My friend Alison asked me on Twitter this morning what I thought of Breaking Dawn Part 1, and in the confines of 140 characters, this was my review"
"OMG It was good and so bad but so good but really bad but really so good!"
Pretty much sums it right up. If you’re a Twilight fan I think I can say without any doubt in my mind that you will love The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1. You will love it so much even while you’re laughing at how ridiculously cheesy it is. But that’s part of the beauty of the movies, right – the cheesiness?! So yes, let’s all agree that the movies are pure cheese and move on with it, ok.
I went into the Breaking Dawn advance screening hosted by Boston Pizza Orleans Community Relations Manager, Leslie Scott, pretty much knowing what to expect – or so I thought. After all, I had seen the sneak peek trailer, the full trailer, numerous pictures from the set and I have read all the books – so I was pretty sure I wasn’t in for any surprises, yet surprised I was. This was, by far, the best Twilight movie yet. Yes I understand the last 2 movies were pretty bad :)
The first thing that struck me was how fast the movie progressed. From the opening scene we were instantly thrust into the story. First - the wedding. Not a lot of set up but right to the goods with some brief banter between Bella and Alice, Bella and Edward, and Edward and his brothers. Note – Jackson Rathbone’s Jasper has never looked better than in the brief scene where we see him hurrying Edward along for his ‘bachelor party’.
Then they cut right to the chase with Renee and Charlie arriving, Bella’s high school friends and the brief introduction to the Denali Vampires for the big day. The reveal of Bella’s dress was slow and methodical; making sure the audience took it all in. I hadn’t thought of it before, but her dress, of all things, was never leaked to the public, and the moviemakers made sure you saw it bit by bit, piece by piece, until they were ready to reveal the entire image to you. It made you feel like you were seeing her at the same time he was. It was awesome :)
So then they get married and the wedding is ethereal and gorgeous and the kind of wedding you would only see in a movie or described in a book. In other words the scene was perfect for what readers would have been expecting. After the wedding, we of course move along to the honeymoon which was breathtaking as well. The private island, the house on the private island, all of the imagery and scenery and being all about Bella and Edward – it was perfect.
Then there’s the pregnancy and the trip home – all of it happens fast. But you never feel like there’s anything left out. This is when you have to be really happy that they decided to make this book into 2 movies. Because we get it all – nothing is left out.
This was a different sort of Twilight movie – a more mature Twilight movie – which was fitting because in the book we saw Bella grow from a clutsy teenager to a married woman and mother. Bill Condon assumed the directors role for Breaking Dawn and allowed the characters and the movie to grow. It feels less like a movie for teenagers and more a movie for the masses.
My first observation when watching Breaking Dawn was how incredibly amazing Kristen Stewart looked. Honestly, she is stunning in the movie. I kept looking at Candace and remarking at just how beautiful she was. And that beauty only paled slightly to the hotness that was Robert Pattinson’s Edward (Candace is not a Team Edward fan so she made it a little hard to gush with). Honestly – the entire first half of the movie is all about Bella and Edward and I couldn’t get enough. The honeymoon scene – in the bedroom – with them doing it for the first time – with the headboard breaking and the pillows being ripped apart – seriously I died a little. I wanted more, but in true Twilight form they don’t give you more. It’s like you left the theatre with Twilight’s version of blue balls. And the entire Cullen clan looked so much better this movie too– except for Carlisle who still has the worst wig and makeup job in any movie ever.
The second thing I noticed was this movie was funny. And not just ironically funny – but genuinely, laugh out loud funny. The wedding reception was full of hilarious moments, from Charlie’s father of the bride speech to Jessica referring to Edward as ‘The Hair’. From Bella’s attempt to seduce Edward on their honeymoon to the reaction of Jacob when he learns Bella’s choice of names for her unborn child (finally they realize how stupid that name is!) – the movie was full of really funny moments that the first two movies were lacking.
Sadly, Taylor Lautner is still really, really bad in this movie. Like really bad. But he looks good, but he’s a really bad actor. And his bad is only overshadowed by how bad the rest of the Wolf Pack is. Because they are also really bad. And there’s one scene – that I won’t spoil for you but you’ll know it when you watch it – featuring the wolf pack in their wolf form – that will have you laughing out loud – and not in a good way. So bad.
So should you see The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1?! If you’re a Twilight fan yes! You will love it and you will laugh at the sheer cheesiness of it all but you will be so happy at how true to the book it was. And at the end you will be so mad that you have to wait another year before part 2 hits theatres because the promise of a Vampire Bella is sooo good! Make sure you stick around after the credits roll for a surprise scene featuring the Volturi too. Michael Sheen is deliciously evil as Aro.
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