What Happens After the Dawn has Broken?

‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2”
Directed by Bill Condon
Written by Melissa Rosenberg
Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner and Michael Sheen
Rated PG-13
115 Minutes

Not being a fan of Stephenie Meyer’s source material, I must concede that “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2” is probably the best possible film that can be adapted from it.  This is by no means great stuff, but as directed by Bill Condon, it wisely expands (and improves) the material lifted from Meyer’s pages and manages to craft a fairly entertaining finale to a series that has been every adolescent girls’ go-to fantasy for years. 

I gave a glowing review to “Breaking Dawn – Part 1” mostly because of its strong focus on the development of key characters and their motivations.  Bill Condon’s direction and the actors’ performances injected the material with some much-needed conviction and specifically, Taylor Lautner’s performance as Jacob was the most compelling aspect of the first chapter.  For its first half, “Breaking Dawn – Part 2” is a lesser film in that regard; for it consists mostly of elements that have hindered the series from the start.  There are new characters, mythologies and plot points that are shoehorned in for the sake of dramatic development and for the final chapter of a series; it seems a bit late in the game to throw in so much new information for the audience to process.  It must be said that these half-cooked, late in the act developments are a product of Meyer’s books and not necessarily a reflection of Melissa Rosenberg’s screenplay. 

“Breaking Dawn – Part 1” ended immediately following the birth of Edward and Bella’s human/vampire hybrid daughter, Renesmee.  As “Part 2” opens, Bella (Kristen Stewart) is now a freshly-minted vampire and aside from contending with her new strength and bloodlust, she must find a way to explain herself to her father, Charlie (Billy Burke).  Without giving away Bella’s secret, Jacob (Taylor Lautner) phases into a werewolf in front of Charlie to help him become acclimated to the possibility of strange discoveries, like why Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy) seems to be aging much faster than she should be.  A point is made that Jacob has ‘imprinted’ on Renesmee; which in werewolf speak means that Jacob is destined to be her protector and someday, potentially her lover.  I think.  He tells a disturbed Bella that it isn’t what she thinks; but it is.  Aside from this development, nothing ever becomes of Renesmee's character and she is side-lined in favor of introducing an onslaught of less interesting ones.  We learn almost nothing of her abilities as she essentially functions as a glorified background character and a MacGuffin for the final act. 

The complications arise because a powerful vampire family known as the Volturi believes that Renesmee is an “immortal child.”  This is a violation of their laws and, led by Aro (Michael Sheen, hamming it up), they come calling to potentially destroy Edward (Robert Pattinson) and his family.  The Cullens travel the globe to assemble various vampire buddies to serve as witnesses to their situation and they also manage to gain the sympathy of Jacob’s clan of werewolves.  This all culminates in a pretty sensational climactic sequence that serves as the best 25 minutes of the entire series.  Bill Condon has taken pretty uninspiring material and instinctively invigorated it with a sequence that almost makes sitting through the first half worth it.  While “Part 1” was a visually superior film, there is imagery here that matches it well and the final shots in particular beautifully capture a sentimentality that will be pleasing for the fans.

For me, “The Twilight Saga” plays better on screen because the actors and two of the directors understand how to utilize the material better than Stephenie Meyer does.  That may be blasphemy to the hordes of devoted fans, but it is what it is.  My hope is that these young actors are given the opportunity to lend their talents to better material in the future.  In any case, this is an ending that should please fans and non-fans alike.  When a film is able to entertain people in both camps, it’s almost as impressive as seeing vampires and werewolves set aside their differences to team up for a mighty battle.