I was lucky enough to attend a private screening of Breaking Dawn: Part 1 last night, of course I was ecstatic, not only because I got to see it before the general public, but because I am a terribly huge fan of the Twilight Saga. First and foremost, everyone should know that I attended that screening as a fan and not a critic (I'll be a critic when I see it at midnight). One thing I did before I went to see the film, which I don't do for ANY other film... EVER... is read what critics had to say about Breaking Dawn. Some called it a "bloody mess" while others stooped as low as calling it the "worst movie of the year". With that said, I want to make clear that I believe these movies are made solely FOR THE FANS, and frankly, it's something I enjoy most about the movies. Critics go in to the theater already expecting it to be bad because of past films, the actors and the amount of money it will make (which we know will be a lot). For that reason, and that reason only, I never pay too much attention to movie critics. Most of the time, I disagree with them. These films are based on books, the fans want to see on screen as much of the books as possible which creates a lot of controversy because some things (in this particular book) are not easy to create on film. If you haven't guessed already by what I've written above, I was highly satisfied with the movie despite a few scenes that should've been done differently. For one, the wedding, honeymoon and birth scene (which were most anticipated by movie goers) were seriously perfect. The actors were on point everytime ESPECIALLY those pivotal scenes. Should you go see it? Absolutely, especially if you're a fan of the series as a whole.
Follow the jump to read my very DETAILED AND SPOILER FILLED review of Breaking Dawn Part 1...
The film starts off with Jacob, who doesn't last more than 10 seconds without ripping his shirt off (in true Jacob fashion), reading Bella & Edward's wedding invitation and running off into the woods in a rampage. After everyone has read and RSVP'd to the "wedding of the century", there's a sweet exchange between Bella and Alice that really made up for the lack of Bella/Alice scenes in past the movies. The only thing that's missing (sadly) from the beginning of the book in the movie is the scene where Bella is driving around in her new precious Mercedes that the Cullens purchased for her. Everything else is the same. One of my favorite scenes in the movie is when we get a glimpse of Edward's past and why he views himself as such a "monster". The flashback scene was TOTALLY unexpected and I loved every second of it especially since we've never actually gotten to see much of Edward's back story. We also get to see the Cullen boys head out to Edward's "Bachelor Party" while Bella stays home and has a wretched dream that was wonderfully put on the screen. Very gory, realistic and, again, exactly like the book. So far no complaints on my part.
The pre-wedding scene between Bella and her parents was SO heart wrenching. I started getting teary-eyed, not because it was Twilight, but because it was so real and emotional. It's a life changing event whether you're marrying a vampire, werewolf or boring human. The clip of this part was released a few weeks ago I believe, but I'm glad I didn't see it before the movie, because it just would've gotten ruined.
The wedding itself couldn't have been more perfect. THE DRESS? There aren't enough words in the English language to describe how I feel about that dress. It's simple and beautiful and perfect for the Bella we've all gotten to know in the books. The ceremony itself was utterly perfect, complete with a full screen shot of Stephenie Meyer herself. When Bella and Edward exchange their vows and have the first husband and wife kiss, it is EXACTLY as it is described in the books. Including the moment where they're so lost in eachother, that the world around them disappears in what is probably the longest on-screen kiss I have ever experienced in my life... not that I'm complaining. The reception is adorable, there's speeches that will literally have you cracking up in hysterics from how funny they are... especially Billy Burke, who of course, has the best one liners and steals the scene.. Papa Swan delivered an amazing performance throughout the entire film. Afterwards, Jacob crashes the wedding (again, in true Jacob fashion) and causes a scene... no surprise there. Although, I'll give him this, Taylor's acting was A LOT better than in past films. The wedding ends, Bella says good-bye to her parents and I'm off in hysterics again, crying like a hormonal teenager. It really is an emotional movie, just so you all know.
I don't want to go too much into the "Honeymoon" except for the fact that it was EXACTLY as the book, minus the fade to black. However, a lot of people are pissed at how the sex scene turned out because it was too short or not good enough. Let me tell you, THIS IS A PG-13 FILM and it is VERY MUCH like the sex scene in the Notebook... actually, it's probably identical, just so much shorter. To be frank, I was not disappointed and was actually surprised at how much they DID show us. The rest of the honeymoon goes as in the book, Rob does an excellent job at the whole "I hurt you" bit, while Kristen is equally as good showing us how horny Bella is... or at least how bad she wants to 'giggidy giggidy' with her new husband.
Before I get into the rest of the film, I'd like to put a spotlight on Kristen and point out what an amazing job she did in this movie. We've witnessed her growing as an actress and one thing I noticed was that she was LESS fidgety and more confident. As I've always said, the director matters most in these cases. For people like Kristen who are type-casted, I think it's the director's job to do re-takes if it doesn't turn out quite right. I think, through her performance in this movie, Kristen basically told everyone who thinks she can't act to go 'cliff diving' because she was TRULY perfect in every sense of the word. Now, back to the movie...
During the honeymoon, Bella finds out about the pregnancy of baby RenessFAIL (yeah, not a huge fan of the baby, whatever) Bill Condon did an amazing job of making Bella look as though she was on her death bed. She appeared to be extremely fragile and ill. And the part where she drops the cup and reaches for it... did anyone else look away? Her body bent in unnatural angles and that was the worst sound I've ever heard.
Basically, to sum it all... we loved it. It was amazing. Can't wait for part 2. Is it 2012 yet?
