Doane Gregory/Summit EntertainmentThis weekend, Team Edward and Team Jacob will put aside their differences, and head to theaters in droves. For the uninitiated, this is the final time they'll endure the exploits of clumsy Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), sulky Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and shirtless Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner).
Just four years ago, the Twi-hard phenom took a big bite with nearly $200 million at the box office with the first in the series, Twilight. Over a billion dollars and four films later, we've come a long way. Remember when Bella and Edward barely kissed? When his sparkly skin was as hot as things got? How chaste we were back then! Well, not so chaste that we didn't all indulge in Jacob's aversion to shirts. Are you ready for Breaking Dawn Part 2? Sure you are!
At long last, Bella's journey to the dark side in the Pacific Northwest is complete. By the end of Breaking Dawn Part 1, Bella had given birth to a girl. And then Bella died. And then came back (finally!) as a bloodsucker.
Is this really the end of the Twilight Saga?! Yes. Well, maybe. Either way, the final installment in the series is the best. Read on to find out our five reasons why.
1. Vampire Bella Rocks: Bella is much cooler (in more ways than one) and funnier as an undead badass. She gives Emmett (Kellan Lutz) a serious beat down in arm wrestling. As we learned in Eclipse, new vamps are much stronger. Her race to seek out a rock climber with a bloody arm is fantastic. Stewart seems, for the first time in the series, fully awake and relaxed, even doling out long overdue jabs of sarcasm to the whole Cullen clan. Her gleaming red eyes become her. Plus, she's even got an X-Men-like ability! But we've said too much, already. Speaking of mutants...
2. The Vampires Go All First Class With Their Crazy Powers: From the moment we saw a vamp create a wall of water—with his mind!—we knew BD2 was going all out. An additional 18 members are needed to battle the Volturi. Some have electric charges, some create illusions (a nice moment for Edward) but all of them liven up the festivities. A battle between ordinary vamps (even with wolf pack back-up) is so Eclipse.
3. The Epic Battle Is Hella Fun: While Aro (Michael Sheen) is no Lord Voldermort, he knows how to entertain with his creepy too wide-grinning smile. Heads roll all over snowy war-torn terrain. Alice (Ashley Greene), Esme (Elizabeth Reaser) and Carlisle (Peter Facinelli) show off their wicked skills. Freed of typical bloodsucking, the vampires are a whole new breed of trashy fun.
4. Jacob Saves His Best Shirtless Scene for Last: Early on Jacob gets undressed in front of Charlie (Billy Burke) to show off his wolfy side. Burke's reaction is priceless. Incidentally, we nominate Chief Swan as the series MVP!
5. Book Fans Will Go Crazy at the Character Appearances: While some cameos are literally blink and you miss them, they still got our undead hearts beating. Stay for the credits, the curtain call is deeply satisfying. Hey there, Anna Kendrick!
OK just one more!
6. Laters, Love Triange: Team Edward and Team Jacob can all get along now. Jacob seems happy, Edward sulks (a little) less and Bella's now a true rock star in the vamp world. The glances that used to take up most of the screen time in the previous flicks are mercifully brief. Here's to healthy vampire-wolf-hybrid relations.
Have you seen Breaking Dawn Part 2 already? Did the film do live up to Stephenie Meyers' novel? Sound off in the comments!