Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2

Four years after we first witnessed Robert Pattinson’s Edward Cullen sparkling in the daylight and staring entranced at Kristen Stewart’s Bella from across the cafeteria, the Twilight saga has finally reached its long overdue conclusion.
Whether you have liked the films or not (and I certainly haven’t) the franchise has become a cultural phenomenon over the years, establishing a passionate, if perhaps terrifyingly obsessive legion of fans.

This has meant that despite the lacklustre artistic merit of the franchise, the often cringe worthy dialogue and simply embarrassing CGI, the series has generated a massive box office taking of over $2 billion dollars.
But after all the moments of unintentional hilarity, the uncomfortable awkwardness that Stewart and Pattinson managed to bring to nearly all their supposedly intimate on screen moments, does Breaking Dawn Pt:2 ensure the series goes out on a relative high? The answer is begrudgingly yes.

{{ quote The most interesting aspect of the final film is the differences in Bella’s characeter, now that she is in fact a different species }}

Narratively the final instalment is undoubtedly the strongest, considering the film ties up all of the plotlines and reveals all of the secrets, which have been hiding in the shadows throughout the series. Now that Bella has finally transformed into a fully fledged (even more emotionally vacant) vampire, she seems to be far more assured in herself than ever before.
Seemingly relishing the responsibility of being a mother and comprehending the duties expected of her now that she is apart of the bloodsucking community, Bella thrives, much to the adoration and delight of her companion, Edward.

With the arrival of a mysterious individual who threatens the existence of all of the main characters including that of the surprisingly well clothed Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), the tension increases tenfold. This palpable tension increases as the film builds to a remarkable crescendo of passionate conflict, romantic struggle and fantastical action.
Whilst Twilight (2008) was about the fresh excitement of young love and the rest of the series dealt with unbearable loss and difficult choices, the final instalment is solely about the struggle to protect the family that has now been established.

The most interesting aspect of the final film is the differences in Bella’s character and Stewart’s performance, now that she is in fact a different species. One gets the impression that many going to see the film, who are not well versed with the books may be surprised by her new personality in places, and surprisingly some of the main character’s seem to be as well.
Aside from that, the only other highlights I took from the noticeable 115mins running time, was the oddly off-putting CGI vampire baby, wonderfully awful lines of dialogue (a feature that has been consistent throughout the entire series), and yet another terrific performance from Michael Sheen as the evil Aro.

Having dealt with almost ten hours of the Cullen’s over the past four years, I’m relieved that ‘The Twilight Saga’ (an apt name that should’ve provided me with a warning) is finally over. Aside from the musical soundtracks released along with each film, which have been of surprisingly high quality, the films have all been a disappointment to me.

The best vampire films in cinema’s rich history have realised that the most important aspects to capture and translate onscreen are the inner torment of the tortured creatures and the loneliness that ultimately comes with such an existence.

Twilight was never going to deliver such elements, nor do I think its cast would’ve been able to convey these themes with the subtlety they require, but as everything must end, Breaking Dawn Pt:2 is a fitting finale for a disappointingly average film franchise.

On the plus side, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, two once promising actors, can now move on with their separate film careers and hopefully choose more interesting projects in the future. I can only pray that these choices that don’t include them onscreen together, ever, again.

P.S. I wish Taylor Lautner all the best with his future modelling career and inevitable nose surgery.