Breaking Dawn: Ending the Twilight Saga with a burst of sunshine

The final installment of the Twilight Saga definitely had some head-popping panache. Literally. Heads were getting ripped off left and right in "Breaking Dawn - Part 2." Even with the excessive blood bath throughout the movie, the movie was surprisingly enjoyable, and it was a bloody good end to the Twilight Saga.

After Bella (Kristen Stewart) nearly died giving birth to her daughter Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy) in Part 1, her vampire husband, Edward (Robert Pattinson), saves her by piercing her neck and fulfilling her wish of becoming a vampire.

Renesmee, half-human and half-vampire, is the focal point of the final movie. Conceived while Bella was still human, Renesmee's mere existence causes problems for the Cullens. Not only does she look like a digitally-remastered Barbie baby, she's growing faster than a Pokémon on rare candies and EV berries. Because she is a hybrid, she catches the attention of the Volturi, a vampire coven in Italy with papal-like authority. Led by Aro (Michael Sheen), the Volturi believe that Renesmee is an immortal child, a thirsty and untrainable vampire child, who will create a cataclysm in their way of life.

From the first extreme close-up of Bella opening her bright red eyes, director Bill Condon makes this movie an intensely intimate experience. Bathed in a gleaming light that gives her pale faces a luxurious ghostly sheen, Stewart is glamorous and beautiful throughout the movie. Unfortunately, her face is as dead as her body is beautiful. While Stewart has been ridiculed for her poor facial expressions, she took it to a new level in this film. Bella goes through a slew of emotions including joy, fear, pain and happiness, but the way she expresses is with the same blank face in every scene. Pattinson, on the other hand, has never seemed so relaxed and so human. The dialogue remains spotty and sappy, the effects still haven't caught up to modern-day standards, but the franchise's popularity is such that even when it falls short, it doesn't seem to matter.

Despite the slow start, Condon closes the series in fine, smooth style. He gives fans all of the dreamy kisses and happy endings they want. But at the same time, he also shakes the series up with an unexpectedly fierce, heartbreaking battle that finds the Cullens, flanked by Jacob's wolf pack and their various vampire allies, challenging the Volturi. Set on a snowy field, this whirlwind of popping heads and flying fur rouses Bella to action. It also injects the movie with an invigorating energy that the movies in the franchise have rarely sustained since the first movie. It turns out that there's something to be said about watching Bella tap into her inner monster. It's bloody good fun while it lasted.

"Breaking Dawn - Part 2" is rated PG-13 for adventure, drama and fantasy. It is now playing in theaters everywhere.