Richard Crouse

It can be said that the world can be divided into two groups. Those who like the Twilight movies and those who don’t get the vampire romance movies. In a special fang banger Reel Guys Liz Brown, a Twihard superfan, helps skeptic Richard Crouse understand Breaking Dawn – Part 2’s vampire baby Renesmee, the Volturi and why fanpires are addicted to this undead love story!

STAR RATINGS

Richard: 3 ½ Stars
Liz: 4 Stars

Richard:  Liz, this is it… or is it just the beginning of Edward and Bella’s immortal romance? I don’t know. All I know is the film franchise is over and it goes out with probably the most enjoyable movie of the bunch. It’s out with the angst, and in with a newfound sense of fun. The previous movies struck me as overly ponderous; this one is actually quite funny, occasionally bordering on camp. And that’s OK given that the story of vampire babies and ab-tastic werewolves is rather silly. Tell me, superfan, what did you think?

Liz: Richard, the first step is admitting you have a problem — and I do. I fell for the fang when I picked up Christopher Pike’s The Last Vampire series in grade six. Twilight brought me back to that time — daydreaming about brooding, loner vampires and wishing I had superpowers. It seems in this last installment the franchise has whole heartedly embraced its camp. I prefer my femmes to lean towards the fatale, so it was nice to see Kristen Stewart finally stop biting her lip and show us her blood-thirsty side.

RC: I agree! Four movies of brooding Bella and Edward’s ennui was enough. The sad faces and staring off into space may have captured the pain of teen love, but, if you’ll excuse the pun, they also sucked some of the lifeblood from the story. The newlyweds still share and eternal love, but now they’re having some fun. Edward, if you watch closely, even smiles occasionally. It’s a big step from the first installments and, unsurprisingly, it makes for a more fun movie.

LB: I’m sorry Richard, I’m still firmly Team Jacob, so I didn’t pay Edward much heed. But I’ll agree — the actors are having fun in this final hurrah. The most fun for me? Jacob’s semi-nude explanation of the supernatural. Judging from the cheers in the crowd, I’m not the only one who enjoyed it. But I was a little disappointed with the action scenes. I know it’s film for tweens, but couldn’t the battles have a bit more style? After all that angst, this series needed some Ang Lee.

RC: I thought I heard you let out a squeal when Lautner stripped down. Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone. The action scenes are bloodless for the most part. The Walking Dead makes this look like Sesame Street, but I liked the steely look of determination on Dakota Fanning’s face throughout. I just hope she wasn’t paid by the word for her mostly mute performance.

LB: Yes, Fanning’s Jane doesn’t get too many lines this time out, but overall this film is less talky than the others — and that’s a good thing. I’m sad to bid farewell to the Cullens, but I’m certain they’ll be happy in their “perfect piece of forever.” My inner tween now anxiously awaits the next adventure of Katniss Everdeen.