Twi-hards across the UK queued up on the evening of Thursday, November 15th for what promised to be the epic finale to “The Twilight Saga.” “Breaking Dawn – Part 2” did not disappoint.
Many online fans have been sceptical about the integrity of Part 2. Some were dubious that director, Bill Condon and screenplay writer, Melissa Rosenberg may have provided a disappointing finale that wouldn’t live up to expectations. However, fans that are yet to see the grand finale can lay their fears to rest.
Even the opening credit sequence were beautifully shot, as it plunged the chatty and hyped-up audience into a reverent silence.
Viewers see a wider range of Kristen Stewart’s acting skills in Part 2, as her newly-wed character, Bella Cullen begins to adapt to life as a wife, vampire and parent. It is an emotional transition to say the least, as fans are treated to a peek into the Cullen’s new family life.
As expected, we see the dynamics of the Cullen family shift, as they make room for the latest additions to their coven, with some hilarious (but not over-stated) consequences.
In addition, it is not only the family’s relationships that have changed dramatically, but the relationship between male leads, Edward Cullen (Robert Patinson) and Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) also changes remarkably.
Some of the cheap one-liners could have been left out of the script as it detracts from the seriousness of the plot. Nevertheless, they had the audience roaring with laughter at points where Condon had, until then, skilfully built up tension between the characters.
Over the Twilight Saga, audiences have watched Pattinson grow as an actor. This performance as Edward is by far his most powerful to-date, as he flawlessly switches between a vast array of complex emotions throughout the highs and lows of the film.
As the Cullens pursue their mission to scour the globe for relatives willing to help protect their family, we are introduced to a variety of vampire characters from cultures all over the world. These were performed and costumed well, with the exception of two.
For some reason we are introduced to two vampires, Stefan and Vladimir (whose true motives are unclear throughout), who seem to fit the ‘stereotypical Hollywood vampire,’ complete with overdone Romanian accents and turned up collars.
Whether this was done as a very poor joke or an attempt to make them seem more menacing is unclear, but it undermined the tone of the film and, again, the seriousness of the situation.
As rumoured online, there were some subtle (and other not-so-subtle) changes from the book. These were executed seamlessly by the cast and producers under the supervision of author, Stephenie Meyer, and kept the film’s plot true to the overall tone of the novel.
The highly-anticipated battle scene certainly delivered on the promises of the trailers. It was the kind of tense, heart-stopping action that had the audience literally gasping in shock, horror and awe.
Even the eye-rolling non-fans (perhaps dragged along by their other halves) will struggle to deny the credibility of the scene, as it really is edge-of-the-seat material.
With the exception of the occasional awkwardly-placed one-liner and the “Chuckle Brothers” (as I later named the pair of Romanian vampires), Breaking Dawn Part 2 is an emotional, explosive and exhilarating climax to the Twilight Saga, which fans may be left pining after for years to come.
Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 is in cinemas now.