Breaking Dawn Part 2 is a solid entry into the franchise, and is perhaps the best of the bunch, although the caveat to that is that to better Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn Part 1 isn’t much of a stretch in the first place.
I watched this film with extremely low expectations – let me make that point again: extremely low expectations. I’d read the books, of course, so I knew what to expect as far as the story went, but part of me was curious as to just how a director of Condon’s caliber might pull off one of the most unneccessary extended epilogues of all time. Let’s just say that about ten minutes in, I’d started to wish that I could be staked through the heart to allow the pain of watching this crap to end.
Okay, I’m prepared for the flames of Twihards to descend upon me should I give this film a rating anything less than a full 10/10. I’ve wrapped myself up in flame-retardant material, bolted the windows and doors shut, and stockpiled the various cans of soup, beans and vegetables I’m going to need for a long, hard seige. After all, those who speak ill of the vampire-themed love story written by Stephenie Meyer, and now being turned into films by a Hollywood machine looking for the next Harry Potter franchsie to milk to death, would be well advised to maintain their anonymity lest you be struck down by an angry fan. The mind-numbing incredulity with which I watch normally healthy, emotionally balanced people suddenly launch into a tirade about Jacob and Edward, about who should win Bella’s affection, is often surprising even to me. My good wife, Lisa T, has written the reviews for the previous two films in this franchise, Twilight and New Moon, for us here at fernbyfilms.com, but now I finally get a chance to unleash the full force of my chagrin at the series; for better or worse.
Better acting than Twilight, and a superior directorial effort from Chris Weitz, as well as female-pleasing amounts of buffed and bronzed bodies draped across the screen, made New Moon an improvement in many ways over it’s predecessor. While subtle changes between Meyer’s novel and the film are noticeable, they’re never distracting for fans. Some character development is missing, which leaves New Moon a little confusing for non-Twihards, but overall, a great time to be had in the cinema.
Apparently, this film is based upon the first of a series of successful novels, a la Harry Potter. Unfortunately, unlike the boy wizard, Twilight as a film has neither the coherency or the depth of characters to hold up under any kind of scrutiny. Bella (Kristen Stewart) arrives at a new school, and finds herself attracted to the mysterious Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), who, as it turns out, is a vampire. And lives with a few other vampires in the woods outside of town. Edward, somehow, finds himself attracted to Bella as well, and although their human/vampire love is shunned by Edward’s family, they persist with it to the detriment of both their lives.
