An interesting ending

Rating: 7/10 (18 November 2012)

All devotees of "Breaking Dawn" know exactly how the story ends, and there are no surprises in the plot and characters. If you have not seen the previous movies or have read the books, this movie would be incomprehensible, especially at the beginning. I was really hoping for a bit more of Bella's "awakening" and Edward's frantic efforts to prevent her death. It got lost at the end of Part I, and Part II picks up with a Bella who is in perfect control, if perhaps a mite thirsty. Bella's discovery of Jacob's new role in her life is also disappointing. Let's face it, Miss Stewart simply cannot act. Sad, but true. She's lovely to look at, but has an extremely limited range -- her anger at Jacob was comical, not threatening, and I saw no evidence of "motherliness" in her interactions with Renesmee -- she was more of a big sister. Breaking the book up into two movies made for two movies that were overlong for the limited story that was actually presented.
Having said that, the film's management of Alice's visions was a nicely done twist. As her visions began to unfold, I looked at my companion in horror -- "THIS wasn't in the book!" we hissed at each other. To be fair, the visions may have been in the book -- there is a delightfully sparsely-described interaction that leaves room for a broad range of dramatic invention.
Kudos to the director/producer or whomever created the final credits. At the end of such a epic, it was good to see all the characters that had appeared in all the movies being recognized so beautifully for their part in creating the whole fabric of the tale.
Let's face it -- no review is going to deter a Twi-hard fan from seeing this movie. And if you aren't a Twi-hard fan, no review is going to tempt you into starting, now. Will it be an enduring classic? Probably not. But it was a fun ride while it lasted.