A fun film that's oodles better than the book

Rating: 10/10 (11 December 2011)

As flawless as anything from Stephenie Meyer is going to get. The makeup and special effects- work in this film were absolutely stunning, and Bella's transformation into a weak, powerless shell carrying a child inside her was magnificent. Once again, Taylor Lautner shows off his acting chops (he even has an intense crying scene this time!). Shockingly, the haircuts and costumes were the best out of all the films in this movie. Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) who normally looks absolutely ridiculous, manages to actually have decent hair for once. There are a few things that seem just as dumb on screen as they did on the page (Jacob imprints on Renesmee? The name Renesmee?), but for the most part, screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg works with Stephenie to craft something much better than was actually in the book. The birthing scene alone has a lot of power to it. The cinematography was great and, as always, I totally loved the soundtrack (which was kind of a mix of indie and pop/rock). I honestly don't feel there's any proper way they can make Part 2 cinematically pleasing, because the last half of Meyer's novel was an absolute trainwreck. Here's hoping that it's even halfway as good as this one.