rephrase that. My thoughts ping-pong from liked okay (Twilight) to hated (New Moon) back to liked okay (Eclipse) back to hated (Breaking Dawn Part 1), and now here we back are to liked okay. Consider it a double-dip recession in quality. I still view the whole franchise as an exercise in pre-teen wish fulfillment, but I've already written extensively upon that theory so I won't bother re-litigating that battle. With all that said, I found myself oddly enjoying myself for sustained durations. It's just as silly as the other movies but finally we can move on from mopey Bella and her dubious romantic triangle. Finally we don't have to suffer through two hours of kids making (new) mooneyes at each other (did I just out myself as "old"?). By this I mean finally something ELSE happens rather than the incremental coupling of Bella and Edward. Granted their kid is really more a prop than a character, but at least the story has taken one gigantic leap forward. Finally Stewart can actually smile and, you know, do things of actual consequence!

It's no secret that the Twilight saga, as its monetary benefactors would like to dub the franchise, has noticeably been better the less time it spends with its female protagonist, Bella. Breaking Dawn Part 2 might just be the least Bella-filled episode yet, a cause of celebration for my brethren who view Ms. Cullen as an infuriating, insufferable, insulting protagonist. At least in this movie she develops a sense of self-identity, though too often that identity falls into the camps of Wife and Mother. With this movie, she's adjusting to life as a vampire, so we get cutesy scenes of her hunting prey, learning how to fake looking like a puny human, and arm-wrestling the strong cocky vampire guy to, you know, for the strides in girl power. Too little too late, Bella. I find it more than a little funny that Bella's super power is passive in nature, fitting a passive protagonist that waist for people to give her meaning and tell her what to do. I should stop before another rant unspools as I've done on previous Twilight writing occasions. In short: Bella sucks.

We're introduced to a lot of new characters in this movie and each brings some sliver of backstory to develop. I'm not saying they're all deserving of attention or interest, but at least these new clans of vampires brought some much-needed life to what has often been a claustrophobic, monotonous love triangle. Opening up Meyer's world and seeing other vamps with special powers are a fun detour that I wish had taken place sooner. I liked seeing Lee Pace (TV's Pushing Daisies) as a soldier from back to America's colonial days. I'm left scratching my head why certain vampire members were added to the ranks when they didn't even show up for the final showdown. What was the point of having Joe Anderson (Across the Universe) show up and be all skeptical about the group's chances of winning... and then not have him join? So he was skeptical from the start and then remained so, choosing to sit the finale out. Well I'm sure glad we spent time on him then. Also, the movie falls into the trap of establishing super-powered beings that are too powerful. We get one guy who can control the elements. Not just one or two but freaking all of the elements. He's like Captain Planet minus that dumb kid with the lame heart power. During the climactic battle, this kid uses his power ONCE. How do you give him a wealth of super powers and then sideline him? There's also an Amazon vampire who can control people's vision, namely making them see whatever she wants. How are these two assets not utilized for tactical supremacy?

I had the suspicion that Breaking Dawn Part 2 might be the best film in the series simply by the fact that it's the one with the most Michael Sheen. God I love this man. His last-minute turn in the appalling New Moon banished the suicidal thoughts swirling in my head. Even when he's in bad movies, Sheen is usually the best thing about them (see: TRON: Legacy or the Underworld films). Here's an actor who knows exactly how ridiculous everything about this universe is, and by God he sinks his teeth in. The benefit of added Sheen cannot be overstated. The movie greatly benefits by having a strong outside threat early. Only the third movie, Eclipse, had an external threat from the start, and that gave the film a much-needed sense of urgency. I was with Sheen and the Volturi on this one. They were merely following the laws of vampires meant to protect their own kind. Vampire babies are a no-no since they cannot control their otherworldly urges, so they and their makes must be destroyed. You know you're in for a darker Twilight when early on we witness a baby getting tossed into a roaring fire. I admit that I have a susceptibility to falling under the sway of magnetic villains. Perhaps this speaks to some character defect of my own. It probably just speaks to the fact that movies often have boring heroes and charismatic villains. Sheen is so hammy and delightful and I just wanted more of him amidst the melee that punctuates the end. The man even looks like he's about to lead a marching band during the battle and he's still badass. Such is the awesomeness of Michael Sheen. Of this there can be no question.

