Breaking Dawn Movie Review: Romance Rallies the Faithful
by Joel D Amos at .The arrival of the first part of Breaking Dawn signals to Twilight fans that it is the end of an era. The two-part conclusion to the saga has been causing frantic buzz since director Bill Condon began filming in Brazil.
But does Breaking Dawn deliver for its legions of Twi-hards?
For starters Condon was a great choice by producers to close out the Stephenie Meyer-penned series. He crafts a film that is evenhanded and should more than satisfy the rabid fan base. As a film on its own, Breaking Dawn may not be everyone's cup of tea.
But in the end, the Twilight series has always been all about pleasing the franchise's fans. In that manner, Breaking Dawn does deliver.
The crux of the story follows Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Bella (Kristen Stewart) as they marry and head off on their honeymoon. The wedding scene is a beauty to behold. Fans will be all sorts of atwitter as Bella finally marries her vampire.
As for Jacob, Taylor Lautner excels in capturing a man. Yes, he appears more than mature physically and emotionally, living at a crossroads. His love of Bella is unrequited, yet he still proves he's prepared to die for her. It is a selfless act that provides the groundwork for a bulk of the action in Breaking Dawn.
The film has far less action than previous Twilight movies. For non Twi-hards, that could be a big drawback. Breaking Dawn is at its heart a romance and the complications that can accompany it.
In order to honestly review Breaking Dawn, our rating needs to be split in two. One grade evaluates how the film plays for fanatics and the other is how the film would be seen by moviegoers who may not call themselves anything near the Twi-hard moniker.
Twilight fans... time to celebrate. Breaking Dawn is a four out of five star cinema experience. You see, there are three questions when it comes to a Twilight movie for fans. Was it faithful to the book? Does the movie fall in line with the series as a whole? Will (insert film here) further enhance my passion for Meyer’s vision? In the case of Breaking Dawn, so far… Part 1 gives us a yes, yes and yes.
Everyone else will find the flick over-dramatic and perhaps a little disjointed. Yet, in the scope of The Twilight Saga, impassioned drama and a short attention span interweave to cast a spell over its audience that is impenetrable.
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Comments (18 Total)
As a new viewer, who crashed course all previous Twilights, firstly I am not suprised this is a billion dollar franchise. Its an incredible ride for those endowed with the ability to let themselves be transported. Truly transported. The curse of being a professional critic is that to dissect something often means one misss the moment. The films are amazing and even without the looks of young Gods, the entire cast from the top to the supporting -- shines
@CRAIG....LOL your right I meant emaciated!!! Although Bella was emancipated from her human life..haha!!
@ Rene, I tink you mean emaciated body. @ everyone who thought it didn't follow the book - movies rarely get every detail and nuance right; though it's ben a few years since I read the books, I have a pretty good memory and I think the movie was as true to the book as you could ask for. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and can't wait for part 2.
I am dramatically disappointed. I am a huge fan of the books and have enjoyed the other movies but this one was done differently. Aside from some amazing effects on Bella's emancipated body this movie was nothing but a checklist of scenes from the book with no segway or emotion to tie them all together as in the book. I think it truly does a disservice to Meyer's writing. If you had not read the books and only saw the movie you are missing out on the deeper emotions and bonds between the characters that are revealed and deepened in the book. The movie did not allow you to connect emotionally to the characters at all. The only thing this movie accomplished was to allow fans to bring to life some of the highlights from the book. It was like a house without a foundation, it looked pretty but had no support.
Britt, it isn't rated R, it's PG-13. But I would recommend people pay attention to ratings, just because something isn't restricted doesn't mean it's appropriate for 8 year olds.