The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 parents guide

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 Parent Guide

Already grossing 2.5 billion in box office earnings, the "Twilight" franchise still brings in one of the most vocally approving audiences, especially when Taylor Lautner removes his clothes.

Overall C

If you've been bitten by this franchise, then you will be anxiously awaiting the series' finale where Bella (Kristen Stewart), Edward (Robert Pattinson), the Cullen family and their allies face off against the Volturi vampire council that is intent on destroying the young couple's daughter Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy).

Release date November 15, 2012

Violence D+
Sexual Content C
Profanity B+
Substance Use B+

Why is The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 rated PG-13? The MPAA rated The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 PG-13 for sequences of violence including disturbing images, some sensuality and partial nudity.

Run Time: 116 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

Any movie that runs nearly two hours and has a title so long it requires punctuation ought to be good—especially since this final installment of the Twilight franchise wraps up the highly successful vampire tale in which Bella (Kristen Stewart) goes from an introverted, brooding teen to a sexually aggressive wife and pinched-faced new mother.

The arrival of her and Edward’s (Rob Pattinson) half-human, half-vampire offspring brings out a fiercely protective side in Bella. It’s either that or the oil change she got when Edward finally bit her, turning her blood into whatever substance it is that courses through the veins of the eternally undead. Regardless of the cause, Bella isn’t about to let the Volturi get their hands on her daughter Renesmee (played by Mackenzie Foy and at least nine other actresses who have their own faces replaced with a digitally altered version of Foy’s).

With a reported $75 million budget, one would think the special effects (involving Renesmee’s face and later a mass of decapitations) would be less hokey. But that didn’t seem to matter. Already having grossed $2.5 billion in box office earnings, the Twilight franchise still brings in one of the most vocally approving audiences of any movie series—especially when Taylor Lautner removes his clothes.

The Cullen family’s crisis begins when Irina (Maggie Grace) mistakes Renesmee for an immortal child—one that has been turned into a vampire before reaching maturity. Immortal children threaten the vampires’ safety since they tend to go on unrestrained gorging sprees, decimating entire villages and drawing attention to the existence of the undead. Carlisle (Peter Facinelli) knows his family is no match for Aro (Michael Sheen) and his minions (Jamie Campbell Bower, Christopher Heyerdahl), but he hopes to assemble a league of other vampires that will testify of Renesmee’s human qualities.

As each of the new faces is introduced, these neck biters showcase their various talents (an obvious attempt to draw out the movie’s length) as the plot moves to the one and only notable event of the entire movie—the inevitable battle on a snow-covered field. As much as Carlisle hopes to negotiate a peaceful end to this misunderstanding, there are too many clues and too little other action to settle for anything less than full out mayhem.

Just as the last movie’s marriage vows finally freed Edward and Bella to fully enjoy their conjugal rights (something they do again in a scene of impassioned kissing and exposed skin), the defense of Renesmee gives the Cullen clan justification to stand up to the Volturi council in a bloodless battle that involves the forcible removal of limbs, decapitations and torched torsos.

Looking for a happy, fairytale ending on this gruesome battlefield appears unlikely but Director Bill Condon pulls out a magic wand just in time. A musical montage of clips from previous films revisits the early days of Bella and Edward’s romance. Unfortunately it also reinforces how immature these characters still are. Despite Bella’s yearning to be part of the Cullen family, almost every self-centered decision she makes puts them in harm’s way with the ruling Volturi. Meanwhile she all but gives her own human father (Billy Burke) the cold shoulder in spite of his best efforts to reach out to her. That kind of behavior might be expected from the self-absorbed adolescent she was in Twilight but it is far beneath the adult she pretends to have become.

Directed by Bill Condon. Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Maggie Grace. Running time: 116 minutes. Theatrical release November 15, 2012. Updated

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2
Rating & Content Info

Why is The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 rated PG-13? The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for sequences of violence including disturbing images, some sensuality and partial nudity.

Violence: Characters are kicked, hit and tossed through the air. A child is shown with a bloody face after feasting upon humans. Characters have their heads and limbs ripped from their bodies before being burned. Detached body parts are shown. Others are decapitated during an extended battle scene. Characters fall to their deaths in a deep crevasse. Humans are attacked and killed. Vampires used their special abilities to inflict pain on others. Some disturbing images and frequent moments of peril are portrayed.

Sexual Content: Couples kiss frequently. A married couple engages in sexual activity involving passionate kissing and exposed skin with partial nudity. A man rips the clothes off of a woman. Numerous sexual jokes and innuendo are included in the dialogue.

Language: The script contains only a handful of mild profanities.

Alcohol / Drug Use: A woman carries a beer can. A drunken characters walks down a deserted street.

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The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 Parents' Guide

Do you think the characters have grown and developed during this series? Do you like Bella better now or in the beginning? In what ways does she change? Do Edward and Jacob’s characters develop as well? Will Bella continue to be a danger to her new vampire family?

As the Volturi threatens the safety of his daughter as well as his family, Edward questions the wisdom of falling in love with a human. How does he expose the Cullens to unnecessary risk? Is that risk justified? What long-term implications may be overlooked in the early stages of a relationship?

 

Home Video

The most recent home video release of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 movie is March 1, 2013. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2

Release Date: 2 March 2013

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 releases to home video (Blu-ray/Ultraviolet Digital Copy) with the following extras:

- “Forever: Filming Breaking Dawn Part 2” – Seven-part “making of” documentary

- “Two Movies at Once” featurette

- “The Forgotten” Green Day music video

- “Jump to” features

- Audio commentary with director Bill Condon

Related home video titles:

This is the final film in The Twilight Saga, which is based on the novels of Stephanie Meyer. It was preceded by Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn - Part 1.

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