by: Russell Cera
Synopsis: It's the wedding of the century! Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart heat it up again as everyone's favorite vamp/human couple! Oh but wait... this time baby makes three!
Rating: 2 and 1/2 STARS
Bottom Line: A shade above better than the original Twilight, but a disappointing step back from the fast paced action packed Eclipse.
Breaking Dawn Part 1 (Rated PG13) hit theaters this week, and it's sure to rack in it's fair share at the box office, with most ticket sales going to teen girls on either side of a Team Edward vs. Jacob scrimmage line as well as the hoards of uber-fans for Stephanie Meyers' incredibly successful book series. Yet it also spawned the Saga's lowest Rotten Tomatoes Critic's rating of 27%, with most "experts" agreeing that this installment as a stand alone film is a big step down from last year's Eclipse. So let's sink our teeth (even if none of the Vampires in these films have them), into Breaking Dawn Part 1 to see if it stacks up to expectations and heightens the anticipation for a climactic finale.
To begin, this critique will be based solely upon the film and the ones that preceded it, since it is no mystery that readers of the series will tell you the quality of the books far outweigh the film adaptations in every department. In addition, I am personally not acquainted with Meyer's books, having only read a small portion of the original Twilight. However I certainly have a great respect for the writer, her success, as well as her technique in creating a phenomenon. Meyers can most certainly, at least in part, be credited for the revival of the Vampire obsession in the last decade, and unlike countless other writers' efforts since Anne Rice, this one just seemed to stick more so than all the others. Likewise, the Twilight Saga has opened the floodgates for those aforementioned writers' efforts to spawn wildly successful television series, more books, new movies and so much more. In other words, everyone is getting in on the act and Meyers can certainly be thanked for ushering in this new age of the blood sucker.
That being said, a meager budget was granted to the first film, while studio execs hoped for high turnouts to dictate continuing the series. Their projections were correct. Despite poor critical acclaim, Twilight was a hit and it's stars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner were suddenly household names. This opened the way for the entire Saga to follow. New Moon came with the debut of Jacobs' rippling abs and some fair CGI wolf transformations contributing once again to growing ticket sales. Eclipse, the third installment raised the bar with much more action, better special effects and interesting back stories. Still, neither teeth nor blood were anywhere to be found.
Therein lies the irony of Breaking Dawn Part 1, split into two parts, marketed of course for a PG-13 audience, translating to, you guessed it - higher returns at the box office. A disconnect that serves to disassociate this film from it's predecessors is the decision to go with a different director on each. This time we have award winning Bill Condon, who certainly has a flair for the extravagant, yet is asked to tone it down to appeal to a wider, younger audience. Also, the book series is quite graphic throughout with no lack for the violent nature of the very creatures that inspired it. It is that aspect which finds the movies searching for an identity of their own while being somewhat of a sad contradiction to it's source material.
Breaking Dawn Part 1 is no exception to this rule. While most readers would agree, the first part of the two part book should most certainly garnish an R rating. There's plenty of sex, violence, gore and torturous effects of a demon spawn child growing far too rapidly inside of Bella to go around for an eternity. Yet once again we get a watered down ultra close up series of cut scenes to tame what inherently should not be tamed. It's a prime example of a saga that keeps making excuses for itself to make more money.
The movie begins with a preparation for a wedding and continues with a nightmare about a wedding, goes forth from there with a wedding and on with a wedding reception. The sequence is undeniably lavish and beautifully filmed as well as reflective for Bella who contemplates her decision to cast away her humanity for a vampiric existance. For a moment as she strides toward the alter, she exhibits a sense of "get me the hell out of here", until she looks into the eyes of the dreamy Edward, the one thing she continually finds her strength in. A few sniffles in the audience may come at the vows and the kiss, after all, this is the most highly anticipated wedding since Prince William and Princess Kate.
The entire sequence is well over a half hour before we pepper in some conflict, with the sarcastic over-male Jacob showing up at the last moment like a wedding crasher. Yet Bella couldn't be happier that the intrusive, brutish ass hat of a jealous wanna be boyfriend shows up and Edward is trusting enough that his sworn enemy is left alone with her. Seems odd doesn't it? Everything is fine until Jacob can't control his machismo, spurts slurs and ill omens, then storms off in a fit of uncontrollable wolf rage with the knowledge that Bella is going to risk her life while getting some from another supernatural violent creature.
