The gang is back… sort of. Edward, Jacob, Bella and all the vampires and wolves you remember from before. Except this time Bella is a vampire. What the film brings on the good side, including cinematography, a couple decent actors and actresses and a moderately fun mythos to work in—quickly becomes overshadowed in what has to be the most delusional end to a love story.

The series begins where the last left off. Bella has become a vampire, her baby is born and she is feeling ready to get her life (or lack thereof) started. However, something is different about the baby between the love-lorn vampires: it’s a half breed. Renesmee is her name and she has the ability to transmit her thoughts to individuals she comes into contact with; a great power to have in a vampire empire, where lies seem to be common practice.

Once the Volturi discovers the half-human, half-vampire baby, old wounds are re-opened and they begin seeking out the Cullens for heresy. Yes, there is a law that states that children cannot be turned immortal. Thus begins the whole process of the family trying to save their behinds from being killed by the fangy overlords. And as with the last few movies, Alice becomes pivotal to preventing that from happening.

The plot was already on shoddy grounds, with what seemed like an unsuccessful attempt to merge two beast mythos into one modern day romance flick. The mystery of Bella turning into a vampire kept things suspenseful; it added meaning to the actions of Edward, Jacob, Bella and company. Now it has essentially ventured into the realm of fan fiction, and feels awfully forced. “Breaking Dawn Part II” tries to use the baby as an excuse to keep the ball rolling. Instead, it feels awkward and rife with misdirection. This especially becomes apparent at the end, when the Cullens decide to fight, despite making it explicitly clear that wasn’t their intention.

The main redeeming quality of the film rests primarily on the technical side. The plot, character execution and general atmosphere of the mythos is painfully minced in nonsense. The “love” triangle of Bella, Edward and Jacob loses meaning without Bella having made a decision of whether or not she wants to be with either of the two.

If you are a fan of the series, this is just what you need. More Edward and Jacob, vampires, wolves and a mediocre female lead with an average character. But for those of us who enjoy cinema, you will be sure to find nothing here but a niche genre and a painful story at best.