Cinema Review - Breaking Dawn - Part Two

A year ago we were talking about the epic conclusion of the Harry Potter series and now we find ourselves in the midst of the final steps for the Twilight Saga, bowing out with Breaking Dawn - Part 2. Entering this final film of the series with yet more reservations and a feeling of expected disappointment, I was pleasantly surprised.

Continuing straight from the end of Part 1, Breaking Dawn's second leg sees Bella (Kristen Stewart) as a fully converted vampire, with her and Edward's (Robert Pattinson) daughter Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy) growing at a rapid rate due to her half human half vampire state. Concerned by the rate at which their daughter is growing, the newlyweds also encounter problems when the Volturi are alerted about their daughter and a future battle looks set to be unleashed within the community of vampires.

Finalising what has become a global phenomenon, director Bill Condon concludes with what is the most ambitious and exhilirating entry of the series. Moving on from the underwhelming and overdrawn love triangle and focusing on a bigger scale event, Breaking Dawn Part Two excites and proves a breath of fresh air in what has been a fatiguing series.

Injecting some much-needed pulsating action and some real oomph to its central characters, Condon drives the Twilight saga onto smooth roads and sets events alight with some instances of pure genius. Despite the first hour trudging along at a steady pace, the final half is a joy to watch and in the final act comes a fantastic twist and an incredible battle that will make many film fans weak at the knees with excitement.

All the woes emanating from the previous instalments are vanquished in one swoop as the finale offers up a staggering beast of a twist and a powerhouse battle to usher in the saga's conclusion. More violent than we have experienced before, limbs are severed in abundance and shocks and surprises are served up in the battle that Twilight desperately required. 

Aside from a remarkable conclusion, Part Two serves up a superb performance from Kristen Stewart as she evolves in her role as Bella to flourish in freedom and bring a much less reserved portrayal compared to the rest of the films. She shows off her acting prowess and is the clear star of the show. Additionally  the forever reliable Michael Sheen hams it up to create the sinister bad guy of the piece and the likes of Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson offer improvements in their dominant male roles.

Some questionable baby CGI and a rather odd young and old relationship aside, Breaking Dawn Part Two establishes itself as the best of the series with an epic final battle, a superb central lead performance and a much improved flow to proceedings. For Twilight fans this may feel like the perfect send-off, for people like me it sees the end of an average series, but capped off how it should be done.

Film Rating: 3 out of 5 F's