Twilight: Breaking Dawn - Part 1
(C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
Another year, another Twilight film; this one being 'Breaking Dawn: Part 1', directed by Bill Condon (Dreamgirls). 'BD:1' is the film in which Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) finally loses her virginity - and yes, it's to Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). The story is simple & straightforward. As mentioned, it's all about Bella's deflowering - the honeymoon prelude, the act, & the loony aftermath. As the film opens, she's preparing for her beautiful wedding (and it IS beautiful). It's an interesting affair; attended by vampires, unknowing humans, & even an outlying werewolf ... Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). Said honeymoon occurs on a private isle somewhere near Rio; where Bella realizes - only 2 weeks into their marriage - that she is pregnant! Uh oh.
In Twilight lore, not only can vampires have wild, riotous sex (the couple's bedroom is thrashed to bits), but they impregnate. Human/vampire hybrids develop at a rapid pace & Bella is soon fighting for her life. See, the make-up of a hybrid baby is too powerful for a female human's womb; and Bella literally starts dying from malnutrition. Meanwhile, the werewolf community, angered by a violation of a treaty, decides to kill the baby after it's born. This all leads to a wolf-against-wolf subplot & a wolf-on-vampire narrative thrust which leads to a kinetic & bloody climax (Bella's tragic birth of her baby). And for Jacob (Lautner), this late-breaking melodrama leads to an unforeseen & life-changing development for his future. To be continued ...
If you are indifferent to the Twilight movies, than 'Breaking Dawn: Part 1'; with all its languorous early scenes, soft-core romance, soap operatics & campy plot points probably won't win you over. The pacing is uneven; with the 1st 75 min. dripping with pensive headshots, sappy sequences & angsty (no way!) behavior from all involved. BUT, the tempo really picks up with about 40 min. left. And, as usual, this slipshod franchise reeled me in again.
This far into the franchise, we KNOW these actors, characters & behaviors inside out. The romantic angst quotient is still off the charts. Edward still broods, & is still neurotic about hurting Bella. Bella is still self-absorbed. Jacob is still a bit nutty. But in the self-contained little Twilight world, I've grown accustomed to them. I like them. I lean forward in my chair wanting to know what happens to them next. Encased in its own mediocrity ... I liked the movie. This, of course, means that I have to let the awful special effects slide (particularly in a goofily crazy wolf meeting in the midsection of the film). I have to disregard how the secondary characters get the shaft. I must turn my brain off to the uneven storytelling and perpetually one-note performances, etc.
However, though the beginning of the movie unfolds slowly, it's also lovely, & showcases Bella's unfailing love for Edward. The climactic battle btwn. the wolves & the vampires intercut with Bella's harrowing/grotesque birth scene is masterfully done -- that segment is the most imaginative cinematic sequence in the entire Twilight franchise, thus far. The cliffhanger we're left on is a good one. And though the performances aren't great (come on, the actors were initially chosen to be gazed at) ... I enjoy the portrayals by these 3 young actors within their own kind of self-contained Twilight orbit. Sure, the plot is absolutely nutso. But you won't be able to tear your eyes from the onscreen spectacle; certainly in the last third of the film. I just wish these films were better.
P.S. - Spoilers ahead - when you take a step back to think about it, the Twilight franchise really IS against teens having sex. The wedding was tense. The sexual intercourse on honeymoon night proved highly dangerous (bruising, much?). And her pregnancy was both excruciatingly painful & deadly. Whether intended or not, the filmmakers (and source material) really makes a strong point with all of that.
In Twilight lore, not only can vampires have wild, riotous sex (the couple's bedroom is thrashed to bits), but they impregnate. Human/vampire hybrids develop at a rapid pace & Bella is soon fighting for her life. See, the make-up of a hybrid baby is too powerful for a female human's womb; and Bella literally starts dying from malnutrition. Meanwhile, the werewolf community, angered by a violation of a treaty, decides to kill the baby after it's born. This all leads to a wolf-against-wolf subplot & a wolf-on-vampire narrative thrust which leads to a kinetic & bloody climax (Bella's tragic birth of her baby). And for Jacob (Lautner), this late-breaking melodrama leads to an unforeseen & life-changing development for his future. To be continued ...
If you are indifferent to the Twilight movies, than 'Breaking Dawn: Part 1'; with all its languorous early scenes, soft-core romance, soap operatics & campy plot points probably won't win you over. The pacing is uneven; with the 1st 75 min. dripping with pensive headshots, sappy sequences & angsty (no way!) behavior from all involved. BUT, the tempo really picks up with about 40 min. left. And, as usual, this slipshod franchise reeled me in again.
This far into the franchise, we KNOW these actors, characters & behaviors inside out. The romantic angst quotient is still off the charts. Edward still broods, & is still neurotic about hurting Bella. Bella is still self-absorbed. Jacob is still a bit nutty. But in the self-contained little Twilight world, I've grown accustomed to them. I like them. I lean forward in my chair wanting to know what happens to them next. Encased in its own mediocrity ... I liked the movie. This, of course, means that I have to let the awful special effects slide (particularly in a goofily crazy wolf meeting in the midsection of the film). I have to disregard how the secondary characters get the shaft. I must turn my brain off to the uneven storytelling and perpetually one-note performances, etc.
However, though the beginning of the movie unfolds slowly, it's also lovely, & showcases Bella's unfailing love for Edward. The climactic battle btwn. the wolves & the vampires intercut with Bella's harrowing/grotesque birth scene is masterfully done -- that segment is the most imaginative cinematic sequence in the entire Twilight franchise, thus far. The cliffhanger we're left on is a good one. And though the performances aren't great (come on, the actors were initially chosen to be gazed at) ... I enjoy the portrayals by these 3 young actors within their own kind of self-contained Twilight orbit. Sure, the plot is absolutely nutso. But you won't be able to tear your eyes from the onscreen spectacle; certainly in the last third of the film. I just wish these films were better.
P.S. - Spoilers ahead - when you take a step back to think about it, the Twilight franchise really IS against teens having sex. The wedding was tense. The sexual intercourse on honeymoon night proved highly dangerous (bruising, much?). And her pregnancy was both excruciatingly painful & deadly. Whether intended or not, the filmmakers (and source material) really makes a strong point with all of that.