Breaking Dawn Part 2 will not disappoint Twi-hards but neither will it win over new fans.
By Amanda Jayne Lee
If I had things my way, we’d be having a meaningful chat about Summit Entertainment’s gradual leaning and eventual demise with its foray into the supernatural genre. Take the upcoming zombie-flick, Warm Bodies. One would expect a lot of gory action and a million creative ways to kill a zombie; instead you get a Twilight-esque love story—pretty, one-expression-faced girl falls for pretty, one-expression-faced zombie.
But I don’t. So here goes.
Picking up from where Part 1 left off, Renesmee (MacKenzie Foy), the half vampire-half human offspring of Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) is caught in the middle of a face-off between the ruling Volturi clan and the Cullens, who rally other vampire clans to protect the child. Oh yes, Bella has crossed over to the dark side (not a spoiler).
I’ve got to say, Kristen Stewart really comes into her own in this film. Even I was impressed by her multi-faceted expression in this final installment of the Twilight franchise. This time, she didn’t just manage one facial expression but two. I was utterly gobsmacked as the now-sparkling Bella pulls a few snarls and fights for her own flesh and blood as she discovers ex-flame Jacob (Taylor Lautner) hankering after her newborn. (Or as Twi-hards call it, werewolf imprinting. Oooh.) Colour me excited, but I was looking forward to seeing what other soap opera twists would pop up from this supernatural melodrama.
Sadly, the entire film moved as slowly as an arthritic sloth in winter.
I’d expected the final fight sequence to tie the whole film together and redeem everything. Sadly, the only thumping wasn’t from my heart but the jarring soundtrack pounding its way into my brain via the state-of-the-art sound system in the cinema.
Granted, there was one key scene that caught me off guard (*hint* it sparks the final fight) and gave me a rush. But 20 minutes of action does not make up for the preceding 90 minutes of agony that has plagued its predecessors—cheesy lines, poor acting and a tale of doom and gloom all around.
Simply put, if you’re already a Twi-hard, Breaking Dawn Part 2 will not disappoint. But if you aren’t a fan up to this point, this movie won’t turn you into one.
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