With Jake out of the picture at the moment, we are whisked away courtesy of our "are they really" happy couple on a honeymoon that exhibits no financial bounds. I get it, the Cullens have been living well beyond normal human years, and Carlisle's practice has garnished plenty of dough to go around, but it's somewhat sickening to see expensive cars, boats, a private island, a personal jet and so on all at the immediate disposal of our snobbish rich heroes.
What is well played amongst the decadence is of course Kristen Stewart's natural propensity for awkwardness. We get the sense that no matter how much she is in love with Edward that the repercussions of her decision do not pass idly. She is in fact as unsure of herself as any girl blessed with her beauty could be and that makes her endearing to some extent.
Then comes the sex scene, which is by the way, kid in the room approved. Both members of our married couple fear for how Edward will perform, for we know just how wild and crazy he can get in the bedroom around Bella. At one point he even tears apart the headrest to pieces while remaining tender enough not to destroy our heroine down below. It is once again a strange contradiction to this relationship. All throughout the movie series, both characters exhibit so much apprehension, it is nearly impossible to really convince anyone about how these are two people that are destined for one another.
Uneasy feelings continue the morning after, when Bella uncovers some rather tame bruising on her arms and shoulders form her rabid vampire lover. Edward shows his self loathing, apologetic and ashamed nature when he cannot forgive himself for denting his wife's fragile skin. We look to be creeping up on our married couple's first argument, but neither can imagine what they are in for.
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| Bella senses there is a rapidly cooking bun in her oven. Edward stands ready to react like most men do. |
In typical fashion for men and women, Bella takes the impossible news in stride, dealing with the irrational rationally while Edward goes into a catatonic state, then broods, then asks his superstitious maid to make a diagnosis. "DEATH" she claims, and so we know things don't look good for our new mom from here on in.
We return back to Forks now where Jacob is still selfishly frustrated over Bella's decision, and his instincts tell him that something awful has happened. A motorcycle trip to the Cullen's home reveals Bella and Edward have returned, but Jacob's dream girl is terribly sick and now showing like a woman in her second trimester.
This sends Jake into a fury and we finally get to see what we paid eight dollars for - a good wolf transformation and gathering of the entire Clan. Once all together the pack of CGI wolves are at their best during the entire film series. The special effect work is much improved while still a bit less than realistic, but the close ups look simply amazing. Here, we get to travel into their heads for the first time to hear them speaking "in human English" to one another. Plans are set forth that the coming of the child, which will inherently kill Bella during birth only to wreak havoc on the human world, will break the Vampire and Wolf treaty that keeps the Cullens and Black Clan from killing each other. The wolves must either kill Bella themselves before this occurs or even take the baby out if necessary. Jacob vows not to agree with his brethren and sets off on his own mission to protect Bella from the coming doom or do what must be done to the child himself before the others do. What a guy.
What is most disturbing itself, is how throughout the film (and book) all the characters short of one - Alice, refers to the child as "IT" of "The Fetus" placing Bella's welfare and safety paramount over an unborn child. There is so much disdain to go around, no one knows who to blame first, and throughout it all Edward sulks about the coming loss of the love of his life. Yet Bella comes to terms with the idea that this blessing, as unnatural as it is - the thing that is chewing through her insides, is worthy of being treated as a child and not some object of evil.
By this time our heroine is falling apart and looking quite horrifying. I am glad to say that Kristen Stewart did not have to lose 80 pounds of her 110 pound frame, because if she did it would be almost criminal of the filmmakers to ask of her. The slimming effects are uncomfortably real looking and quite possibly the only thing to make this viewer squeamish throughout the movie is a disrobing shower sequence.
Ah but there has to be an answer to Bella's deteriorating physical condition. Quite possibly the baby is hungry for what no one has thought to feed it! Break out the blood and suddenly our girl is slurping the potion through a straw and liking it! Premonitions of things to come perhaps? With little demon baby satisfied momentarily, Bella recovers just enough to parlay her father's concern for her over the phone, who still thinks she is overcoming a bug in some far off land.
