‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2′ Movie Review

Twilight lovers, rejoice. That bittersweet moment has finally arrived: the 5th and last installment of ‘The Twilight Saga-Breaking Dawn Part 2’ has hit theaters, and I’m happy to report that it’s over the top, cheesy as ever, and actually holds some surprises.

THE GOOD: Bella (Kristin Stewart) is no longer torn between choosing the undead or the furry for her soulmate – she’s blissfully married to her vampire sweetheart Edward (Robert Pattinson) and they are now the proud parents of a slightly freakish baby girl named Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy). The birth has led to Bella’s transformation into a vampire –and may I just say here that “vampire Bella” is by FAR more tolerable than “mopey, klutzy, lovesick Bella”. By the end of New Moon, I was BEGGING for someone to put that girl out of her misery, and it finally happened. What we have now is a Bella who is fearless and slightly vicious, which is helpful when you’re about to enter a stand-off with the Volturi – the ruling vampire clan who has heard of the birth of Renesmee, and , under the false assumption that she is an ‘immortal’, has come to destroy her.

The Cullen family has enlisted vampire friends from all over the world to help them in their battle with the Volturi, and as expected, the werewolves are there to fight along-side them as well. Now that Jacob has officially lost his bid for Bella, he has a new reason to fight – that being the fact that he has ‘imprinted’ on Renesmee; meaning, in werewolfland , that he is now her protector and lover for life. It’s a little creepy, but at least the film treats it from a somewhat humorous and tender level. And if any of you were worried that Jacob’s “shirtless” moments were over, take a deep breath, because THIS time he strips all the way down to his skivvies. Prepare yourselves.

THE BAD: As much as I am a fan of this entire franchise, I will be the first to admit that the acting and special effects sometimes – well, okay, a lot of times – border on campy and ridiculous. Maybe it’s just not possible to make people look cool when they are running at the speed of light through the forest, but it always gives the impression that they are on a giant conveyor belt that has malfunctioned horribly. Also, the acting by Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) in this one is so bad, I actually laughed out loud in a scene that was – I think – meant to be somber. On the upside, I’ve been waiting for someone to smack him upside the head since the very first movie, and it finally happens in this one. So there’s that.

THE UGLY: The violence in this thing definitely gets elevated to a new level with countless dismemberments – cheesy as they may be. But if you are someone who has read the books, the thing that might turn your world upside down is the bold plot twist which I frankly did not see coming. I am not exaggerating when I say that almost every single person in the theater I was in, sat forward in their seats and yelled some variation of “WHAT??” or “You have GOT to be kidding me!!!” One woman literally got up out of her seat, said “This is BS!” and walked out of the theater –I kid you not.

Although I am not as caught up in the whole Twilight craze as I was in the beginning, I still embrace the story of a young awkward girl who can’t believe her luck that someone as perfect as Edward Cullen could love her. No matter how goofy all the embellishments are, the basic storyline is still pretty cool. Also, don’t miss the credits after the final scene. I can’t believe I’m going to admit this, but it actually made me a little weepy.

Breaking Dawn-Part 2 has a running time of 115 minutes and is rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, sensuality and partial nudity. No F words.

See the trailer for 'Breaking Dawn -- Part 2' here: