Both parts of ‘Twilight: Breaking Dawn’

For non-“Twilight” fans, let me begin by saying that the last two movies of the series, “Breaking Dawn,” Parts 1 and 2 are actually quite well done, even for someone like me who wants nothing to do with the franchise, having been a Harry Potter fan instead. 

Edward (Robert Pattinson) knocks up Bella (Kristen Stewart) first time out — way to go — and Bella, now occupied by a superhuman baby with the strength of a newborn (no pun intended) vampire growing within her, begins a romantic death sentence with the help of Rosalie (Nikki Reed) — big shocker there. 

In the past, the Twilight series has been drenched with insane notions that vampires sparkle, werewolves turn at will and all vampires will hopelessly fall in love with humans, but in “Breaking Dawn” the notions reach a fever pitch. Even though the couple did everything right by marrying before actually bedding each other, it seems the moral of the story is to not fall in love with a nightmare because you will still suffer tremendously. 

Bella looks as if she suffers more than anyone due to the computer-generated effects rendering her usually pink-fleshed body full-on skeletal. Kristen Stewart is seen in many critics’ eyes as incapable of portraying agony, much less depicting love, anger, sadness, wanting a sandwich or anything, but in “Breaking Dawn” she has come to a point in which she can in fact depict these emotions.

For long stretches of the movie it really isn’t apparent that Edward is even a vampire, nor are any of the Cullen clan, actually; mostly he frets and withers away just like Bella, resulting in Pattinson’s dullest performance in the series despite the fact that he finally got to ease that frustration he’s been building since “Twilight.” 

The immortal, intelligent and overall fancy vampire clan surrounds Bella, who’s slipping away from existence by the minute, and all they can do is stand around and hand her a Slurpee cup full of blood every so often. 

The hot-blooded werewolf, Jacob (Taylor Lautner), who also loves Bella, takes over the movie by default considering he’s the only one who takes any initiative to do anything. I’ve always been Team Jacob — give me the lower-income Native American shape-shifters over the bloodsucking aristocracy any day.

As a blockbuster movie, it isn’t terrible; in fact, to be terribly honest, none of them have been. The main problem here is that, aside from its many bizarre elements (like the morbid, grossly bloody and downright gruesome birth and turning of Bella,) the film feels like the prelude to the more interesting finale that Part 2 promised to be, what with Bella now vampirized and feeling her new powers and a particular run-in with the Volturi, the elitist of all elite vampires, and the continuing saga of Jacob’s “imprinting” on Bella and Edward’s baby daughter, who has been graced with the perfectly unique name Renesmee.

“Breaking Dawn: Part 2” is the better of the two parts with Stewart’s wimpy character suddenly turning into a badass vampire, or more importantly, a strong woman. It was one of my biggest problems with Bella — a character that fell head over heels for a guy she barely knew and when he left to protect her went into a deep depression — for what? An immortal life to watch her family grow and die off?

Compared to movies with women heroines like Princess Leia, Hermione Granger, and even Katniss, Kristen Stewart’s Bella was beginning to work my nerves with her never-ending wailing of how much she loved Edward. Now, finally in this last movie, she becomes the heroine that audiences have been begging for.  

The conclusion of this tragic series ends on a great note; had the other films in the series featured surprises like this film’s climactic ending battle and shocking twist that’s bound to leave audience members grasping for their chairs, instead of being so by-the-numbers in adaptation and crafting, the saga might have proven more significant. “Breaking Dawn Part 2” offers readers and moviegoers the ending they hoped for. The only problem is that most people, even perhaps non-“Twilight” fans, will be asking for more and wishing it was not the final chapter.

cschmidt@thepinelog.com