Then comes a very strange scene, that regardless of the text that inspires it, feels completely off. Edward begins to "see the light" when he communicates telepathically with an unborn, who can apparently speak well enough to inform him that it is happy. Smiles and good feelings are exchanged while baby continues to claw it's way out from the inside.
Over in wolf world, Jacob guards the Cullen home with Leah (Julia Jones) and Seth (Booboo Stewart) from the oncoming slaughter the rest of the pack is planning. While there, the subject of imprinting comes up between Jake and Leah, casting a foreboding sense that Jake has to move on from Bella and find someone else to dedicate his life to.
As blood packs run short in the home things amp up as Carlisle, Esme and Emmett are off to get more. Meanwhile, it's baby time and Edward, Rosalie, Alice, Jasper and guest doctor Jacob are left to tend to the ailing Bella, who settles on names for boy or girl only to have her spine cracked in two by our coming little joy. She is laid out in the makeshift birthing office surrounded by windows for wolves to break through and prepared for a quick expulsion of the baby.
While the book gets horrifyingly graphic, the movie does it's best to skirt the violence. There is however plenty of blood here, more than anywhere else in any of the previous movies. Of course, it is as it should be. The scene is quite harsh otherwise, and soon a C-Section delivery is performed without the doctor of the house present.
Guess what though... baby looks normal! It is not a demon, nor does it have wings or giant fangs like the ones Edward researches earlier in his 27 inch I Mac. Oh it's bloodied of course but looking quite healthy and happy... after all it told Edward it was. Here however is where our Bella expires, finally succumbing to the damage the incredibly strong child has done to her. Edward does what he can, injecting his venom into Bella's heart, biting her body, hoping that a last moment revival is possible short of Carlisle's prediction that it will not work. It does not, Bella is dead, or is she?
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| Jacob stands poised to go wolf while the Cullens look on. |
While one immediately draws a conclusion that Jacob has feelings he should not for a child, which is a creepy thing no doubt regardless of Indian folklore, it should be noted that his intentions are to protect the child for as long as he shall live. The one law among the wolf clan we soon learn after an insignificant wolf vs. vampire battle is that anyone, no matter who or what they are can never be harmed if imprinted upon by a fellow member.
With disaster averted, all attention now turns to the dead Bella, who still lies unresponsive to Edward's efforts. Her meager body is prepared to be put to rest and the entire Cullen family as well as Jacob try to come terms with their beautiful human Bella being gone.
Cue another weird CGI sequence, in which we witness Edward's venom taking control on the inside of Bella's body, repairing the damage done by the child. Then miraculously, we witness her beautify again. Sure we know what is coming, but one last scene straight out of James Cameron's Avatar, an extreme close up of our heroine's opening eyes reveal them to be red! Bella is revived, now a vampire and ready to take on Breaking Dawn Part 2!
Overall, while I wasn't terribly disappointed by Breaking Dawn Part 1, I found it to be a huge let down from the rather quick paced, surprisingly entertaining Eclipse of the previous year. The film takes forever to get going and gets so stuck on recreating a wedding experience that it feels just about as long as attending a real wedding experience! If you're interested in the pomp and circumstance of Edward and Bella's matrimony, a good portion of the beginning will more than likely satisfy. Performances are good, obviously awkward when they need to be, but effective nonetheless. I found Jacob's character this time around to be much less convincing and far more selfish, looking for any opportunity, even inside of his head, to get his digs in. Meanwhile, I still can't help but find Edward to be wishy washy and far too lenient on Jake, who swears to kill him if Bella dies, only to tell Edward he wont so the vamp can live forever with the pain of doing "this" to her.
"This" to her?
In our world, many a woman has sacrificed her life for a child to live. It is a terrible thing to contemplate, but most of us agree that if given the choice of ourselves or our children to live through a terrible ordeal, we wouldn't need to even think for a moment what choice we would make. All the characters, including father Edward, treat the coming of Renesmee as a curse, an aspersion, the "thing" that kills their beloved Bella. Sure everyone expects a monster to come out, but does anyone show any care short of Rosalie for that adorable little baby?
Well in the end, all answers will finally be revealed next year when the climax, Breaking Dawn Part 2 finally arrives. While it may be a little too late to vindicate the film series overall, let's hope the final installment follows Stephanie Meyer's intentions as well as satisfies our thirst for more vampires, werewolves, R Pat and K Stew!
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