As Edward Cullen fever hits Malta again for the opening of the final instalment of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, Paula Fleri-Soler gives us a behind-the-scenes peek.

My relationship with the film version of the Twilight series has been uneven at best. I’d never read the books (and haven’t since) and confess to having been generally underwhelmed by the opening two films, surprisingly enthusiastic about the third and somewhat bored by the fourth, so I’m not quite sure what to expect from the fifth and final instalment of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2.

The break between the two movies lets you get used to the idea of Bella as a vampire

Much is resting on the shoulders of its protagonists Bella and Edward – even more so, following the much-publicised and angst-filled break-up and subsequent reconciliation of the actors who play them – Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattison. Although I’m not going to waste time on idle gossip, for better or worse they have become two of the hottest icons of 21st-century cinema history...

How will it all end? At the opening of Breaking Dawn – Part 2, Bella is a new mother, and finally a vampire. How does she cope with her newfound status? Will Edward break out of his brooding moods?

What possessed them to name their daughter Renesmee? (I blame author Stephenie Meyer.) How long before Jacob (Taylor Lautner) removes his shirt? Can Michael Sheen be more camp? Seriously – or as seriously as one can get when talking about this stuff – the story focuses on the danger the new and happy family face, when the presence of the beautiful and gifted Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy) is discovered by forces bent on destroying them all.

“The first film is about new love, the second about loss, the third about choice, the fourth about the challenges of marriage and family, and this last film is about protecting that family,” says producer Wyck Godfrey, in the movie’s production notes.

Director Bill Condon adds: “The break between the two movies lets you get used to the idea of Bella as a vampire. Bella starts this whole new life – it’s a different movie, she’s a vampire now.”

It appears the Bella we meet here is different from the young woman we’ve known so far; and Godfrey explains that everything we have learned throughout the series about newborn vampires is now being illustrated by Bella as she discovers her new powers; her quickness and her strength, and not just that.

The twist, as author Meyer points out, is that “Bella is the first vampire in the history of my mythology that has chosen to be a vegetarian vampire before transformation. So, unlike everyone else before her, she goes into it committed to not kill anybody”. Which of course makes life that much harder.

“When people finally see both parts of the movie, they’ll be amazed at what an achievement Kristen Stewart’s performance is,” says Condon. “Where she starts as Bella and where she ends up is really something to watch.”

Stewart clearly relished the journey undertaken by her character. She was only 17 when she was originally cast as Bella, the awkward and shy teenager who evolves into a fiercely protective mother and powerful vampire. “I started this whole thing when I was really young and in the first movie, I am so very human… full of idiosyncrasies with clear insecurities,” recalls Stewart.

“As a vampire, Bella is different and she is special… you could feel it instantly. Everything’s easy for her. Now she’s excelling.”

Of course, the love of her life is still by her side. Pattinson says Breaking Dawn – Part 2 also explores the vampire world beyond the romance of Bella and Edward. “The story spans the globe and encompasses many different characters, showing the variety of powers and abilities vampires can have,” he explains, while promising that “the film is also about the fulfilment of Bella’s character – first seeing her as a vampire is going to be a powerful moment”.

Of course, a Twilight film wouldn’t be a Twilight film without the love triangle at its basis completed by the hovering Jacob Black.

Yet here, things take on a rather controversial edge. You may recall – spoiler alert! – that by the end of Part 1, Jacob has ‘imprinted’ Renesmee (i.e. claimed her as his soul mate) – something Bella does not take to very kindly.

“Like any mother would be, she is as furious as Edward had been at first,” elaborates Meyer.

“Eventually she acknowledges what imprinting’s about, because it is clear that Jacob can’t harm a bone in Renesmee’s body. Jacob makes Bella understand that their connection was always leading to this and it becomes real closure on the relationship with Bella and Jacob. We’re left with a sense of real family now and that everything makes sense.”

And it is the entire family that comes together to protect Renesmee when the going gets really tough. As the saga unfolds, we learn that The Volturi have been wanting to get rid of the Cullens for a long period of time and have now found their excuse, leading to what promises to be an action-packed, emotionally-charged fitting twilight of a film franchise that has enchanted millions around the world.

(Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 will be reviewed next week.)

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