The Best of the Twilight Movies, But Still Riddled with Problems

Rating: 5/10 (18 November 2012)

Finally; let's put a stake in this terrible franchise by review the final chapter of the Twilight movies (no, I will not call it a "Saga").
You know, even though these movies aren't technically that great (actually, they're pretty awful) I will not deny that, much like movies like Dungeons and Dragons or Commando, these movies are a lot of fun to watch. In terms of comedy, I really enjoy the first four Twilight movies. They're stupid, nonsensical, and make very little sense, but they're a good time.
One major problem with this movie is, of course, the story, but for very different reasons. The first four movies are very paper-thin when it comes to the plot, so I can't help but think that the director of this film overcompensates with this final installment by throwing a lot of new ideas and characters at you. This makes the film really hard to follow a lot of the time.
The three main actors are just as bland as you remember them. They show hardly any emotions at all, which make it very hard to connect with them. But, for the weaknesses of our three main characters, the film makes up for it with the supporting cast. The Cullens family is very likable and the Volturi, lead by an astonishingly over-the-top Michael Sheen, ride that fine line of being very menacing and very goofy.
The cinematography is awful and the special effects, most notably in the final battle, look like they have the budget of a sci-fi special. I honestly do not understand how these movies have such poor effects when they rake in millions of dollars per movie.
Okay, this is where I'm going to get into spoilers a bit. The final battle confrontation with the Volturi is exactly what you'd come to expect from a Twilight movie: the effects are bad, the dialogue is lame, and the acting is sterile. But the film takes a very interesting turn when the actual fighting starts: people start dying left and right. Seriously, it's kind of awesome. And, if this is the ending the filmmakers had stuck with, I actually would have considered giving this movie a 5 or 6.
But no, the film pulls the ultimate cop out in any movie: it was all in someone's head. I won't divulge how since the reason makes very little sense, but that ending is really unsatisfying. They probably wanted to stick closer to the books this way (which I haven't read), but if that's the case, why even have a battle at all?
Final verdict: This is the best Twilight movie, but it is by no means a good movie. If you're a fan of the books or like to make fun of the movies (like me), then chances are you've already seen it. If not, you're money would be better off spent on Skyfall.