Rated PG-13 (Sequences of Violence
including Disturbing Images, Some Sensuality and Partial Nudity)
Running Time: 1 Hour & 55
Minutes
Cast-
Kristen Stewart-Isabella 'Bella'
Swan
Robert Pattinson-Edward Cullen
Taylor Lautner-Jacob Black
Mackenzie Foy-Renesmee Cullen
Peter Facinelli-Dr. Carlisle Cullen
Elizabeth Reaser-Esme Cullen
Ashley Greene-Alice Cullen
Jackson Rathbone-Jasper Hale
Kellan Lutz-Emmett Cullen
Nikki Reed-Rosalie Hale
Billy Burke-Charlie Swan
Chaske Spencer-Sam Uley
Julia Jones-Leah Clearwater
Booboo Stewart-Seth Clearwater
Michael Sheen-Aro
Jamie Campbell Bower-Caius
Christopher Heyerdahl-Marcus
Daniel Cudmore-Felix
Charlie Bewley-Demetri
Dakota Fanning-Jane
Cameron Bright-Alec
MyAnna Buring-Tanya Denali
Casey LaBow-Kate Denali
Christian Camargo-Eleazar Denali
Mia Maestro-Carmen Denali
Maggie Grace-Irina Denali
Lee Pace-Garrett
Rami Malek-Benjamin
Omar Metwally-Amun
Andrea Gabriel-Kebi
Angela Sarafyan-Tia
Marlane Barnes-Maggie
Lisa Howard-Siobhan
Patrick Brennan-Liam
Judi Shekoni-Zafrina
Tracey Heggins-Senna
Noel Fisher-Vladimir
Guri Weinberg-Stefan
Amadou Ly-Henri
Janelle Froelich-Yvette
Directed by Bill Condon
 |
| Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) look for food in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2," arguably the best entry in the series. |
When it comes to a blockbuster
franchise like "Twilight," you either love the series with a
fanatical zeal or hate it vehemently and frequently troll online message boards
to voice your derision. Since its debut in 2005, Stephenie Meyer's novels have
sold over 116 million copies worldwide as of October 2010 while the film
adaptations grossed a gargantuan $2.5
billion at the box office. Reviews of the novels have always focused on its
popularity among young female adults because let's be blunt here: no one will
mistake this as literature. Critical reception of the films has ranged from
terrible to mediocre; as for my own feelings, I found the 2008 original to be
passable but the installments that followed were awful. However, I've always
been fair in my assessment of each film. It's hard to believe that it's only
been four years and already the series is coming to a close with
"The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2." Taking a page from "Harry
Potter and the Deathly Hallows," Summit Entertainment (now owned by
LionsGate) chose to split the final book into two parts, allowing the studio to
reap double the money. Last year's "Breaking Dawn Part 1" was a
massive bore as director Bill Condon was forced to pack the film with numerous
filler scenes in order to meet its two hour running time. I had little hope the
conclusion would be any better but color me surprised, the second part is actually good. Of course, 'good' is a
relative term here given how low the bar's been set. From a film criticism
perspective, "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2" is neither great nor
good cinema but it delivers a rousing enough conclusion and is by far the
strongest entry out of the entire franchise. Condon sure saved the best for
last.
Picking up immediately after the events of "Breaking Dawn Part
1," Isabella 'Bella' Swan (Kristen Stewart) has been brought back from the
brink of death thanks to her husband, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). Now a
newborn vampire, Bella has little trouble controlling her thirst and is eager
to see her daughter, Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy). Upon learning that Jacob Black
(Taylor Lautner) had imprinted on Renesmee, Bella flies into a rage but calms
down when Seth Clearwater (Booboo Stewart) intervenes. Settling into their new
roles as parents, Bella and Edward are astonished at Renesmee's accelerated
growth. In a matter of months, she physically matures to the appearance of a
ten-year old girl. The Cullen's peace is threatened when Irina (Maggie Grace),
of the Denali clan, sees Renesmee and mistakes her for an immortal child that
Bella and Edward had created. She immediately informs the Volturi's leader, Aro
(Michael Sheen), of the 'crime' that the Cullens had committed. As immortal
children could not be controlled, the Volturi chose to purge them. The creation
of such children was punishable by death. Foreseeing their arrival thanks to
Alice's (Ashley Greene) talents, the Cullens begin to gather allies from around
the world to convince the Volturi that Renesmee is not who they think she is.
