The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Michael Sheen
Director: Bill Condon (CERT 12A, 115 minutes)
The plot: Can it be only four years ago that heat excitedly welcomed the first Twilight movie to our collective embrace, celebrating “swooning romance” and “sizzling chemistry”? Even we didn’t quite imagine what a huge deal the Twilight film franchise would eventually become. But all good things must come to an end. As fans of the book know all too well, the Cullens provoke the wrath of the Volturi overlords when Bella and Edward’s fast-maturing offspring Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy) is mistaken for an immortal child – a human infant that has been turned into a vampire. As the family prepares for the big showdown, it gathers witnesses from all corners of the globe to persuade Aro (Sheen) that no transgression has occurred.
What's right with it? Every fantasy franchise needs a strong villain – think Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter – but the Volturi have been a relatively tentative presence in Twilight. Now Aro really comes into his own, with guard Jane (Dakota Fanning), who has the psychic ability to inflict pain on opponents, also registering as a strong presence. The final showdown departs from the book with a shockingly brutal battle that is both satisfying and cinematic, and yet cleverly also manages to be simultaneously more or less faithful to Stephenie Meyer’s text. We won’t spoil it by saying how.
What’s wrong with it? It may work spread across the pages of the book, but within the confines of a film it’s hard to gain much purchase on the bewildering array of new vampire characters rounded up from all corners of the globe. The story also feels a tad stretched: the witnesses arrive; the Volturi are battled; the end. Did Breaking Dawn really deserve to be split into two separate movies?
Verdict: Respect to the filmmaking team for coming up with a spectacular ending that makes sense on the screen, a fitting finale to our emotional investment over the course of five films. And the final credits, giving appropriate respect to the talented acting ensemble that has given life to these films, left us gooey inside. Twilight, we’ll miss you. HHHH @charlesgant
Shirtless scenes: 2
One each from R-Pattz and Tay-Laut. Well, it wouldn’t be the same without them
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