Plot
Having been transformed by her husband Edward (Pattinson), Bella (Stewart) is now a vampire too. But as she gets to grips with her new abilities, the ruling Volturi clan have heard about her half-breed daughter Renesmee (Foy) and are about to instigate a war. With the help of Jacob (Taylor), the Cullen family recruit like-minded vampires for the upcoming battle…
Review
Given that you already know if this movie is for you or not, reviews of Breaking Dawn – Part 2 are largely pointless. But here we go anyway. Saddled with seeing the unfeasibly popular franchise to a close, returning director Bill Condon (whose Breaking Dawn – Part 1 blended body-horror with the usual po-faced melodramatics) delivers a finale that – unsurprisingly – the haters will hate and the Twi-hards will love hard.
For the objective viewer though, Part 2 is another flawed spectacle which, while not as without merit as some would argue, is still easy to pick apart. For example, Bella is now a newborn vampire, which we’ve previously been told is a particularly tricky and hard-to-adjust-to period. Here, however, it’s more like she’s been given a superpower than a life-ending curse of sorts. Granted, time is spent at the start with her testing out her new abilities, but aside from one scene with a rock-climber, the blood thirst is far too easily controlled, and the transformation far too easy.
This is especially poor when you consider how much time is dedicated to recruiting new vampires and their shiny new powers. Oh well, at least it makes Bella slightly more interesting, if not especially more likeable (see how quickly she turns on Jake – after all he’s put up with – when he involuntarily “imprints” on her daughter). Still, the climactic battle sequence occasionally borders on providing thrills, while a few supporting players (Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Michael Sheen, Dakota Fanning) continue to impress despite minimal screen time.
Verdict
Haters will hate, Twi-hards will love hard and the objective viewer will find another flawed spectacle which, while not as without merit as some would argue, is still easy to pick apart.