But then the Condon and series scribe Melissa Rosenberg do something almost extraordinary given the slavish devotion to the series fans have. They divert from the source material in broad strokes during the climactic vampire brawl. I won't go into exact details but the preview audience I was with was absolutely losing their collective minds. Women were screaming, cries of "Nooo" rang through the room; all around me was the echo of consternation and shock, women trying to absorb the reality of what they were viewing. Sitting with them, taking in their shrieks and lamentations, the general horror of what might happen next... it was a thing of beauty. I can almost recommend seeing Breaking Dawn Part 2 simply to be part of this experience. However, you'll have to act quickly and be selective. You'll need a packed theater filled with vocal Twi-hards, likely an opening weekend evening crowd, the kind that openly cheer shirtless revelries from the male co-stars. And then just sit and wait, knowing that soon all that revelry will turn to shock. I sound so mean-spirited explaining this and that's not my intention. I didn't necessarily enjoy the discomfort of the Two-hards. I enjoyed the bewilderment. It felt like the theater was alive, coursing with the energy of alert uncertainty. Anything could happen, including some very not nice things. To be one tiny drop in an ocean of furious estrogen, well it's an experience that deserves mentioning. Its strange experiences like this that make me love going to the movies, and that, ladies and gentlemen, is a combination of words I'd never thought I would write about any Twilight film.

Also, though my expectations were never that high to begin with, I have to credit Condon with fashioning a fairly exciting action brawl, one that's surprisingly graphic at spots for a PG-13 movie primarily aimed at young girls. The series has been building up to a massive showdown, and the movie itself has been putting the feuding factions into place, so it's satisfying that the finale truly feels climactic and delivers some thrills. For the record, Meyer's book was free of any climactic battle. This movie is chock full of decapitations. I cannot recall another PG-13 film that had this many beheadings. I think you could watch a drama set during the French Revolution and you wouldn't witness this many people lose their heads. Is there no other ay to kill a vampire? What ever happened to the good old fashioned staking of the heart? These kids these days; all they want to do is decapitate. To dull the grisly spectacle, the beheadings are weirdly bloodless. Condon does a bangup job of setting up plenty of mini-payoffs and duels throughout his busy action centerpiece. Then when it looks like the carnage is at an end, the movie takes a page from the Final Destination playbook, which Twi-hards will probably find relieving. I thought it was a major cop-out but whatever. Let the kids have their happy ending.

Before you get your hopes up too extravagantly, this movie still offers plenty of stupid. I don't care how you explain it, the imprinting thing is stupid incarnate. I still find it eternally creepy that Jacob couldn't have the mother so he settles for the daughter. The fact that everyone treats this development so seriously it makes me laugh. And oh boy, let's talk about those Amazon vampires. First off, I find it hilarious that Meyer's vision of vampire clans from around the world really just boils down to Europe and the Amazon. When they stepped onto screen wearing, and I kid you not, loin clothes and tribal markings, I was flabbergasted. Doesn't anyone find this depiction to be at least deeply ignorant and culturally insensitive? I'll stop short of calling it quasi-racist; though attaching "quasi" to anything lets you get away with most declarations ("This movie is quasi-watchable"). But when our big battle over a frozen lake takes place, why are these Amazon characters STILL wearing loincloths in the frozen landscape? Then there's the annoying fact that Renesmee rapidly grows, meaning that Bella and Edward get to skip out on actually raising a baby. If Meyer intended to punish these kids for having sex in Part 1, then she needs to follow through on her antiquated sexual hang-ups.

As the franchise draws to a close, I'm trying to take stock of the five films and their overall impact (sadly, we all know with the potential riches, a reboot is likely only five years out). The end credits play out like a gauzy yearbook for the franchise, visually highlighting every significant speaking role, including the two different actresses who played villainous Rachel. The Twilight series has been very good to me as a writer; I've produced long-winded reviews with each new entry, and the opening-day people watching has become part of the spectacle I enjoy. That's really what we're dealing with here - spectacle. It's all gooey romantic fantasy nonsense with some pretty bland characters, questionable messages for young girls, and such deadly seriousness. If we were grading on a curve, I'd call Breaking Dawn Part 2 is actually tolerable thanks to nominal character development, less whiny Bella, an influx of new characters, extra Sheen time, a better sense of humor, and a climax that truly feels climactic.

