The Twilight franchise embraces its own innate absurdity with the gleefully over-the-top conclusion, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2.
This is by far the best film in the series. This does not necessarily mean it's good. But as it reaches its prolonged and wildly violent crescendo, it's at least entertaining in a totally nutso way.
The first four adaptations of Stephenie Meyer's mega-best sellers about the girl-vampire-werewolf love triangle (the final book was divided into two films for maximum box-office benefit) were, for the most part, laughably self-serious affairs full of mopey teen angst, stilted dialogue and cheesy special effects. Sure, they pleased their fervent audience, made billions of dollars worldwide and turned their three core actors into instant superstars. But they weren't what you would call high-quality cinematic experiences.
No longer torn between two amorous, animalistic suitors, Bella (Kristen Stewart) has married vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson), produced his hybrid spawn and been turned into one of the undead herself to avoid actual death during childbirth. Now she gets to enjoy all the perks of living forever — unstoppable strength and speed, the thrill of hunting for fresh blood and a seemingly unlimited sex drive. (The visuals still look awfully clunky and fake, especially in these scenes where Edward and Bella are running and jumping through the forest. At least the werewolves have stopped talking to each other, though.)
And Stewart seems to be enjoying herself for the first time, too. She's done away with the sulking and lip-biting and thrives within her newfound ferocious femininity. The swoony Edward almost feels like an afterthought here: This is Bella's time to sparkle.
Jacob (Taylor Lautner), the childhood friend and werewolf who was competing for her affections in small-town Forks, Wash., is still around and he's assumed a new role: He has "imprinted" on Bella's newborn daughter, the hideously named Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy), which makes him her protector and lover for life. Yes, this is creepy, but at least the film acknowledges as much.
