When we last saw the Twilight gang, human Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) tied the knot and she got pregnant with a hybrid human-vampire. With the baby delivered, 2012’s Breaking Dawn – Part 2 looks at the consequences of this development.

The pregnancy nearly killed Bella. Only her transformation into a vampire saved her life and allowed for little Renesmee to enter world.

As Bella adjusts to her new status as a bloodsucker, issues bloom because a vampire council called the Volturi believes her parents “turned” Renesmee. This leads to conflict, as the Cullens and their allies fight off this threat.

One of my primary complaints about Dawn 1 stemmed from its lethargic pace. The film dawdled through long “fan service” sequences related to the wedding and honeymoon, as those filled about half the movie – and meant it took forever for the film to give us real narrative substance.

Honestly, Dawn 1 could’ve been cut down to 40 minutes or so and achieved the same story-telling goals. At two hours, it became a slow drag.

Whatever flaws it may offer, at least Dawn 2 gives us some meat on the bone right out of the gate. As Bella embraces her new powers and we learn the baby’s secrets, Dawn 2 actually manages narrative thrust.

Well, for a while, at least. Eventually Dawn 2 remembers it’s a Twilight movie and kicks into a lower gear.

Still, despite the Twilight-typical lulls, Dawn 2 manages the highest level of intrigue since the first film. That became the only one of the first four I actually enjoyed, and even with flaws, Dawn 2 easily turns into the most compelling of the rest.

Not that I plan to excuse its deficits, as Dawn 2 comes with plenty. We get the usual iffy CG effects – including a laughably bad animated infant – and a level of campiness that can make the movie unintentionally amusing.

Possibly unintentionally, I should say. Veteran filmmaker Bill Condon directed the two Breaking Dawn flicks, and I find it tough to imagine he didn’t understand how goofy so much of the movie is.

Whatever the case, Dawn 2 can seem ridiculous at times. Of course, the franchise’s basic concept flirts with that path, but prior entries lacked the level of winky-wink we get here.

Nonetheless, at least Dawn 2 largely avoids the tedium of its predecessors. With all the dreary Edward/Bella/Jacob romantic nonsense finally out of the way, it concentrates more on the supernatural concepts, and these allow it to deliver some decent material.

We get the Big Inevitable Battle at the end, one that could’ve worked better. Condon doesn’t seem cut out for this sort of slambang action, so he doesn’t make the finale especially thrilling.

Still, when I remember the intense tedium of Dawn 1, I forgive Dawn 2 its issues. I can’t call this an honest to God good movie, but it brings more spirit and fun than any entry since the first one, so it concludes the series on a relatively positive note.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.35:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Given that Dawn 2 got shot back to back with Dawn 1 and used the same production team, it offered quality very similar to what I found with its predecessor.

As such, enjoy this repetition of my notes from that movie! If it ain’t broke and all that.

Sharpness turned into the most questionable element, as more than a few shots seemed softer than I expected. While most of the film exhibited appealing delineation, it lacked the consistent accuracy I anticipated.

No issues with jagged edges or moiré effects materialized, and I saw no edge haloes. Source flaws remained absent.

Dawn 2 opted for a palette heavy on amber/golden overtones, with a hint of red as well. These seemed well-reproduced within the stylistic choices.

Blacks seemed fairly dense and deep, while shadows appeared smooth and clear – well, outside of some thick “day for night” shots. Despite some sharpness issues, this became a generally positive image.

I also found the movie’s DTS-HD MA 7.1 soundtrack to feel more than acceptable but not remarkable. When the movie indulged in action, the soundscape opened up in a fairly involving manner, one that provided a good sense of place and conflicts.

As usual, though, melodrama outweighed combat and thrills. Dawn 2 definitely embraced violence more than the sluggish Dawn 1, but it still lacked a whole lot of pizzazz.

Audio quality seemed positive, with speech that came across as tight and concise. Music showed appealing rage and clarity.

Effects offered good bite, with elements that came across as accurate and full. The soundtrack lacked the consistent ambition to become great, but it seemed strong enough for a “B”.

As we move to extras, we open with an audio commentary from director Bill Condon. He offers a running, screen-specific look at issues related to the sequel, cast/performances, story and characters, sets and locations, effects, music, and related areas.

Condon offered a good commentary for Part 1 and he continues that trend here. Condon brings a solid collection of notes in this largely informative piece.

A documentary called Forever spans one hour, 33 minutes, 17 seconds. It delivers remarks from Condon, novelist Stephenie Meyer, producers Ryan Robinson and Wyck Godfrey, screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg, director of photography Guillermo Navarro, visual effects coordinator Terry Windell, senior VFX supervisors Phil Tippette and Mark Stetson, visual effects supervisors Colin Strause, Edson Williams and Eric Leven, costume designer Michael Wilkinson, casting director Debra Zane, production designer Richard Sherman, executive producer Kyle Cooper, lead designer Lisa Bolan, assistant to the director Greg Yolen, co-producer Bill Bannerman, location manager Michael J. Burmeister, special effects foreman R. Terry Tjelmeland, special effects supervisor David Poole, visual effects producer Ken Kokka, animation supervisor Tom Gibbons, lead animator Hans G. Brekke, and actors Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Mackenzie Foy, Michael Sheen, Ashley Greene, Elizabeth Reaser, Casey LaBow, Christian Camargo, Rami Malek, Andrea Gabriel, Tracey Heggins, Judi Shekoni, Valorie Curry, Erik Odom, Lee Pace, Toni Trucks, Bill Tangradi, Joe Anderson, Lisa Howard, Patrick Brennan, Guri Weinberg, Noel Fisher, Omar Metwallen, Kellan Lutz, Cameron Bright, Charlie Bewley, Jamie Campbell Bower, Daniel Cudmore, MyAnna Buring, Mia Maestro, Angela Sarafyan, Jackson Rathbone, Peter Facinelli, Billy Burke, Dakota Fanning, Nikki Reed, Marlane Barnes, and Janelle Froelich.

This piece covers areas related to Bella’s transformation into a vampire, issues connected to the Renesmee character, set design and locations, vampire sex scenes, new castmembers and the depiction of different tribes, shooting the climactic fight, and finishing the series.

Across those subjects, we learn a lot about cast, effects, costumes, and the like. Despite some of the usual happy talk, “Forever” covers the production in a pretty satisfying manner.

Note that “Forever” can be viewed as a standalone documentary or as a picture-in-picture feature alongside the movie. I opted for the former, but I appreciate the option.

Two Films At Once goes for six minutes, 27 seconds. It brings notes from Condon, Rosenberg, Stewart, Facinelli, Godfrey, Bannerman, Rathbone, Lautner, and Reed.

As implied by the title, “Once” examines the challenges of filming both parts of Breaking Dawn essentially in one big package. Don’t expect much, as this becomes a pretty fluffy discussion.

We also get a music video for “The Forgotten” from Green Day. It mixes movie shots with dull images of the band. A bland ballad, both song and video seem forgettable. (Ha!)

The disc opens with ads for Breaking Dawn – Part 1 Extended, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Hunger Games and Now You See me. No trailer for Dawn 2 appears here.

A successful franchise comes to a close with The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2. While the film suffers from plenty of issues, it nonetheless turns into the most enjoyable since the 2008 debut. The Blu-ray offers generally good picture and audio along with a few useful bonus features. Nothing here makes me a Twilight fan, but I admit I enjoyed Dawn 2 more than expected.