I can't say the Twilight movies have gotten better as they've gone, though Condon has proven to be an apt choice to steer this franchise to a close. He's given the franchise a bit more life, a bit more blood. I'll never admit that the love story of Bella and Edward deserved five full-fledged movies, but I recognize the significance Twilight stands in many young girls lives. Fans will eat this stuff up. They'll certainly enjoy the Bella/Edward sex where she doesn't end up bruised. For them, it ends in a fitting sendoff, even after the jolts of text deviation morphs into giggled recounts. For them, Breaking Dawn Part 2 will be the perfect ending to their beloved series. I can't imagine anyone indifferent to the series working up that much interest, but I can say with sincerity that Breaking Dawn Part 2 is the best film in the Twilight series and potentially worth seeing for the rollercoaster ride of bewildered fan reactions. Now that the last blood has been drained from this franchise, let's move on to more important items... like the next Hunger Games movie.

Nate's Grade: B-

The Twilight Saga comes to an epic conclusion in Breaking Dawn - Part 2. In this final chapter the Volturi assemble their forces to destroy the Collen clan after getting word that Bella has an immortal child; in response, the Collens attempt to rally vampire clans from around the world to come together to make a stand. The script does a solid job adapting the novel, and the performances are fairly good. Additionally, the film delivers some of the best fight sequences of the entire series, they're extremely well-choreographed and intense. While Breaking Dawn - Part 2 has some weaknesses, it provides a strong and fitting end to Bella & Edward's story.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 is going to be loved and adored by the diehard Twilight fans, but for those who have never liked the series, this won't be anything special. This is the last installment in the popular franchise and is a major improvement over the film Breaking Dawn - Part 1 which came out last year and really just disappointed me. I have never really been a fan of the series, I mean it has always just been for those girls that find vampire and human love really romantic, and that's just not the kind of person I am. I didn't like seeing Taylor Lautner with his shirt off all the time, or Robert Patterson sparkling in the sun, and I just felt like all the movies were created for women that loved seeing guys with their shirts off. But I still paid to see all the movies because I was waiting for the final conclusion, and now that it's finally here, I can say that I was pleasantly surprised. This movie has a very exciting climax and the characters seemed a little more mature than previous films. The acting in this movie is still boring and the story moves very slowly, but this is nothing new to the series so I kind of expected this. You can't help but feel a little excited near the end, because all those movies you sat through has all led up to this final battle which I actually really enjoyed. The director Bill Condon isn't afraid of showing a little blood in his action scenes and I was impressed at how he actually got me excited at a Twilight movie. This didn't have a grand or epic finale like The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter series, but I think the Twilight fans will see it as a fun and beautiful ending to the series that they have come to adore. I saw this movie with an open mind, hoping it would be a fun conclusion, and it actually was an enjoyable movie if you can get past its downfalls. This wasn't a great movie, but it's definitely the most exciting and fun movie in the series.

The story follows Edward (Robert Patterson) and Bella (Kristen Stewart) right after the birth of their daughter Renesmee and Bella's transformation into a vampire. The Volturi discover the birth of Bella's daughter and plan to destroy because they believe it's a danger. Bella, Edward, Jacob (Taylor Lautner), and the rest of the vampires must gather vampires from around the globe to prove that Renesmee is not a threat.

The plot of the film covers the second half of Stephanie Meyer's bestselling book, and it can be agreed that it's the much better half. I mean when the first half came out last year, it was just so ridiculously written and absolutely nothing happened to keep me interested. But now we have this movie where everyone is preparing for the final confrontation and we feel like the writers have gotten more mature and written a movie that girls will love and their boyfriends will have some action to keep them interested. The main storyline to all these movies has always been silly to me, and I think many of the fans realize this too, but as the movie ended I realized that I kind of liked a lot of the characters and I realized with this new movie they actually tried hard to make it enjoyable. The story moves very slowly and at times I got kind of bored at whatever was going on, but soon the movie prepares itself for the final climax and I was interested once more. If you haven't seen any of the other Twilight films you won't understand this one, but I think most people with a brain will know this. It's not a complicated film series and doesn't have any major themes in it, but I think the point of the series was to prove that love for your family is stronger than anything. I liked seeing the friendships and bonds between the characters in the movie, and I really loved the relationship with Bella's dad and how loving they grew of each other since the first film. I didn't feel sad at the end of this movie, but I did get the feeling that I had watched the best film in the Twilight franchise.

