FAN REVIEW: Taking a Huge Bite of the Twilight Craze
I remember the first time I heard about Twilight. As a senior in high school, I listened to my two friends as they gossiped over Bella’s unconditional love for Edward, a century-old vampire, and her undying attraction for Jacob, a werewolf.
“Who in the world would ever read something like this, much less lose sleep over the film?” I asked them. Alas, I spoke way too soon.
Call me Team Edward, a Twi-hard, a wannabe vampire, etc. As an addictive fan of the books, I’ve grown to love the films, or saga, just as much with every anticipated theatrical release.
I think many will agree with me that the first movie, Twilight, was a painful adaptation of the first novel, but with the new release of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn- Part 1, I found myself reliving every word on every page of that incredible bestseller.
Varying from The Outlook’s Entertainment Editor, I gave the newest segment of the saga a rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars. With a significant improvement in acting, the use of music and a suspenseful, emotional and thrilling storyline, Breaking Dawn- Part 1 shines through as one of this year’s most successful films.
Within the first few minutes, I was already caught off guard. Not a fan of the always awkward, on or off-camera Kristen Stewart, I was undoubtedly surprised by her acting in this film. She actually talks and shows emotion – look at that! Finally four movies later, Stewart embodies the Bella I read about and loved in Stephanie Meyer’s books.
And sigh, my Edward. I know I know, he’s not real, and yes, I agree with the majority of the male population who believes that Edward, the romantic-can-do-no-wrong-even-if-you-kill-me-by-accident vampire sets an unrealistic perception of love.
Regardless, Robert Pattinson’s acting is dead-on in this film. Those golden eyes, auburn-colored hair and rest of his physical and emotional perfection captivated me and every other woman in the theater that night.
I won’t ruin any significant plot points for you, but we see a real range of emotions cross Pattinson’s face as him and Stewart play out the newly married couple’s horrific adventure throughout the film.
For anyone who has seen Twilight, do you recall that entire movie having a blue/green tint to it? Do you remember everything appearing dull, dark and dreary? Not in the latest film, where the people, the sets, and the colors are so vibrant and jump out at you, pulling you into the vampire/werewolf realm.
Moreover, there were a few not so dry eyes in the house during Bella’s goodbye scenes (again, not trying to spoil anything), as well as some other heartbreaking scenes towards the end. For the record, the final 15 minutes of the film are the most intense to sit through.
I also noticed an increase in the use of music in Breaking Dawn- Part 1. Whether it was Bruno Mars’ “It Will Rain” or Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years,” the film had a handful of musical variations playing through, especially at pivotal moments in the story. It made the film that much more suspenseful and kept all of us on the edge of our seats, just like we had frantically flipped through the pages of our “Breaking Dawn” novels in the past couple of years.
Never have I had the urge to go see a movie in the theaters for a second time, but I think Breaking Dawn: Part 1 has broken that tradition for me.
Hands down, Breaking Dawn- Part 1 is the best of the Twilight saga to date. It’s a shame that it has taken this long for the actors to truly, I don’t know – act, but it’s made me yearn for the second part of the film to get released as soon as possible.
Not until November 16, 2012 will our excitement be met with the final film, a moment that will be bittersweet, not nearly as replica to the ending of the Harry Potter series, but pretty close.
So don’t be afraid to risk getting bitten by Breaking Dawn. It won’t change you into a vampire, but it will change your perception on the series for the better.
PHOTO COURTESY of collider.com
NON-FAN REVIEW: Breaking Dawn-Part 1 Sees Some Sunshine
Can you feel the love Twilight? Yes. There is more passion between vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and human Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn- Part 1 than the other films combined. Sure, affection was established but never fully grasped.
In Breaking Dawn-Part 1, this absentee love surfaces to bring the gothic romance to life with a wedding, honeymoon, PG-13 sex, and a baby (yet it’s still no “True Blood”).
Melissa Rosenberg’s script adapts the first half of Stephanie Meyer’s “Breaking Dawn” with spicier material (a montage of Bella and Edward having sex or standing naked silently in the ocean at night) and gets serious about life, moving from teen melodrama to adulthood. A subtheme about pro-life mentality also gives the film a slight political edge.
Despite all this, Breaking Dawn-Part 1 still lacks the bite of a strong romantic narrative.
Breaking Dawn-Part 1 begins with Bella and Edward’s wedding, but not all are happy, especially werewolf Jacob (Taylor Lautner) when he learns Bella will soon become a vampire and contemplates his future with her.
