The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2

This is the last of the Twilight movies (hopefully) and I felt a bittersweet sense of closure when I saw this one. No more of Bella's one constant 'sadu' expression, no more of Edwards reedy thin looks and pink lips, no more of vampires in red lenses theatrically standing around a couch as if on prime time Hindi soap opera.

This last one was slightly better than part 1 where Bella's delivery scene was enough to put anyone off child bearing forever. Being a vampire suits her and we can actually see her smiling for a change.

This last movie centers around Edward and Bella's daughter Renesmee who was born while Bella was still human. So the child is part vampire part human which makes her a potential dangerous threat to vampiredom. The Volturis decide she must be killed. Bella and gang rustle up vampires from around the world to prove that she is harmless. So you have the United Nations Council of Vampires assembling with ones from Ireland and Egypt and the Amazon forest. So then it all spins out and the child is proven harmless based on the fact that another such half child was harmless. (though how that is conclusive proof I don't know)

There is a great fight at the end with heads getting ripped off in abandon. But that's about it. This movie like all the other Twilight movies I have seen, holds more promise than it delivers. A skip unless you are a die hard Twilight fan.

Disclaimer: This reviewer confesses to have watched Twilight, and even read the book. He fast-forwarded through most parts of New Moon and never bothered to watch Eclipse and Breaking Dawn Part 1. That said, he is a great fan of the soundtracks. He has always maintained that he wouldn't watch the Twilight movies unless someone paid him to. That day has finally come. With very little knowledge about the plot of the previous three entries, he hopes you will appreciate this perspective.

From my own experience and from the universal critical hatred, I have come to expect bad things from the Twilight movies.. very bad things. I have most successfully managed to avoid them till now. Breaking Dawn Part 2 brings to end a series that is as fiercely loved as it is hated. I walked in with very low expectations. I am happy the film didn't give me too many reasons to dislike it.

The central conflict in Breaking Dawn is itself very thin. The Volturis, sort of a governing body for vampires, get the word that Cullens have a turned a little girl into a vampire. This, according to them, is an incredibly dangerous threat to the secrecy of their kind. Bella's new born is, in fact, a half-mortal, conceived when she was still a human. The little girl, with an awful portmanteau name Renesmee, grows six inches over a few weeks and her idiot, happily ignorant grandfather suspects nothing. You know what? Never mind with the plot. I don't fully understand it myself. Just bear in mind that the misinformed Volturis arrive at the doorstep of Cullens to set things right.

There are many ways to end a love triangle, comprising two men and a woman. You can kill off a guy and hook up the remaining two. You can bring a new girl and make two pairs. Or you can hook two people up, let them have a baby and hitch her to the guy who remains solo. Yes, Breaking Dawn does exactly that! Trying to rationalize one of the most WTF plot lines in the history of WTF plot line, Jacob The Big Dog ultimately finds love in a hopeless place. He is said to have "imprinted" something on Bella and Edward's two day old baby, making her his bitch for life. As if trolls didn't have enough cud to chew on.

The first hour involves Cullens recruiting Vampires and forming a private army to fight the Volturis. A freak show soon ensues, with weirdos from different corners of the world reaching out to offer their services. Any one who can tell their good movies apart from the bad ones is very much likely to roll his eyes dry. Right from the clunky dialogues to equally creative acting, most part of the movie is pure torture. But, wait, it's not all that bad. The whole part leading up to the final, climactic battle may be painfully boring, but what follows is deliciously fun. I am surprised how much enjoyable the whole sequence was. Michael Sheen's goofiness definitely added to the experience. And to top all that with a twist which I so did not see coming.. well played!

I cannot promise you a good time, but Breaking Dawn is definitely an adaptation which will satisfy the fans. Avoid it if you can, but if the girlfriend is too persistent, just go. Sit through the first half; trust me it surely gets better. It is only a matter of time before Hollywood, tweenage girls and a few boys with weird taste in movies find themselves another franchise to collectively orgasm over. I am just thankful the series is over.

