Don't believe the hype - the ending sucks

Rating: 4/10 (23 November 2012)

The short: It's another Twilight film. What else did you expect? More about the hyped ending soon.
The long: It's like all the other Twilight films: shallow plot, some humour, some lame sparkly vampires, some CGI wolves etc.
Kristen Stewart looks hot. Robert Pattinson looks pale. The CGI baby looks fake.
Basically, the film is what it is. I still think the first Twilight film was the best. It had the right dark mood, colours/palette and an excellent score by Carter Burwell. The following installments went for the more commercial/mainstream feel, and I think the franchise suffered as a result.
**SPOILERS** So, what about the ending that everyone is talking about? Yes, there is a "twist", and it ruins the film. Absolutely ruins it. It cheats the audience and diminishes the story.
But why? Well, to begin with, the fight scene is great. There's werewolves fighting, vampires getting their heads ripped off and so on. All in all, it's not a bad fight scene. Some main characters die, on both sides. That is quite shocking, and it ups the stakes all round.
But we find out afterwards that it's all just a vision that Alice shows the Volturi, and it never happens. And that robs the audience of the cathartic release of the tension that has been built throughout the whole film. True victory is only measured against the cost required to achieve it. A victory that is hard fought and incurs substantial loss becomes bittersweet and all the more important as a result. Those who died for the freedom of others did so because they thought it was worth it. Because this victory cost nothing, it is ultimately worthless, and robs the audience of that emotion.
Liam Neeson's recent film "The Grey" screwed the audience in the same way. We were all psyched up to see him lay it on the line to fight the wolf (and most likely die horribly), but the stupid director stole that moment from us. That Liam Neeson was going to get torn apart isn't the point; he wouldn't have needed to actually win in order to win, if that makes sense. The mere act of going into the battle and being fully committed to it would have been enough. His courage would have won regardless of the outcome. By stealing that from the audience, the immature director has weakened and diminished the film's theme.
Likewise, Bill Condon (director) does the same thing. I'm sure they thought it would be a great "twist" that no one sees coming, but that's cheap. Dirt cheap. To be honest, the film is pretty crap. Enjoyable, but crap. It's redeeming feature would have been the price paid by the friends and family to ensure that Bella, Edward and Renesmee (and Jacob) survived. The victory, though tinged with the sadness of loss, would have been all the more important because of the sacrifices paid to achieve it.
That's my take on it.