Review: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012)

Academy Award winner Rami Malek was in a Twilight movie?!

With that out of the way, it's time to take a look at Breaking Dawn: Part 2, the conclusion to The Twilight Saga. Sad times. And once again, this will predominantly be a spoiler review, because I have no idea how to cover this film without discussing at least some of the weirdness it had to offer.

In this finale, Bella (Kristen Stewart) is now a newborn - someone who was recently transformed into a vampire. Aside from dealing with her new thirst for blood, she and Edward (played by Robert Pattinson) are now also first time parents to Renesmee Cullen (the spelling of this name never looks right to me, surely it should be Reneesme? the "smee" part of this name just makes me think of Captain Hook's sidekick in Peter Pan). Renesmee is Bella and Edward's half-human/half-vampire daughter, played by Mackenzie Foy. Bella and Edward have help raising their daughter though, as Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) imprinted on Renesmee, meaning he wants to be around her constantly. However, not everyone is happy about Renesmee's existence, as it was believed humans and vampires couldn't have children together. It is up to the Cullens, their friends and their family to stop the Volturi, a group of powerful vampires, from harming Renesmee and everything else they value.

Out of all of the films in this series, this is one of my favourites. It also feels like the hardest one to write about, mostly because there is so much to take it, and I don't know if I will manage to cover all of it here.

While I believed Breaking Dawn: Part 1 had too little going on, I am almost overwhelmed to think about everything that happened in the sequel. Bella had to adapt to being a vampire and new mother, Renesmee grew up, Edward's character went from obsessive and controlling to being a spineless blank slate, Charlie got some closure, all the new vampire characters were introduced, Carlisle is now kind of ginger for some reason, the CGI baby, the battle scene, and the twist of the battle scene. There's a lot to unpack, and yet it doesn't entirely feel necessary. I'd say you have to see it to believe it at this point.

I have to start by talking about the twist of the battle scene. I won't go so far as to spoil what the twist was, but by knowing there's a twist, you can probably work it out as you watch. I must admit that I had already been spoiled for this years ago, so I can't help wondering how much harsher my reaction would be if I hadn't known. I imagine fans felt betrayed in some way by the film when they went to see it in cinemas. Sadly, because I am so calm about the twist, I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about it. I will say that the way it was handled felt cheap, although the actual battle was well done, and was surprisingly graphic for a film aimed at younger teenage girls.

I think I'm more annoyed about the aftermath of the Volturi than I am with the battle scene twist. They were too easily managed for my liking, and it feels somewhat naive that they departed as easily as they did.

It's taken five films for me to get here, but I think this film made me kind of like Bella. Vampire Bella is just having a great time. She's even excited to step out into the sun and glitter for the first time.

Sparkly Bella

She's still flawed, of course. She got over her bloodthirst for humans ridiculously fast (as in, within less than the first ten minutes of this film kind of fast). I really didn't like her first hunt scene, as it felt too dramatic with a weak payoff (see previous sentence). Her narration is back once again, which continues to feel silly. Her initial show of superior strength felt a little annoying, as she was angry and showy with it, but once she properly begins to be a mother to Renesmee, and we actually saw her being happy in this new form, I liked her. Her chemistry with Pattinson is probably at its best here, as they are actually allowed to be happy together. Additionally, Bella proves she can be useful multiple times, and works well with the other vampires. I don't like the way it came about, as there have been a lot of red flags for her toxic and unintentionally unhappy relationship with Edward throughout these films, but I am happy to see this character come into her own because it works and she is better for it.

Meanwhile, Edward is such a simpering creature in this film. He smiles all the time (which doesn't suit the character) and he just goes along with whatever Bella wants to do, or tells everyone else repeatedly just how extraordinary she is, which gets tiring quickly. He doesn't seem to have any opinions or any basic independent features of his own anymore. In fact, I think it would be rather suiting to call him pathetic. Also, he wears a hoodie in one scene and it does not suit this character at all, as he usually wears very fitted, and rather formal clothing. After five films, it's clear that I will never be Team Edward.

Edward (Robert Pattinson) in his hoodie, as other Cullens judge his sudden change in fashion choices in the background

I should talk briefly about Jacob, although I don't have a lot to say. This is probably the closest I've come to liking him since New Moon, but unfortunately, I just don't enjoy this character anymore. His situation with Renesmee feels a bit less creepy than it did with her in the previous film, as romance isn't so heavily implied. However, he watches her all the time, and you can't help but worry for the poor girl when her uncle figure convinces her that they're soulmates when she's older.

