The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 Review

I thought I might be in a different position than most reviewers. That is to say, I’ve never hated The Twilight Saga. Pinnacle of cinema they are not, but if you have issues with it, just ignore it!

So, without a care I went to a midnight showing with my better half. We’ve also spoken enough about it that I know the difference between the Vulturi and Quileute. I was expecting more of the same melodrama, longing glances and pained expressions.

Unfortunately, even with that stance, Part 2 is shit.

These films have made a lot of money. So why they can’t afford decent CGI is beyond me. Sadly there are several moments in the film where shoddy CGI completely takes you out of the film.

The result of Renesmee’s accelerated growth is a CGI horror, resulting in laughter and gasps. There was a palpable sense of relief once she’d grown up and no longer looked like nightmare fuel.

At least the wolves are more convincing. We’re also spared a long telepathic wolf pack chat this time round. Thank God. Just makes me wonder how they could get some things so right and others so wrong.

So moving on, does the acting make any of this bearable? Well, if you’ve seen any of the previous entries you can expect more of the same. There are so many characters that no one gets time to make anything of them. They’re just throwing book names at the screen at this point. Stewart does a decent job of portraying Bella’s newfound vampire confidence, with a few amusing lines and more than one expression. Pattinson gets to pout and look moody; Lautner gets to take his shirt off and the rest of the cast just do enough. Michael Sheen deserved praise though, as he’s clearly aware of where he is, and hams it up accordingly.

In typical Hollywood fashion we have a final battle. But this one is different! Because we are treated to one of the laziest pieces of writing I’ve ever seen.

AND IT WAS A DREAM.

OK, it was actually a vision, but all it really was was a cheap tactic to take risks without ever doing anything. My English teacher told me not to use this trick when I was 11! Sure fire way to disappoint and anger long time fans.

Twilight was a decent enough introduction to the world, even though Edward’s hair was a bit too crazy. After the bore-fest that was New Moon, the series really picked up with Eclipse and appeared to be carrying on in that vein with Breaking Dawn –Part 1. Like Bella faking breathing to fool her Father into thinking she is still human, Breaking Dawn – Part 2 attempts to use a trashy twist and poor CGI to make us feel something.

You may be celebrating the end of this franchise, but I wonder when they (director etc) all stopped caring. Perhaps they never did, but they at least hid it better before. I feel bad for those really invested in Twilight, as something they’ve been anticipating ends so poorly.