Soon, the married couple travels to Rio Di Janiero (because where would a vampire go but one of the sunniest places on Earth), and they finally consummate their love.
However, the honeymoon ends when Bella discovers she’s pregnant and learns the fetus is killing her. Back in Forks, WA, the Cullens attempt to save Bella as the werewolves see this baby as a threat, and are determined to kill it while Jacob’s stuck in the middle. As the vampire/wolf truce breaks down, Bella struggles to save her child while Edward works to save her.
At first, Stewart and Pattinson instill life into Bella and Edward with smiles at the wedding and dancing in Rio, but later they fall into old habits.
Stewart doesn’t flesh out her role as much as she could and occasionally touches upon Bella’s frustrations and fears. However, Stewart does well when Bella gets pregnant by speaking in a monotone voice and appearing exhausted like Bella is fading away.
Pattinson continues to have the 107-year-old Edward be dull, hiding true emotions behind blank stares and a quiet voice. Following the birth scene, Edward is mad but Pattinson holds back expressions, displaying an eyebrow strain once.
While Lautner as Jacob offers emotions, he needs to bring them out more whether reaching an ultimatum with Edward in the silent woods or talking with the Cullen’s about the wolf pack’s plans.
Director Bill Condon makes Breaking Dawn-Part 1 the best film in the series so far, understanding the dramatic elements of the film, yet it still has issues.
There are times when the picture makes fun of itself without noticing like during the wedding reception toast, which turns into a roast with Bella’s father saying how he can hunt down Edward since he’s a cop, one of Edward’s “brothers” telling Bella to rest up, or Bella’s mom singing.
Condon tries to make some other scenes serious that get overly dramatic as when Jacob talks to the Cullens and continues to stare back and forth out in the distance while discussing their dilemma.
The film has a nice soundtrack featuring artists like Bruno Mars and The Joy Formidable, but the inclusion of so many songs makes scenes appear as music videos than segments of the story. This included scenes such as before Bella has sex and she is shaving her legs, brushing her teeth, and looking for lingerie or the Cullens researching literature to save Bella.
Carter Burwell’s orchestrated music is fine on its own to emotionalize scenes by allowing the music instead of lyrics to express inner emotions like when Bella and Edward kiss at their wedding as if they were alone.
Condon shined with an after credit scene featuring the Voltaire by capturing the right gothic atmosphere of horror in a gray, shadowy castle basement with a creepy performance by Michael Sheen as Aro. Maybe Breaking Dawn-Part 2 will share this quality.
Condon also makes the birthing scene tense and erratic to build tension with a tight angle on the entire ordeal.
Rosenberg’s script works like a supernatural fairytale with horrors about growing up rather than the undead themselves. She builds up the vampire and supersized werewolf tales fine although the climatic fight isn’t outstanding.
As for the story, it seemed like there was more left to tell about Bella and Edward’s honeymoon and would have been nice to see them travel more than to just Rio (like Transylvania).
Also, Rosenberg never utilizes the entire Cullen family, focusing primarily on Alice (Ashley Greene), Dr. Carlisle Cullen (a better than usually Peter Facinelli), and Rosalie Hale (Nikki Reed).
At least the writer presents a quick snippet of Edward’s past with a flashback of him hunting criminals to feed (Marvel Comics’ living vampire Morbius also did the same). This was a nice, dark corner of Twilight that should be explored further.
Regardless, there are aspects to enjoy within these 117 minutes. The make-up department excels in showing Bella’s deterioration with gray skin, baggy eyes, and dry hair to look skeletal. Art direction by Lorin Flemming and Troy Sizemore bring the sets to life and appeared like rooms from a catalogue as with the slick design of the Cullen’s house.
Finally, the cinematographer, Guillermo Navarro, nicely photographs the film so that even when the story becomes sluggish, it’s nice to look at from the beautiful wedding ceremony, the tropical beaches of Rio, and the dense, green forests of Forks (substituted by Canada).
Although I didn’t read the books, I am aware of the conclusion. Thanks, Google. Still, when it comes to seeing Breaking Dawn-Part 2, Jacob summed up my feelings, talking about Bella’s pregnancy, with, “I know how this ends, and I’m not sticking around to watch.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Breaking Dawn-Part 1 earns itself a rating of 2.5 out of 5 stars.
PHOTO COURTESY of twilightish.com