If need be, they would fight the Volturi to the death to protect her.
From the
synopsis alone, "Breaking Dawn Part 2" doesn't look especially
exciting but its final half-hour delivers the necessary jolt that the series
has been lacking for the past three installments. Right from the get-go, you
can feel that there's something different about this film as we're treated to a
stylish opening credits sequence. It then transitions to Bella awakening for
the first time as a vampire and rushing out into the forest to test her new
abilities. I've always found Bella to be a terrible character defined only by
the men in her life and while I still view her wanting to be a vampire as
selfish, it does allow her to finally evolve and not mope around. Bella's new
lease on life (or un-life) gives her a sense of empowerment and she proudly
proclaims that she 'was born to be a vampire.' Even Edward gets to smile more
instead of looking constipated all the time! These films have always been silly
fluff and Condon finally embraces the absurdity of it all (especially the
costumes) but holds back just enough to not let it fall into a ridiculous
self-parody. Many of the best scenes involve Bella's father Charlie (Billy
Burke), which includes Jacob once again dropping his clothes, inspiring cheers
from the audience. However, it still suffers from the same issues that plagued
the previous entries, even if it is alleviated. The most serious offender is
the dialogue; some of it is just cringe-inducing. The narration doesn't help
either as it comes off as clumsy. Unlike the time-waster that was "Part
1," there's a sense of urgency as the Volturi makes their way toward Forks
and as such, it moves at a nice clip and doesn't feel like two hours. Condon
builds to a surprisingly engaging climax as the film breaks out with an
impressive action scene between the Cullens (with their allies) and the
Volturi. There's quite a lot of heads being ripped-off and it allows some of
the minor characters who barely have any lines to shine. The way the battle is
resolved might be viewed as a cop-out to some, even if it is unexpected. While
the cinematography from Guillermo Navarro leads to some striking images, the
visual effects remain problematic given the production budget and some of the
wirework is too obvious. "Breaking Dawn Part 2" ends with a nice look
back through the series, including an extended roll call of every cast member.
It's a strangely dour send-off but Condon handles it well; it's just a shame
that it took the last installment to
show that "Twilight" could actually be good.
There is some minor
improvement with the performances. Kristen Stewart is more expressive now that
she's a full vampire, playing a much more assertive and dare I say, ass-kicking
Bella. Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner may not have much to do but it was a
nice change to pace to see them get along instead of squabbling like
hormone-addled teenagers. Lautner is still a terrible actor though; at least
Pattinson tries. The rest of the supporting cast is mostly just set-dressing,
with the exception of Michael Sheen as Volturi leader Aro. He knows what type
of film he's in and goes way over-the-top with his goofy cackling. His every
movement is exaggerated to theatrical proportions. Billy Burke is always
enjoyable as Charlie and is the one thing that's been consistently good in the
series. Dakota Fanning is unfortunately wasted as the sadistic Jane.
To be
released on November 16, 2012, "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2" has
surprisingly been receiving a positive reception and currently stands at 82% on
Rotten Tomatoes. The first and the third installments are the best-reviewed
with 49% each; I'm going to go out on a limb here and predict a final score in
the lower-60s. The advance screening I attended yesterday leaned heavily female
and they clearly enjoyed the film, with many cheering as each name popped up in
the opening and end credits. For them, the experience was…orgasmic. It will
rule the box office this weekend without any question, with some projecting a
debut of at least a $140 million. Summit Entertainment is keen to start on
spin-offs but it'd be better if the studio just let it end with some dignity as
it would only be a blatant attempt to just milk the franchise.
"Twilight" will never be viewed as a great series outside of its
rabid fanbase but this final installment ends it on a classy note that lends it
a sense of legitimacy, although it won't win any new converts. No matter your
feelings about what Meyer has created, even the most jaded person will
grudgingly admit that it wrapped up on a stronger foot than when it began.
Final Rating: 3.5 out of 5
"After eighteen years of being
utterly ordinary, I finally found that I could shine."
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