Film Reviews

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn

• Rating:
• Director: Bill Condon
• Starring: Anna Kendrick
• Details: US/117mins 12A

Even by the standards of this franchise alone, the penultimate installment of the Twilight series is an insipid affair. Undoing all of the good work that David Slade managed with Eclipse, new helmer Bill Condon certainly has a more ridiculous story to manage, yet the resultant film feels more like a really expensive home video (often featuring the neighbour's rabid dogs) than a blockbuster sequel. Padded out to an arse-numbing two hours, Breaking Dawn did not need to be split in two and is the worst in the series by a country mile.
We meet Bella and Edward again just as they're about to get hitched. Said ceremony is as extravagant as you'd expect from a group of rich vegetarian vampires, and their honeymoon on a remote island equally so. Naturally, young Jacob isn't happy that Bella is shacking up with Edward, and that the two will have to consummate their vows. When said consummation happens, young Bella gets knocked up - but what grows inside her remains a mystery. Once again, the Cullens must protect her as the wolf pack decide that said offspring is a threat and must not live past infancy. Messed up, right? You don't know the half of it.
The first two Twilight flicks are a decent enough watch, and it's easy to see how it has attracted its vast army of fans. With the third film, Eclipse, there was a vast improvement; all of a sudden the franchise became self-aware and atmospheric. Breaking Dawn, however, takes a considerable amount of steps back. It doesn't help that very little happens, or that what does happen is so out-there that it simply becomes nonsensical.
While Harry Potter is hardly a benchmark in terms of quality, tonally the series worked because towards the end they stuck with the same director. One of the reasons Twilight is all over the place is because they change the helmer with every film. Fundamentally, it comes down to the story thread falling apart four films into the series, and the filmmakers trying to pad it out with the type of fantastical heightened dramatics that they hope will distract the core fanbase. Someone who knows the series may have provided a steadier hand.
Pattinson is now firmly the best thing about the franchise. As hard as it may be for some to believe, the young Brit has presence and manages to fill the shortcomings of his character with a quiet intensity. Lautner, though, is hamstrung by one of the worst characters in modern blockbuster memory. There may have been more to him in the books, but cinematically he's nothing more than a moody teenager who spends the majority of his time storming out of houses and whipping his top off. Stewart has been consistent throughout, but previously has never really been required to do anything more than awkwardly mope; at least here she gets to embrace the peril.
Fans will love Breaking Dawn no matter what - that goes without saying. But there's no escaping the fact that this is mediocre filmmaking encumbering an already silly story.

Review by Mike Sheridan