We’ll never forget where we were when this happened.
There are some moviegoing experiences one never forgets, and the end of Breaking Dawn Part 2 certainly makes the list of one of my core memories gazing up at a big screen after being a fan of the Twilight books and movies as a teen. I was on a vacation during the Thanksgiving holiday week in the desert, but obviously I had to catch the last Twilight movie with fellow fans on opening night. So, we found a super late screening (because that’s all they had in those days) and watched the final film of the vampire saga. I swear, my tired self thought I was hallucinating when I watched Carlisle getting beheaded and the a surprise battle scene played out. “That wasn’t in the book” raced through my mind and my jaw proceeded to be dropped for the rest of the movie’s runtime.
It’s not easy to pull off a mind-blowing plot twist in a movie, but Breaking Dawn Part 2 was able to give Twilight fans like myself something surprising to be stunned by, thanks to the clever ending. And yes, Stephenie Meyer was involved. If you were ever curious about the story behind the movie’s ending, sit back and read on…
What Happens At The End Of Breaking Dawn
Before I get into how the ending came about, it’s time to refresh your memory about what happened in Breaking Dawn Part 2. After Kristen Stewart’s Bella becomes a vampire, the storyline didn’t go right to a happy ending.
The Book’s Ending
At the end of the Breaking Dawn book, the Volturi decide to leave the Cullens alone after they are getting ready for a fight. In the very last chapter of Breaking Dawn “The Happily Ever After,” Edward Cullen shares that the Volturi leader, Aro, was “terrified of Bella” and her vampire mind shield powers, along with the fact that they were outnumbered by the additional vampires and werewolves assembled by the Cullens. Alice “gave Aro the excuse he needed to get out of the fight” per the book’s words.
The book suggests the Volturi may be back someday, but the Cullens are confident they can outsmart them again whenever that happens. And in terms of Edward and Bella, they live happily ever after “forever and forever and forever” as Edward mutters on the last page.
The Movie’s Ending
In the 2012 closer franchise, things go down a little different. The Cullens have assembled a ton of vampires and werewolves to fight the Volturi, but at first a fight does appear to break out, and there’s a ton of casualties including Carlisle’s head being severed by Aro, Dakota Fanning’s Jane getting decimated by a werewolf and Aro being killed off by Edward and Bella. The scene is framed as reality (hence my shock) before it’s revealed that the scene was simply a vision of Alice Cullen (who can see the future), that she was sharing with Aro on the battlefield. Then, the Volturi stood down, and Edward and Bella got their big screen sent off.
