It's finally here! I'm finally done! It's the last bloody Twilight film! The conclusion to one of the most loved, yet one of the most despised film franchises of all time. I think after reading the other four reviews you'll know what I think of it. It's boring. But enough of that, let's have a look at second part of Breaking Dawn.
Following the birth of Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy), Edward (Robert Pattinson) has turned Bella (Kristen Stewart) into a vampire. Unfortunately word reaches the Volturi about Renesmee and, thinking she's child-turned-vampire (An illegal act as child vampires are unpredictable), effectively declare war on the Cullen's.
This film, is actually well structured. It mixes drama, some comedic moments, some touching family moments, I was actually really surprised. This film is a lot more engrossing than the others. It manages to successfully develop the Renesmee character and the plot around her. But they still could have condensed 'Part 1' into thirty minutes and edited it into this film.
There are still some really bad things though, such as why does Renesmee age quickly? Why did Bella's vampire power manifest when she was human? Why does it appear the Volturi gave the Cullen's months of preparation for their attack? Why are the vampires more colourful instead of having pale skin in the last four films? Whenever I asked a question about this film, and in hindsight the whole franchise, I was told to "read the books". And that's where the problem lies. People I speak to, whether they loved or hated the film, normally say that the books are better. I can only assume that the books explain things so much better, whereas the films don't explain a God damn thing. Look at the Harry Potter films, they actually explain things, they don't just say "It's magic" they actually talk about things. The Twilight Saga seems to say things and expects you to just except it.
The characters, they're still boring, but with a surprising bit of comedy added in. It has kind of put some life into their characters. A bit late and it doesn't really affect them that much, but finally. Charlie (Billy Burke) was pretty much forgotten about after the twentieth minute, but he does bring a very well directed emotional scene. We also see that Bella has completed her journey from self-deprecating teenager to selfish, manipulative, uncaring bitch to vainest woman alive.
I have to say though the new characters they introduced to are actually more interesting than the main characters. The problem is that we don't really learn much about them. We really get the bare minimum. I remember two Romanian (I think) vampires who want revenge on the Volturi. I think one of them was called Vladimir (Noel Fisher). In fact the only new vampires we really get a fair bit of screen time with is Alistair (Joe Anderson), Kate (Casey LaBow), and Tanya (MyAnna Buring). Primarily because they actually have some life in them compared to the others. Oh, but Jacob (Taylor Lautner) has gotten creepy, since he went "Hey Bella, good news! I no longer fancy you! I fancy your newborn daughter!". CREEPY!
The acting, well, for the returning cast members they're about as good (Or bad, take your pick) as they were in previous films. Except for a couple, the first is Jackson Rathbone as Jasper who I felt actually took it up a notch. The other, is Kristen Stewart. Yes, I repeat, Kristen Stewart actually improved since the last couple of films, Hell, she
smiles. I repeat, SMILES. She actually gives a little bit of life into her character. She's still bad but at least she improved a little. It's odd, I've seen her in 'Adventureland', 'The Twilight Saga',
'Snow White and the Hunstman', 'Jumper', and the time she finally puts some life into a character, it's when she's playing a dead person.
But like I said, she is still pretty bad. One scene she is outclassed by Mackenzie Foy, and Foy doesn't even utter a single word. It was all her emotions, her facial movements, she was quite remarkable for someone her age, and that coming from someone who did a
top ten worst child actor performances list, that's how good she was. MyAnna Buring also gave a really good performance, but then again I am comparing her to her performance in 'Lesbian Vampire Killers' where she came on a bit too strong. Michael Sheen meanwhile continues to blow everyone else out of the water, even if he did have a certain...weird laugh moment.
The film meanwhile reminds me of how bad the enhanced speed effects look, and I still maintain that the effects for the wolves still look good. However, a CGI baby. A CGI baby. What the Hell? This film decided to use a CGI baby? Who the Hell decided that? Were they unable to find an actual baby? Did every baby on Earth refuse to star in this? It was quite possibly the worst looking baby I have ever seen in cinema history. Any other effects, ranging from battle scenes to decapitation, is mediocre at best.
So,
'Twilight', poor film.
'New Moon', actually an alright film.
'Eclipse', bland.
'Breaking Dawn Part 1', BOOOOOORRRRRRRRING! 'Breaking Dawn Part 2'...it was actually a pretty good film to finish the series on. Seriously, for what it is, it's pretty good. It's certainly an improvement on 'Part 1' and 'Eclipse'. Oh, it certainly has its flaws, but for the most part, it's not actually that bad. I certainly didn't hate it as much as the others.
Until the film did...a certain thing.
Spoiler Section
Okay. So, when the Cullen's and their allies confront the Volturi, Aro (Michael Sheen) is still determined to destroy the Cullen tribe, citing that they do not know how dangerous Renesmee could be in the future. Alice (Ashley Greene) pops up and shows Aro a vision. Aro however is not persuaded and a fight breaks out. This makes the film more entertaining, and the fact that major characters ACTUALLY die(!) makes it even better. Oh yeah, Carlisle (Peter Facinelli), Jasper, Seth (Booboo Stewart), Leah (Julia Jones), Aro, Jane (Dakota Fanning), Marcus (Christopher Heyerdahl...which is weird because he apparently wanted to die. He gave no indication he wanted to prior to this), and others all die in this climatic battle. This was pretty much the best thing to have happened in the Twilight Saga, as they finally took a risk and actually had main characters die. It adds a sense of realism...yes I know there are vampires and werewolves in this, shut up. Having characters die mean that we can relate to the characters, we can see a more vulnerable side to them.
And then it's revealed it's a vision.
I watched this round
the Whalley's place, borrowing his sister's DVD. I'm sure he will remember my reaction to this for a very long time. Basically, I broke down. This film
broke me with that twist. As I said, as a whole the film is pretty good, but
that twist ruins the whole film. I thought that this was initially a good thing as it showed the film was taking a risk, that the characters are vulnerable, that there is now uncertainty. And then, to reveal that the whole thing didn't happen. It's the same as the 'it was a dream' scenario, all it did was waste time, get people's hopes up, and then it does the cheapest, the most downright laziest move in the franchise. It ruins the whole film, it destroys any likability. Except the Wilhelm scream. That was brilliant.
Then again it's not the film producers fault, it's Meyers'. But what can I expect when she
"can't write worth a darn". Hell, from what I've heard the book didn't even have a battle, at least the film gave us that, even if it didn't actually bloody happen.
But, in a way, it kind of makes me want to see another story. I know, crazy right? The ending in the film basically makes Aro angry, it puts him between a rock and a hard place; how to keep his strong position, but not die. In the end he leaves, but you can see from his reaction that he feels humiliated, he feels the Volturi have had their image weakened. He wants revenge. But then again I want him to kill at least half the Cullen's and we all know Meyers' won't
dare do that.
Basically, whole film ruined by the one twist which...actually makes it better than the books. Weird.
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