The cast of the movie was just as bad as the previous films, but at this point I don't even care anymore. Kristen Stewart has had some good performances and some bad performances, and most of the bad have come from this series. She just always seemed quiet and boring to me, but in this movie her character matures a little bit and I respected her slightly more. She does still have her weird moments on screen, but we are used to it now. Robert Patterson has always been a laughable actor in these movies; I mean the faces he makes in the series have always been priceless because he has always looked constipated. He has some good scenes in this film, but it will be really difficult to take him seriously as an actor after these movies. Taylor Lautner should just not be an actor; it's as simple as that. His acting skills are awful and he is nothing more than an underwear model that girls can look at. If there is anything I am happy to never see again, it's his terrible acting in these movies. Billy Burke was (once again) the best actor in the film. I mean I love how he loves his daughter, I love how funny he is, and I love that he is an understanding and down to earth guy. Martin Sheen plays his usual creepy performance, and for this kind of character, I will admit I think it worked for him. The Twilight cast has always had a group of actors that I loved to hate, and although I liked them more than previous films, there is still no performance that likely will be remembered.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 is not a great movie, but it's by far the best film in the entire franchise. The majority of Twilight fans are most females, and I guess they do deserve to have their own film series to enjoy since most of the greatest movies of all-time are directed at men. I mean do you think most girls love The Godfather or Pulp Fiction? No they don't, so I think if they deserve to have some movies that they can really love. I still have some issues with the film, but most of the issues are issues that all the films have had. It's still has some silly acting, slow storytelling, and even some unintentional funny moments. But what makes this better than all the other Twilight films is that it has more likable and mature characters, an exciting climax, and a good ending. Bill Condon directed both Part 1 and Part 2 of Breaking Dawn, and I don't know what he was doing in the last film, but I think he really improved his game in this movie and showed that he knows what he's doing. I still think the best director in the series was David Slade who directed Eclipse, because he was the first to show how mature and cool the Twilight films could be if they actually tried. I loved how they also brought back Carter Burwell for the music, it was a beautiful score and it really reminds of the audience of the original film back in 2008. I compared this film to previous films in the franchise and realized it was a major step up for the films, and that was why I enjoyed the movie. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 is a good conclusion and a good movie for the Twilight fans, and although I had some issues with the movie, I still think it was a fun time at the movies and the best film in the Twilight Saga.

A good romantic end to this franchise. Enjoyed the "head ripping" moments most!

More fallen night than heavenly shades, Twilight's time has surely - but thankfully - come to an end. As always, very little happens once Twilight arrives. And yet, more happens in this deuce than in all of the other chapters combined. Unlike the first few movies in the alleged Saga, the vampires don't glitter. Everything else does exactly this, however. There are lingering close-ups of exquisitely lit beautiful people, sun-soaked forest shots blooming with impossibly lush greenery, and characters speaking the perfect lines at JUST the right moment. Yes, it's a nicey nice Gothic tale, but damn does it hit a deadeye on the jugular of its target demographic. Still, the script takes some daring steps toward liberating the story from its source material. It's a deviation that will anger devoted readers, but makes the characters' motivations clearer to the consensus of moviegoers. Hell, for this non-Twi-Hard, this change was finally making the series interesting.

In this PG-13-rated conclusion to the Twilight Saga, Edward (Pattinson) and his newly turned bloodsucker wife Bella (Stewart) gather vampire clans to confront a violent vampire inquisition from the Volturi after false word spreads about their daughter.

From the start, Twilight's strength lay with the casting. Oh, Stewart, Patterson, and Lautner surely pose no threat to Daniel Day-Lewis and John Hawkes come awards time. It's just that, in this Hallmark Card House of Horrors, they fit the bill perfectly. The story truly comes to an appropriate close, deviation from the book be damned. It's their through-line that sell through the wares, however mediocre.

Bottom line: Breaking yawn.