Forever

The Twilight Saga finally draws to a close and it ended for me just as it began: at midnight!  Twilight was actually the first movie I ever saw at midnight and I have since come to enjoy going to midnight screenings because there is an electricity in the air and an excitement about being the first to see the movie.  I liked Breaking Dawn Part Two more than I thought I would.  Breaking Dawn is definitely my least favorite book in the series because I feel that it is a bit anticlimactic.  I questioned the decision to turn the book into two movies because I did start to lose interest in the story once Bella became a vampire.  I wondered how the filmmakers could sustain my interest in the build up to the fight with the Volturi, which, frankly, is less than satisfying in the book.  I admit that I did find my attention waning a bit but the epic battle scenes pulled me back in!  There is a twist (it caused audible gasps in the audience) which makes the film version of the showdown between the Cullens and the Volturi much better than the book (this rarely happens for me).  I think that Kristen Stewart does a fairly decent job of portraying Bella's transformation to a vampire.   However, just like in the book, I feel like Edward and Bella are almost superfluous.  Not to fear!  There are a plethora of new characters and I was much more interested in these vampires who assemble to stand with the Cullens than the Cullens themselves, particularly a soldier from the Revolutionary War named Garrett (Lee Pace), and a pair of Russians vowing revenge on the Volturi (Noel Fischer and Guri Weinberg).  I also rather enjoyed the over-the-top flamboyance of Aro, Marcus, and Caius.  Aro (Michael Sheen) is especially fun to watch in this installment!  Once again, I absolutely loved the battle scene with most of the participants wearing red or black, providing a stark contrast against the white of the snow (this effect is also used to great advantage in the opening and ending credits).  The fighting is incredibly intense and violent with brutal decapitations but it is an amazing ending to the saga!  I was a little bit disappointed in the music, although I do love the new version of  "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri.  What an amazing song!  I had a great time watching Breaking Dawn Part Two but I can't decide if it was because of the film's merits or because of the craziness inherent in a midnight screening!

 

Note:  I have to get up in two hours!