Twilight Gives Good Bite

One word. Fan-freakin-tastic! Well, technically that might be three, but whatever. "Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2." Wow. All I have to say is...Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Bill Condon. (Condon has previously directed the critically acclaimed and Oscar winning films "Gods and Monsters," "Dreamgirls," and "Kinsey.")

From the opening credits to the closing credits, simply wonderfully over-the-top deliciousness. Everyone can rest assured that The Twilight Saga is going out with a really big bite.

Breaking Dawn Part 2 topped the box office charts on it's opening weekend with an estimated $141.3 million in sales nationwide, beating out Part 1 which only grossed a measly $138.1 million in it's' opening weekend.

If you read my piece, "It's Twilight For Twilight," then you know how despondent I've been over The Saga coming to an end. I've been an avid and loyal fan of the series from the beginning. Yes. I am a Twi-Mom, and proud. In fact, that was the title of a piece I wrote exactly a year ago when Breaking Dawn Part 1 came out (Twi-Mom and Proud).

And, even though I wasn't that thrilled with Part 1, I couldn't wait for Part 2.

So, when our babysitter came early on Saturday, and Mark interrupted my writing with, "I want to do something with you today.?"

Where do you guys think we headed? That's right. We hit the 3:10 showing of Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 in White Plains.

As soon as we sat down Mark started talking to me. I told him, in no uncertain terms, to "zip it." He sarcastically replied, "I can go sit in another row if you want."

I rolled my eyes, and "shhhh'd" him.

Right from the start, you knew special attention was given to this film. First, the imagery is beautiful and symbolic of Bella's (Kristen Stewart) internal transformation from human to vampire.

And, while we're talking about her transformation, I have to say that Kristen Stewart's make-up is amazing. Flawless. The effect is subtle, but oh so effective. I think Breaking Dawn Part 2 needs to win an Oscar for best make-up. She looks that good.

Edward's (Robert Pattinson) hair, not so good. His shape was inconsistent throughout the movie. For those of you who don't know this, Edward's hair is basically a character, in and of itself.

Yet, Part 2 is the most stylized of all the Twilight films. Everything came together in this last installment. The special effects surpass the previous four films, which tended to look somewhat stilted and animatronic. They now feel more fluid and seamless.

Aside from the aesthetics, there's real substance in this one. Part 2 evolves along with the characters and reaches a certain level of maturity, previously absent in the other four films.

Bella and Edward (Robert Pattinson) are married, have a child, live in their own home and must deal with some pretty heavy life issues. Like; their impending deaths and a totally inappropriate relationship Jacob (Taylor Lautner) has with their daughter, Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy). (Jacob is totally creepily annoying in Part 2. And, for the record, I'm Team Edward all the way.) Life's not so easy for the sparkly vamps.

Oh, and just in case you've been living on Mars, The Twilight Saga is based on Stephanie Meyer's best selling novels. They tell the love-story of a sparkly vampire who falls in love with a seventeen year old girl, with really great smelling blood. He wants to devour her. Literally. This presents the couple's first hurdle. Then there's the vampire-girl-werewolf love triangle, along with Bella's regular attempts at taking Edward's virtue and her unflinching desire to be turned into a vampire. A vengeful redheaded vamp, Victoria (Rachelle Lefevre and Bryce Dallas Howard) is also out for Bella's blood, since Edward killed her mate in the first Twilight. The vampire and the wolf repeatedly join forces to protect Bella. And, of course there's the Volturri, the vampire lawmakers, keeping close tabs on Bella's human status. A big no no. Humans aren't supposed to know about the existence of vampires.

This all starts to come to an end in Breaking Dawn Part 1 when Edward and Bella are finally married. Only, now they must make sure Bella survives the birth of their half vampire-half human baby. Oy. The only way Bella can survive is for Edward to change her.

Part 2 picks up with Bella's new vampiric state, hunger to feed, Edward's thrill at his wife's now permanent condition, their daughter's gifted ability to communicate through touch, Jacob's "imprinting" on baby Renesmee (ewww) as her protector and future love, and then the imminent threat of the Volturri's visit to determine whether or not the Cullen's have broken any laws by making a vampire child.

It all comes to a dramatic head on a snowy battlefield between the Volturri, the Cullen's and their extended vampire family who have gathered from all over the world. It's fabulous. Speaking of fabulous, Michael Sheen's performance as Aro, the head of the Volturri, is chillingly good and ultra vampy (total pun).

The most touching part of the movie comes at the end. Bill Condon pays homage to the whole Twilight Saga in a beautiful cinematic retrospective. It's nostalgic and sweet. The nostalgia continues with an individual highlight of every actor to have ever played a significant role in The Twilight Saga, from the first film to the last, in order of character importance. I've never seen that before and found myself tearing up.

Also, when you go see Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2, don't be surprised if you feel a certain camaraderie with the rest of the movie audience. In my theater there was a sense of Twi-Family bonding happening. I'm not joking. We laughed together. We cried together. And, we clapped together.

After the movie ended, I walked out with two teenage girls. We talked about how amazing the movie was, our sadness over its' end, and whether or not Robsten will survive. As we walked toward the car, Mark was shaking his head. He looked at me and said, "I swear, you're like a 12 year old sometimes."

I just smiled and said, "No, I will forever be a Twi-Mom and proud."

Contributor Sharon Lippmann, writes about her "so called suburban life" as a proud resident of Scarsdale, NY. She is a writer, blogger, mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend and one sassy chick. She loves exploring the interesting, strange, perplexing, vexing, ridiculous and funny that life offers up frequently. Enjoying more of what she has to say about nothing, and, well, everything at mydailypill.com.