Twelve years after the Volturi’s retreat from Forks, the Cullen family believed they had finally earned their quiet eternity. Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, now the picture of immortal domesticity, watched their daughter Renesmee grow from a miraculous child into a breathtaking young woman of eighteen—forever frozen in the bloom of youth, yet carrying within her a power that even the ancients feared. They were wrong to think the supernatural world had forgotten them. In the autumn of 2025, a chilling prophecy begins to unfold: an ancient power, older than the Volturi, older than the Volturi’s own creators, has awakened beneath the frozen tundra of Alaska. And it hungers for the one thing it cannot have—the hybrid blood of Renesmee Cullen.

This is not a sequel born of nostalgia. This is The Twilight Saga: The New Chapter—a dark, sweeping epic that reunites the original cast while thrusting the story into uncharted territory. Directed by the visionary filmmaker Rebecca Hall (known for her haunting work on The Night House and Passing), the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2025 to thunderous standing ovations and breathless reviews. “A bold evolution,” declared The Hollywood Reporter. “Twilight grows up—and it’s terrifying,” wrote Variety. With a reported budget of $220 million and a star-studded ensemble, the movie is already being called the most ambitious installment in the franchise’s history.

The story opens on a crisp October morning in Forks. Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) are living the life they once only dreamed of: raising Renesmee (now played by the luminous 22-year-old newcomer Sofia Bryant), teaching her to hunt, to control her gifts, and to navigate the fragile peace between vampires and the Quileute wolves. Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), still the protective imprint of Renesmee, has become a fixture at the Cullen mansion—part brother, part guardian, and, in the eyes of some, something far more complicated.

But peace shatters when a series of mysterious deaths rocks the Alaskan wilderness. Entire packs of wolves are found torn apart, their bodies drained of blood yet without a single bite mark. The Cullens receive an urgent summons from the Denali coven: Irina’s sister Tanya (now played by the formidable Anya Taylor-Joy) has discovered an ancient cave sealed with runes older than any vampire language. Inside, carved into obsidian walls, is a single prophecy: “When the child of the day and night drinks the last drop of the first moon, the First Vampire will rise—and all will kneel.”

The First Vampire. Not Aro, not Caius, not even the legendary Volturi founders. This is the being who birthed the curse of immortality itself, a creature so old it predates written history. Known only as The Hollow, it was imprisoned millennia ago by a coalition of vampires and wolves who feared its power to rewrite the rules of existence. Now, the seals are weakening—and the Hollow senses the one being whose blood can either free it or destroy it forever: Renesmee.

What follows is a relentless, globe-spanning chase. The Cullens flee south to the Amazon, where they seek the help of the ancient vampire Nahuel (now a grown man with his own hybrid daughter) and his sister Huilen. They travel to Romania to confront the remaining Romanian coven, who guard the last fragments of the Hollow’s original prison. They even venture into the icy reaches of Siberia, where a forgotten coven of “Daywalkers”—vampires who can endure sunlight—holds the key to defeating the ancient evil.

Along the way, loyalties fracture. Jacob, torn between his imprinting on Renesmee and his duty to the Quileute pack, must decide whether to stand with the Cullens or protect his people from the war he fears is coming. Alice (Ashley Greene) receives fragmented visions that grow darker with every passing day, warning of a betrayal that will shatter the family. Edward, ever the protector, begins to question whether Bella’s transformation was truly a gift—or the first domino in a catastrophe centuries in the making.

At the heart of the storm stands Renesmee herself. No longer the toddler who could show thoughts with a touch, she now wields a terrifying new ability: the power to “unmake” a vampire’s immortality, returning them to mortal life in an instant—or to death itself. This gift, born from her unique hybrid nature, makes her both the Hollow’s greatest hope and its deadliest enemy. In one breathtaking sequence, Renesmee confronts a rogue Volturi guard who attacks the family; with a single touch, she strips him of his immortality, watching in horror as he ages centuries in seconds and crumbles to dust.

The film’s visual language is a triumph. Hall and cinematographer Greig Fraser (Dune, The Batman) bathe every frame in shifting hues of twilight—deep indigos, blood-red sunsets, and the cold silver of moonlight. The action sequences are ferocious: a pack of wolves tearing through a snowstorm to protect Renesmee, a brutal hand-to-hand battle atop a frozen glacier between Edward and the Hollow’s resurrected lieutenants, and a heart-stopping aerial chase over the Amazon rainforest as Bella and Jasper race to save Alice from a trap.

Yet the movie never sacrifices emotion for spectacle. The romance that once defined Twilight is still there, but it has deepened into something more mature and heartbreaking. Bella and Edward, now married for decades, face the terrifying possibility that their daughter’s destiny might force them apart forever. Their quiet moments—Edward playing the piano while Bella rests her head on his shoulder, Renesmee learning to dance with her mother in the living room—are some of the most tender scenes in the entire saga.

Taylor Lautner delivers a career-best performance as Jacob, now a man in his thirties who has spent his life protecting the girl he loves without ever fully claiming her. His chemistry with Bryant is electric, layered with longing, guilt, and fierce devotion. Kristen Stewart, returning to the role that made her a star, gives Bella a steely confidence tempered by vulnerability; Robert Pattinson, meanwhile, plays Edward with a quiet desperation that makes every glance feel like a goodbye.

The supporting cast is equally impressive. Anya Taylor-Joy brings icy elegance to Tanya, while Michael Sheen reprises Aro in a chilling cameo that reminds us the Volturi are never truly gone. Newcomer Sofia Bryant, discovered in a small Seattle theater, commands the screen with a presence that feels both ethereal and fiercely human. Her portrayal of Renesmee is the emotional anchor of the film.

Critics have been nearly unanimous in praise. “The Twilight Saga finally grows into its own mythology,” wrote The Guardian. “A stunning, mature evolution of a beloved franchise,” declared Empire. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently holds a 94% approval rating, with audiences giving it a 97% score. Box-office projections are staggering: the film is expected to open to over $250 million worldwide, potentially surpassing Breaking Dawn – Part 2 as the highest-grossing Twilight installment.

For fans who grew up with the original saga, The New Chapter is a love letter and a reckoning. It honors the romance, the family drama, and the supernatural wonder that made Twilight a global phenomenon while pushing the story into darker, more complex territory. It asks the question: What happens when the child you fought to protect becomes the key to saving—or destroying—the world?

As the credits roll over a haunting rendition of “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” performed by a full orchestra, one thing is clear: the legend has not returned as a memory. It has returned as a reckoning. And in the twilight between life and death, between love and sacrifice, the Cullens—and their daughter—will face the ultimate test.

The saga is far from over. The Hollow has been defeated, but the prophecy remains. The last drop of the first moon has not yet been spilled. And somewhere, in the shadows of eternity, the First Vampire still waits.