The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2

The last gasp of the Twilight franchise is really quite good, fugueing on the idea that if vampires live forever, wouldn’t it be great if a vampire fell in love with a human being - and didn’t drink her to death? As irresistible as that seems, there are times over its run when the Twilight franchise seemed to work against itself - what with huge idiotic CGI wolves that are neither scary nor realistic, etc.

Nevertheless, the fifth and final (so far) film for the Twihards (Twlight hardcore fans) impresses: it knows exactly what it wants to achieve and sets out to do it - with one huge surprise.

The story so far: the lovers human/vampire Bella (Kristen Stewart, pictured right with Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner and Mackenzie Foy) and vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson) are married with their oddly named daughter Renesmee, half human/half vampire. It is only when the Volturi – ancient vampire “police” with Michael Sheen as her leader – mistake Renesmee for a forbidden vampire child (think how sad Kirsten Dunst was in Interview with a Vampire) that they decide both the Cullens, those lovely family vamps, and she must die. As an added attraction, we get to see global bloodsuckers with their many talents zoom in to defend Renesmee against the Volturi’s awful judgment.

Even if you hate fantasy films (I’m not a huge fan), there is a lot to recommend in Bill Condon's Breaking Dawn - Part 2. It cannot work as a standalone, but as a final flourish it is sleek, exciting and pacey. Stewart, Pattinson and even odd-faced Lautner are in the bloom of their youth and gorgeousness - and their acting chops have grown massively over the years. As a fan film, however, Breaking Dawn - Part 2 does its job: it will satisfy and surprise fans as it dazzles non-believers. So ignore the idiotic vulpine CGI. Try not to see the morphing on baby Renesmee. Overlook Dakota Fanning’s ever-changing and often shoddy eyeliner. Choose not to see vampires as actors wearing the wrong foundation. What really works with this final Twilight film is its crisp beauty, wonderful cast and ridiculous romanticism. (Don’t forget that Fifty Shades of Grey started as Twilight fan fiction.) This is hot stuff: Bella and Edward have a bedroom yet they neither eat, sleep or fatigue. Bella even has an orgasm (you see it in the sparkly, slo-mo air during the love scene) which could be a first for a film so firmly in 12A rating-land. The end credits are a gleaming overview of all the players and their characters - a wonderful walk down five films' worth of memories. It’s all pure fantasy just this side of a rainbow unicorn but its true element is box office gold.