So it all finally comes to an end. I've never been an admirer of the Twilight films but their appeal to a large demographic of the audience is undeniable. Over the years while many have sneered the movies and books, others (in large numbers) have hailed it as a masterpiece and the phenomena for a generation of teens and “tweens”. However thankfully it's come to an end finally, until it's remade a few years down the line.

Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward's (Robert Pattinson) young daughter is regarded as a threat by the Vampire governing council called the Volturi lead by Aro (Michael Sheen). The Cullens try and protect the newest addition to their family and enlist the help of other vampire tribes from around the world. The werewolves also offer their assistance, all leading up to an explosive climax that thankfully doesn't disappoint.

Honestly the only highlight for me was the climactic battle and with a no-holds-barred attitude along with a nice twist in the end, it was worth the wait. I haven't read the books so there is no way I can compare the two, fortunately or unfortunately.

The acting uniformly remains the same as the earlier movies and even a good actor like Michael Sheen resorts to hamming it up. The cinematography is good, I'll give it that.

I guess “Twi-hards” will love it and the rest should maybe hop in just for the climactic battle.

Even though I am not a Twilight fan I ended up watching all the movies in the series. The takeaway for me was the cinematography and the music. But when I saw breaking dawn part 2 amongst a hall filled with I assume hardcore twilight fans laughing at the most unexpected places I figured that the series has become a parody of its own.

Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) are happily married. Bella has become a vampire too and they have a daughter called Renesmee (I am sure fans of the series have already started naming their daughters Renesmee). Jacob (Taylor Jacob) is still hovering around in their lives. And, they still walk around with that constipated look on their faces. Bella gets to have some fun in this part; Jacob bares his upper body once again and has an outrageously funny 'Lamhe' like track for himself. Twilight's unintentional tribute to Yash Chopra's most underrated film.

This film will go down in history as one with the most hilarious climax to a film or series. I have never seen the audience laugh so loud, not even in a comedy film this year. Before the climactic battle that comes in the last 40 minutes of the film you have to live through the laboriously boring screenplay that at a point turns into an x men like film with vampires of special powers coming together.

Even though the series has come to end I have still not figured what about the film makes a person go ga ga over it. Popular culture has always thrown these kinds of surprises at us and it continues to do so. Either you fall in line and connect with it or land up amongst the minority discussing the why's and how's.

Word of mouth - Breaking Dawn 2 belongs to the “so bad that it's good” category for me. I've not had such unintentional fun at the movies recently. Thanks for the entertainment Ambassadors of Constipation. Now you can shit in peace.

Rating - ** (Below Average)

Ticket meter - Worth a theatre visit only if you get a fun audience like I did.

So I have never seen any of the Twilight movies, nor had I read up on them until yesterday. After some basic wiki'ing & googling, I decided to take the risk of watching this. What was the outcome?

I got out understanding why women are crazy for this franchise, its so damn easy to follow. Still, not the kind of films I'd EVER venture out to.

Ideally, going in to watch the 3rd Lord of the Rings film or a 5th Harry Pottter film without seeing the previous ones would have you confused throughout its running, but Twilight is simple & understandable for most of it. A good readup on the plot & you're ready to go. Maybe that is the reason why it ends up grossing billions and why teen girls(or should I say, just girls) across the world are going crazy for this film.

(Please spare me if some names are wrong) Bella has a kid called Renesmee with Edward. Apparently, her friend Jacob, the half-werewolf has imprinted on her which means they are to be connected for life, a concept I had to read up on after the movie. This angers Bella but she eventually makes her peace with it. On the other hand, half-vampire kids cant be immortal & some sort of moral police brigade called Volturi are here to kill them as it is not allowed in their world. I was a bit confused about the logic & rules of their world but made up some assumptions and just watched it.

I cant comment much on the story as from what I understand, this is a like a bollywood love story with a vampire twist. In terms of action, I liked some of the random, over-the-top climax sequences.

To put it in short, its a watchable fare(only this one), which works on a very weak story. Im personally not a big fan of vampire films & though I have seen only this one, I wouldnt really go back & see the others. For all the men out there, be rest assured the theater halls will be filled with teens who are hooting away like we do during Batman.