"The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2" - The End is Finally Here

The Volturi are coming! The Volturi are coming! Too bad they did not bring a better screenplay and an acting coach with them. The final entry in the immensely popular Twilight film series, Breaking Dawn - Part 2, is also the weakest. I have reviewed the previous four Twilight films and liked them for the most part, but the final chapter is not nearly as good. The story picks up shortly after Breaking Dawn - Part 1 ends, with Bella (Kristen Stewart) fully transformed into a vampire and trying to adapt to her new powers and abilities. She appears to be happy, but her bliss does not last long. Jacob (Taylor Lautner) has information about his connection to Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Bella's newborn daughter, Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy), which infuriates her and results in a physical confrontation between the close friends. It is refreshing to see more drama between Jacob and Bella, but now that they are seemingly connected forever, they must find a way to mend their differences.

Bella and Edward are going to need Jacob's help when they learn from Alice (Ashley Greene), courtesy of a vision, that the Volturi are coming to kill them because they have broken the law of creating an immortal child. However, Renesmee is half human and half vampire, so she is not immortal. Regardless, the Volturi are going to need proof that Renesmee is not immortal, so the Cullen family go about finding witnesses from their many contacts from around the world. As they gathered allies, I could not help but think of the episode of The Flintstones that featured a boy scout jamboree, complete with children from nations around the world. Of course, in Breaking Dawn - Part 2, the characters do not sit around a campfire and sing songs.

When the Volturi finally arrive, they meet the Cullen family and their assembled friends and allies in an open, snow covered field. Testimony is then given regarding Renesmee, but the Volturi leader, Aro (Michael Sheen), still believes that child poses a risk to vampires. Alice continues to try to persuade Aro that the threat simply does not and will not exist, but tensions are running high between the assembled forces and a battle seems inevitable. To divulge any more would spoil the already rotten ending even further.

To his credit, director Bill Condon keeps the film moving at a brisk pace and the technical aspects of the production are impressive. However, the screenplay, by Melissa Rosenberg and based on Stephanie Meyer's book, features groan inducing dialogue from start to finish and a bait and switch scene that almost led to my departure from the screening. I waited for nearly two hours for something substantial to occur and when the story appeared to be taking chances and shaking things up, the rug is pulled out from under viewers. Making things worse is the phoned in performances from the lead trio, who have clearly grown a bit too comfortable in their respective roles. Frankly, I was not expecting an award winning effort, but I assumed that the quality would match the previous installments, but that was not meant to be. Regardless, the franchise is too popular and lucrative to be hurt by a below average final effort, as is evidenced by the film's huge worldwide box office take that may reach a billion. Although I do think fans who have stuck with the franchise deserved a better final act.