Renesmee (as a half-human, half-vampire being) could have been a really interesting character, and maybe it's because of her age, but she wasn't given much to do apart from be stared at in wonder by people, and put her hand on someone's cheek occasionally. However, Mackenzie Foy is such a remarkably pretty child, I can understand why everyone was a little taken aback by her when she stared up at them with her large eyes. I just wish her face hadn't been computer-imposed on the younger versions of Renesmee, because it doesn't look right.

Mackenzie Foy as Renesmee

I'm really happy someone took the time -if only for a little bit- to care about Charlie and his feelings in this film. We see him being upset, and we see Bella feel conflicted about how to handle being out of his life, because she misses him. The scene where Jacob shows Charlie that he's a werewolf is one of the most awkwardly funny scenes I've seen in this series, largely because Jacob slowly starts stripping off all his clothes in front of Charlie, so he can turn into a werewolf, something he has never done while turning into a werewolf before. However, there are a couple of things that frustrate me about Charlie's arc, particularly towards the end. Firstly, he has a girlfriend, and that's barely explained, she's just living with him one day. Secondly, they make a big fuss about Charlie being back in Bella's life, only to send him off on a fishing trip midway through the film and that's the last we see of him. Finally, -and the biggest problem in my eyes- is that I have no idea why Bella and Edward tell him that Renesmee is Edward's niece who they've adopted and not their daughter, when Charlie clearly implies that he knows the real situation with Renesmee. It looks like he gets to have plenty of contact with her too. So why not just tell him the truth? Are they that worried about breaking the news to Charlie that his daughter isn't a virgin anymore? Whatever the case, I'm just glad he got to be a granddad.

It feels odd to me that Bella's mother was never mentioned. While Charlie was being emotionally destroyed by having no contact with his daughter, we never hear if Bella's mum is going through the same thing. Was it silently agreed that the wedding would be the last time they ever saw each other? And if Charlie gets to know about Renesmee, why doesn't Renee, when the child is named after her?

Now, while it was very nice to see that my man Carlisle had some decent scenes in this film, let's take a moment to talk about a different beautiful man vampire. Lee Pace is here as Garrett, and he is rocking this vampire look. Damn. Where was he for the last four films?

Lee Pace as Garrett, with Kate, played by Casey LaBow

I have mixed feelings about the other vampire characters that were introduced. I've already stated that I liked Garrett, and generally, all the American accented ones were fine. I've been open about my consistent lack of interest in the Volturi (these films just aren't good at villains) but really it's the Irish vampires that caught me off-guard. Perhaps it's just unfortunate coincidence, but the fact that they're ginger and wear green - well, it has the potential to feel a little offensive.

I was happy that Esme actually had a couple of decent scenes in this film. This character hasn't contributed much to the series, but it was good to see her take more control and actually be (an admittedly small) part of the story. However, this means that Emmett was the only Cullen who we didn't get to see much personality from, apart from challenging Bella to an arm wrestle and joking to her about having mad sex with Edward in this film. I'm sure he's very nice in the books, but he's not a favourite Cullen for me.

I still believe Rosalie had the best character arc in this series. She went from a bitter, unpleasant person who resented being alive to being a cheerful, thriving, supportive friend to Bella, thanks to having Renesmee in her life. I think Nikki Reed did a good job with this character, and her evolution felt right.

The film ends with montage of scenes from the previous films, which then cuts to the end credits, which displays everyone from all of the films (including people who weren't in this one specifically), with most of them looking dramatically into the camera as their name pops up. 'A Thousand Years' by Christina Perri plays over this. It's a deeply cheesy yet beautifully nostalgic sequence, and it feels like a good, suitable way to end the series.

I imagine many people were and would be disappointed with the battle scene twist, but aside from that, this is the most action packed of the Twilight films, which just kept building up on itself as the running time progressed. Some of it was interesting, some of it was embarrassing, but ultimately, most of it was unpredictable and I couldn't wait to see what would possibly happen next. I can't speak for everyone, but I found that this film delivered closure, and I am satisfied.

THE SCOREBOARD

Chick Flick Check List Elements: 1, 21, 42, 49, 52, 53, 54, 57, 59

Total: 9

Is this really a chick flick or will men like it too? This is actually more of an action based fantasy with some romance, over a chick flick.

Would I recommend this film? Yes

Quote of the film: "You nicknamed my daughter after the Loch Ness monster?!" - Bella

Film rating: 7/10