Review: 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn pt. 2' starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson

It only took four painfully serious, plodding and angst-ridden films before someone finally decided to have a little fun with Twilight. We got a little taste of it in Breaking Dawn pt. 1, when veteran director Bill Condon briefly embraced the more monstrous aspects of vampire/human relations during that nasty birthing sequence. But now in the final chapter to the wildly popular global phenomenon, not only does he shoot for full-tilt bloodsucker insanity, he manages to wrap up the film with all the respect and care that its devoted fans deserve.

Now that's not to say all of the problems that have plagued Twilight in the past aren't still present. The acting is still dreadful, the characters mostly insignificant, and the visual effects are cut rate. But what it does manage to do is add some legitimate emotional stakes and conflict that none of the prior films ever had.

Before those stakes ever become apparent you'll have to stick it out as dozens of vampires stand around looking bored or terrified. Picking up not long after the last film, Bella Swan(Kristen Stewart) is now a full-fledged vamp, no longer stuck in a love triangle between tortured soul Edward(Robert Pattinson) and hunky werewolf Jacob(Taylor Lautner). She's given birth to a daughter, a half-breed named Renesmee(Mackenzie Foy), and is enjoying all the perks of being undead. That means super strength, speed, immortality, and all the time in the world to have mad vampire sex. That's right. No more holding back, folks. Jacob is still hanging around, but the reason why is really creepy no matter how hard they try to explain it away. Let's just say it involves Renesmee, and in any other movie it'd be a crime.

Disappointingly, they gloss over one of the more entertaining aspects of her recent transformation, which is watching her try to acclimate to her new gifts. But Twilight has never been all that focused on the details, so a little thing like Bella learning how to act human to fool her anguished father(Billy Burke) isn't worthy of much attention. Otherwise, all seems well and perfect, until the ancient cabal known a the Volturi, led by Michael Sheen in full camp mode, are convinced Renesmee is a threat and must be destroyed.

To save themselves and their daughter, the Cullens embark on a European Vacation to gather willing supporters, leading to some hilarious and somewhat offensive additions from the coven of racial stereotypes. But amongst the expanding cast are a few stand outs. Lee Pace, most recently seen fighting on the floor of Congress in Lincoln, enters into a war of very different sort as the grungy Garrett. Rami Malek, who some will recognize from The Master or Night at the Museum, adds a hopeful touch as Benjamin, a brave new vampire with dazzling elemental powers.

So despite Melissa Rosenberg's flat script, there are things worth liking. Stewart, always a gifted actress, gives her finest performance within the franchise yet, largely because she's able to show some actual anger and spirit. Pattinson continues to struggle in a role that has never required all that much from him. And Lautner....well, at least he gets to take his shirt off one more time, although it should be noted it's not for the reasons one might think, nor is it for who anyone would expect. There's a good bit of tongue-in-cheek humor there.

But mostly what makes this film work better than the rest is that it's an actual fully-formed story. Yes, it's barebones and razor thin, but the Cullens have a reason to fight and a real enemy to rally against. Without giving anything away, there's so much brutality and violence that it's a wonder it received a PG-13 rating. We're talking shocking levels of gore that would earn any other film a hard-R rating faster than you can say "Chris Dodd".  Parents may want to keep a close eye on the kiddies.

Some diehard fans are going to balk at some of the changes made from the book, but they make for a better cinematic presentation and are actually quite clever and surprising. From the stylish opening credits to the celebratory closing moments, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn is a rewarding if bittersweet finale that fans will cherish. Everyone else will just be happy to see it go.