Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1
(1 People gave this 1.00 out of 5)
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Review by David Limacher
Limacher Low Down: The wait is over, and some of the most beloved vampires and werewolves are back. Twilight: Breaking Dawn is the beginning of the end of one of the more successful movie franchises, besides Harry Potter, that we have seen in a while. People have grown up, or stayed youthful with these characters; but all things must come to an end. Breaking Dawn is different than the other movies by taking the characters into a more ADULT setting. Parents be warned, there was a fine line being tread between PG-13 and an R rating.
The seemingly never ending, yet only four year wait, for Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) to get married is FINALLY happening. The previews did a pretty good job of explaining that to viewers, even those who didn’t read the books (me included).
Breaking Dawn begins with the invitations going out, and the preparations for the wedding to commence. Some are seemingly excited and overjoyed about the wedding, yet some, one in particular, is enraged by the whole thing. The whole opening gives the sense of closure, and new beginnings; but we know this can’t be the case for it is only the beginning. The big day has arrived, and for the FIRST TIME, Bella portrays some emotion and shows some nerves as she walks down the aisle. The wedding scene is nice and fluffy, and adds some great humor with all of the toasts at the reception. One guest arrives late, though, but Bella couldn’t be happier. Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) arrives to give the happy wedded couple his best regards. I found this to be oddly intriguing, because I found that Bella and Jacob had more chemistry on-screen than Bella and Edward. After a brief discussion, in which Bella tells Jacob her plans for the honeymoon, Jacob storms off in a rage, and Edward calms Bella down.
The happy couple is now officially off on their honeymoon. This brings on the first night as a married couple for Bella and Edward. In a scene that some might consider “pushing the envelope” of ratings, the fireworks ignite and the marriage is consummated. This scene was reminiscent of something from “9 ½ Weeks”, although it wasn’t QUITE as graphic. The honeymoon continues, but everything comes to a screeching halt when Bella realizes that something has gone terribly wrong; she might be pregnant.
This is where the storyline of the movie really begins to develop, and the true plot comes together. Bella alerts her father, Charlie Swan (Billy Burke), that while she’s not feeling great, the honeymoon must continue. Bella left out the fact that she is back in Forks, Washington staying with the Cullen family. Edwards “father”, Dr. Carlisle Cullen (Peter Facinelli), is trying to comfort the couple without knowing exactly how a human can become impregnated by a vampire. This part just came across as very hokey to me. The way it comes across is just bad, but readers of the book will most likely enjoy how the story plays out. Jacob learns of the pregnancy, and once again storms off in a rage believing the worst is going to happen to Bella because of Edward. Jacob tells his tribe what is going on, and because of the events, the treaty that was once in place between the vampires and werewolves (of Forks, at least) is now null and void.
The story really begins to drive the differences and growth of the characters as the movie speeds along. There are a couple of scenes that made people in the audience cringe with disgust, but it was vital to the story moving along. Fans of the book might just know where Part 1 will end, but I’m not going to spoil that for anyone.
I will say the acting had some good moments, and there is some growth in the characters; but at the same time, there were moments of intended drama that made the audience laugh. Breaking Dawn had some good moments, but it also had some moments where I just rolled my eyes and prayed for it to be over. How will everything end? People who have read the books know, but to see it completely play out, they’ll have to do some more waiting for Part Two, due out next November.
November 22nd, 2011 at 10:10 am
The action was simply some Wizard of Oz slight of hand to hide the truth behind the curtain: This film was possibly the worst one to date for this series. In addition, I think it would have been more aptly named "Breaking Bella."