Hot Take: Renesmee is the perfect addition to Bella/Edward’s story.
Throughout the series Bella is constantly being reminded of what she is giving up by becoming a vampire. Eclipse and Breaking Dawn P1 (prior to her pregnancy), the reminder is becoming even more pressing. The biggest loss is the opportunity for a family.
Charlie unknowingly reminds her at graduation when he says she will understand when she has kids someday.
Rosalie reminders her when telling Bella about her human life and that she lost that opportunity
Renee reminds her when she gifts Bella the wedding hair clip, saying it is an heirloom that she will pass down to her daughter.
And while Rosalie has selfish reasons to support Bella’s pregnancy, Renesmee’s character brings something that none of the Cullens thought they could have. Especially for Rosalie and Esme, who either died before they could be a mother or lost their baby within 2 days.
Which is why I don’t agree with the idea that Bella would rather spend time with Edward than her. Ignoring how much she was willing to risk by keeping her, both physically and the treaty, one of her first thoughts as a vampire was her baby. She is also essentially sharing her baby with the rest of the family, as Rosalie and Jacob are practically glued to Renesmee’s side for obvious reasons.
As for the name, I don’t think it is horrendous, especially compared to the Edward Jacob alternative. And I still find it better than the parents who give their kid some generic name with a nonsensical spelling. At least Bella had some thought behind the name, even if I’m skeptical on Renee’s worthiness.
And as for the popular complaint of a CGI baby, have we seen Chuckesme? I would rather have a full-fledged CGI baby (which she isn’t) than a 40 pound animatronic that has a worse wig than anything in Eclipse. I also think the CGI they used makes perfect sense because despite popular belief, the babies and children are real. They are just edited to look like Mackenzie Foy and create consistency throughout the actresses. And appearance consistency aside, I don’t think she should look like a normal baby. She isn’t a normal baby. No real toddler or infant is going to have the self-awareness required for the role. Which is another reason CGI comes in.
All this to say, I don’t think Renesmee as a name or character is that bad
