CREDIT: SUMMIT FILMS
Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are back as Edward and Bella in the final stallement of the Twilight series, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part Two.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part Two (2012)

This is it, the moment that Twi- Hards have been waiting for since Twilight appeared in theatres way back in 2008 — The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part Two is officially here!

Director Bill Condon, who also directed Breaking Dawn Part One, has brought the final installment of the Twilight cinematic journey to fruition. The story of Breaking Dawn Part Two picks up right where Part One left off: Bella has just awoken from her very near death experience as a vampire; her and Edward's child Renesmee is alive and healthy; and Jacob has realized it was the child he was drawn to all along as he has imprinted on the infant. Things get heated quickly in Part Two, as the Volturi are told that the Cullens have created an immortal child, a sin among vampires, and plan to mount a full-scale attack on the coven. With Alice's powers of intuition, the family rallies all of their friends and allies and the film culminates in one massive vampire on vampire battle.

To really enjoy Twilight, I think you really have to just let go and embrace the cornyness factor. Yes, these vampires sparkle rather than violently burst into flames in the sun. Yes, there is a slightly creepy thing called "imprinting" that if you think too hard about can give you a serious case of the willies. Yes, there is too much CGI and too many cheesy lines in the flick. But that's half the fun of it! It's fun to imagine vampires who can walk in the sunlight and werewolves who can shift at will. It's a sweet love story, and if you just let go, it's surprisingly satisfying to get swept away.

The cast is filled with familiar faces as Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner are all back for their roles as Bella, Edward and Jacob, respectively. Despite their tumultuous personal lives and rocky relationship, Stewart and Pattinson prove they have as much chemistry onscreen as ever as they sizzle through the entire flick. Stewart gets the chance to stretch her acting legs a little in Breaking Dawn Part Two as she is no longer playing the damsel in distress but rather a super-strong newborn vampire. As always, Lautner brings a boyish charm to his role as Jacob, though his interactions with young Renesmee tend to border on creepy.

Joining the cast this time around as the child of Bella and Edward is Mackenzie Foy, who looks surprisingly like a miniature version of Kristen Stewart herself. Foy is cute, fun and brings a youthful innocence to the franchise, yet she proves enthralling to watch as well.

It's been a long wait since the first Twilight flick hit the big screen in 2008, but now that it's over it's admittedly bittersweet. I have no shame in admitting that I am a Twi-Hard, and for anyone like me out there, this final film will not disappoint. So go see it. Like right now.

Rating: 5 out of 5