By Ellen Pham, tb-two* movie critic

Grade: ***, 3/5 asterisks

The Twilight Saga is a moneymaking magnet – but of course you knew that already. It has it all: smoldering eye candy, a touch of danger and a promise of love that lasts forever – everything it needs to embrace a predominantly female fan base that will buy tickets. With the movies based on Stephenie Meyer’s hit book series coming to a close, Breaking Dawn Part 2 (as with all of the other movies) faces the challenge of pleasing moviegoers and also satisfying those who read the book.

In Part 2, Bella turns into a vampire and everything seems unusually calm in Forks. That is, until another vampire mistakenly tells the Volturi (an esteemed group that ensures the knowledge of vampires is kept hidden from the mortal world) that Bella and Edward’s daughter, Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy), is an immortal child. This gravely upsets the Volturi, since immortal children have been known to cause catastrophic and obvious damage to humans. They launch an immediate journey to eliminate the Cullen coven.

The basics are still intact from the previous Twilight films – the vampires gleam like crystals in sunlight, Taylor Lautner can’t keep his shirt on and Kristen Stewart displays a restrained range of emotions. But the movie is coated with a more serious undertone with the looming death threat from the Volturi and Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) settling into their roles as parents. Fortunately, there are well-timed lines that convey humor and help put nerves at ease during overly tense scenes.

Foy’s movie debut goes well. Although her character rarely speaks, her facial expressions and presence in pivotal parts oozes a stability that is unexpected from someone her age. Pattinson and Lautner exhibit their usual heartbeat-racing charm, and Billy Burke, who plays Bella’s father Charlie, delivers a solid performance with humor that would make you chuckle whether you’re a Twihard with a box of tissues or someone who’s relieved the series is ending.

The visuals are disappointing. Some of the CGI used during scenes in the forest and the fierce encounter with the Volturi looks fake and takes away from the authenticity. Lautner treads a thin line with his scenes with Foy. He must show that Jacob has a strong attraction to Renesmee as a child since he imprinted on her, but it’s still a bit uneasy to watch. The sex scenes between Edward and Bella go as far as they can without being R-rated.

Breaking Dawn Part 2 doesn’t stray far from the constricted feeling of the script in Breaking Dawn Part 1. However, I must commend the fact that it didn’t deviate too much from the book aside from a surprise twist in the plot clearly intended for moviegoers who haven’t read the novel. The saga ends on a higher note than it began, but still sounds flat.

 
INFO
Director: Bill Condon
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 115 min.