A whiny teenage soap opera at best!

Rating: 3/10 (21 November 2012)

Epic? Really? The only thing that's epic would have to be the hype surrounding this concluding installment.
BREAKING DAWN, PART 2 seems to have that lackluster quality about it. The first part of last year's BREAKING DAWN had me growing with intense anticipation of how the entire Twilight saga was going to end. So much so that I loved the second time I went to see it.
PART 2 seems to be lacking in so many areas that it almost looked like a whiny teenage soap opera. And I'm not kidding about it. Like those cheesy television dramas I was practically distracted by the good-looking model-like vampires that the movie felt like it's a montage of moving advertisements from Zara or Bershka or Mango. Even the Amazonian vampires looked more like models for Benetton or something.
As I saw the trailer I was intrigued by how the author Stephanie Meyer might include exotic vampires and from all walks of life at that. From Irish to even Japanese vampire? Come on! But in the end, the funny thing was that after all those search for vampires all over the world, only few appeared to face up to the army of Volturi's almost 10 times their number. It seems like Meyer might have dreamed this last book of hers right after watching (or reading) Anne Rice's INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE. And even the "rock-star" vampire, Garrett, appeared to be like Anne Rice's Lestat. But at least, he had more charms than those Pattinson-Lautner combo put together.
As for Mackenzie Foy's Renesmee, she looked more like some CGI-kid developed out of Lucas Studios or something. Even in her infant stage, the baby looked pretty odd. I know this is a make-believe movie but seriously, it's pretty ridiculous.
However, I'm particularly drawn to how hot one of the cast was. And it was not the overrated hunky Taylor Lautner. Believe me. With how superficial Hollywood made their actors to be, Lautner's time is so over already. But I'm actually referring Rami Malek who played the Egyptian vampire whose name, "Benjamin", was peculiarly English instead of a Middle-eastern one. I remembered seeing him once as an Egyptian mummy in Ben Stiller's NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM where he played "Ahkmenrah". And he's simply cute.
Nevertheless, what it lacked in the epic quality of it PART 2 compensated with the battle scenes between the Volturi's and the rest of vampire and werewolves clans. But even that was just some psychic vision of Alice. The audience were made to believe that it really did happened but only to find out that that was what going to happen should the Volturi's decided on waging the war against the rest of the vampires. Bummer!
I'd say that the redeeming part throughout the entire film there were but only two scenes that I found to be rather interestingly engaging.
One was when Jacob literally stripped down in front of Bella's father right down to his undies and yikes! HOTNESS! From the moment Lautner flashed out his six-packs from under his shirt I was gawking like a silly schoolgirl and wishing for the two men, Jacob and Bella's father, to get it going on. Yeah, I know I said Taylor Lautner is overrated earlier but, really. Who could resists man's flesh! Even though he's a decade younger than me. YUMMY!!!
And yeah, I know. I'm a perv with "pedophiliac cougar" written all over me. But hey, anyone who sees that scene would be affected one way or anotherunless you're some celibate Benedictine monks; of whom I greatly believe that even they commit sins behind closed doors.
Nonetheless, that scene keeps on playing in my mind like I'm wishing to have some alternative cross-generational "thing" to happen.
The second was not even a scene, per se. It's the closing credit that featured the cast from this film and all other earlier Twilight films like Anna Kendrick and the two girls who played Victoria in the earlier films. I must say that I was glad for Kendrick for not being in this one. Perhaps, she realized that she had outgrown this teenage flick as she went to more serious stuff and garnered herself an Oscar nomination for her work in George Clooney's UP IN THE AIR. Even Rachelle Lefevre who played the first Victoria was wise enough to pass on to Bryce Dallas Howard. Perhaps, she might think that these Twilight movies might be some sort of career jinx for her. I mean look at the typecasts given to the trio of Rob Pattinson, Kristen Steward and Taylor Lautner.
Anyway, juxtaposed with a sombre tune the closing credits felt as if the filmmakers were compelled to make the audience leaving the theater to have that "separation anxiety" as if we've grown together with the Twilight saga altogether. Yeah, right!
The thing is if it only not for hype and publicity around BREAKING DAWN, PART 2, I would rather spend my money on either PITCH PERFECT or ARGO.