Fin ~ Movie Review of ‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2’

I would write about The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 being an end of an era, but Twilight, the first movie of the series, came out in 2008 and I don’t know if such a short time can be referred to as an era.  What I think is more interesting is the impact the franchise has had on Hollywood despite its numerous, and very vocal, detractors.  The Twilight franchise proved that not only can female audiences make a movie into a blockbuster but they can make it a cultural phenomenon.

            I confess that I enjoyed both the books and the movies.  I found them to be fun and I appreciated that for the most part they were female focused.  It mattered little to me if Bella Swan (played by lip-biting extraordinaire Kristen Stewart) was a strong female character or if she was less than a role model.  I propose that such debate misses the point; it is the idea that a young woman can be the central character in five movies that each made a zillion dollars that really matters.  Assuming the worst about Bella, I think it is significant to note that not all women are pillars of physical, intellectual, or emotional strength – it is more important that women of all stripes are represented in popular media to the same degree that male characters are and that includes all of their strengths and weaknesses.

              With all of the above said, I believe that it was a mistake to divide Breaking Dawn into two movies.  Much like the last Harry Potter installment the vast amount of time between the films (last year Part I debuted) is a momentum killer when it comes to the action in the storyline.  I suppose it seems logical that the Breaking Dawn films are divided between the birth of Renesmee and the battle with the Volturi over her existence however I believe there was too little material to justify two films.  Part 2 has to resort to “what if” scenarios along with a flashback summary of the whole series (of which there are rumors might be rebooted in the next few years the same way the Spiderman franchise was) to fill in time.

            I would write more about what I perceived as a disconnect with this final Twilight film to its core audience but I don’t want to give too much away.  I enjoyed the movie but definitely feel that it isn’t the type of film that could stand alone without the viewer knowing the storyline from the previous cinematic efforts.

          I recommend the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 for anyone who has enjoyed the books and/or the other four movies.  I think the cast for the most part are happy that the franchise is now behind them and they can sink or swim in the entertainment business without Twilight weighting them down or in some cases boosting them up.  In the future it all depends on what roles they take or decline for that matter.  At least now Stewart and Robert Pattinson can go their separate ways…just in case their whole relationship was something cooked up in a public relations office…not that I’m suggesting that is possible…just saying.

             Happy viewing!

Westerfield © 2012