Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 Movie Reviews - What Critics Say

The Twilight series based on Stephanie Meyer's book ends with the Breaking dawn Part-2, which hit the screens Friday. The fifth and final instalment of the popular vampire franchise has garnered a mixed reaction from the Hollywood critics.

The early reviews beckon a positive film experience for the die-hard Twilight fans. As for the common movie-goers, the film might turn out to be a disappointment, opined many critics.  

The "Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2", helmed by Bill Condon, who also directed the "Breaking Dawn Part -1". The film also involves a song from the Greed Day. This song will mark the band's first contribution to a "Twilight" soundtrack.

Here's what the critics had to say about the "Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2":

Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post writes, "Almost the entire first third of the movie is devoted to Bella's adjustment to her new life and unfamiliar powers: her sudden thirst for blood; her superhuman speed and strength; her seemingly insatiable (if PG-13) sex drive; and the tricks she must learn in order to pass as human. Endless minutes are devoted to colored contact lenses (to mask her red eyes), an arm-wrestling contest with her vampire brother-in-law (Kellan Lutz), and scenes of Edward and Bella running through the picturesque Pacific Northwest woods on her first hunt, which culminates in an al fresco picnic dinner of venison tartare."

"Once again, the special effects are low grade, relying heavily on old-fashioned camera blur and unconvincing wire work to convey a sense of quickness and acrobatic agility, as Bella bounds from rock to tree to mountaintop. It's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Vampire," without the verve," he adds.

Mack Rawden of Cinema Blend writes, "Unfortunately, Breaking Dawn-Part 2 discards much of that natural advantage. Not only does the script fail to include numerous characters who ate up plenty of screentime in previous movies, it introduces more than a dozen new faces in order to more densely fill out the ranks after an unfortunate misunderstanding upends the Cullen's universe. Back in the day, some less than intelligent vampires bit little kids. Without the ability to control themselves, these immortal children tore through entire villages and threatened entire covens with exposure. Unfortunately for Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Rob Pattinson), their daughter Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy) shares a lot of features with this cursed lot, and it's not long before the deliciously evil Aro (Michael Sheen) takes notice. Naturally, our heroes need more muscle to battle the Volturi, and that's where all the strangers come in."

"The Twilight Saga has never been better than this. That might not be enough to get your into the theater, but it is enough to give the film a thumbs up," concludes Rawden.

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian writes, "Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson as embattled parents of a CGI-enhanced daughter drive the final stake into this heavily bleeding franchise."

"Despite all those fierce confrontations and tribal divisions, exhaustively rehearsed and mythologised, nobody's really a bad guy and nothing's really at stake. Well, there's a satisfaction in seeing the story finally rounded off here, although there are rumours of more in store and the Twilight myth has in any case already been resolved, in giving birth to the non-abstinence porn of EL James's Fifty Shades of Grey, originally a fan-fiction coupling of Bella and Edward. Breaking Dawn has moments of wit, but did the Twilight saga have to be so bland? Catherine Hardwicke's first film was a brilliant standalone teen romance, but its saga robes came to hang very, very heavily," Bradshaw verdicts.

Elizabeth Weitzman of News Daily writes, "Make no mistake: those who haven't yet bought into Meyer's saga, either in print or on screen, are likely to remain unimpressed. But fans who've followed the Cullen clan faithfully deserve a satisfying finish, and that's what director Bill Condon and screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg deliver."

"This is not a series that appreciates subtlety, so the more everyone embraces its over-the-top outrageousness, the more fun we can all have. Sheen chews the scenery like a man who's never been fed; an always-amusing Lautner keeps things real (while losing his shirt within the first few minutes); and the intense, well-staged finale delivers on its promise - with a clever kicker that strays boldly from Meyer's novel. (One must ask, though: are these cheesy computer effects really the best a billion-dollar franchise could buy?)," Weitzman says.

Tom Charity of CNN writes, "It has taken this series a long time to line up its dominoes, but "Breaking Dawn -- Part 2" is easily the freakiest film in the saga, and the most fun."

"Before we're done there will be a virtual United Nations of vampire delegates -- associates from the North, from Amazonia, the Middle East, from Ireland and, yes, Transylvania, converging on Forks and getting a chance to bond with baby Cullen before the ultimate showdown with their eminences, the Volturi," he adds. "The battle, when it comes, is exciting and almost ludicrously grisly. Heads duly roll. Even Twi-haters (maybe especially Twi-haters) will enjoy the kind of carnage normally associated with the worst excesses of the French Revolution."