A very wise person, most likely in the Marketing field, once said the truest and most universally accepted thing ever muttered. Sex sells. It’s not a bad thing. Car companies and cosmetic companies have been using this for years. Film has too. So I’m not shocked that Breaking Dawn, along with the other films in the franchise, was successful in tricking people into thinking that these characters are actually sexy (they are not)…what I AM shocked at is that people mistake “pretty” people for good storytelling.
Plot: The big day is here. Bella (Stewart) and Edward (Pattinson) are to be wed. As in their agreement, this is also to be the time when Edward is to finally “turn” Bella and to make them eternally bound to one another. Once the knot has been officially tied, and the two are off on their honeymoon, Bella decides to wait until after their blissful getaway to go through with becoming an immortal. But when they give in to their desires, and Bella soon finds herself with a rapidly growing child inside of her, some dangerous choices must be made. Bella is carrying a child that the werewolf pack fears, and they see it as their job to destroy it and the mother. The Cullen clan, along with Jacob (Lautner) and some of the werewolves, must protect Bella from the rest of the wolves at all costs.
BOOOOOOORING. Really. An extremely boring movie. I can forgive a movie that has bad acting, I can even forgive a movie that only sells the illusion of a good story, but I can NOT forgive a movie that is this boring. Honestly, there is more action involved with me trying to pick the right pair of underwear in the morning than there was in this whole movie. There is ONE fight, and the lighting was so poor in that scene that you can barely tell what is going on. Also, I understand the need to sometime have an “agenda” included in the story. Seth Macfarlane uses each episode of Family Guy as a way to bash everyone that doesn’t believe as he does, so I am accustomed to this. But using a fantasy vampire movie to argue the topic of abortion is stupid. We even get a “fetus” vs. “baby” argument. Seriously? Why is this in a VAMPIRE movie? Lestat would have killed them all for sparkling in the first place, let alone arguing about babies and abortions. This movie is an abomination to vampire movie genre.
Worth the admission? NO! I know that this is not going to sway any of the people that have already mistaken the first three films as “good movies”, but for those that are on the cusp of making that decision…save your money. Half of the movie looks like a director’s cut for a Summer’s Eve commercial (full of beautiful people, beaches, and curtains gently blowing in the wind) and the other half is a pro life vs. pro choice argument. Oh, and ONE action sequence. PLEASE skip it. Maybe it will force Hollywood to wake up and make good movie, like Harold and Kumar’s 3D Christmas (which was awesome and you should see).
Twi-hards. Please tell me why I’m wrong. Would LOVE to debate this with a few of the fans. 
Sorry, I can't let this one go. I "get it" that you don't "get it". Everyone has their likes and dislikes. I happen to REALLY like this series of books and movies. I do have a question....or two....Have you seen the other movies? Have you even read the books? It goes without saying that there is a LOT of backstory from the books that does not get into the movies. You know that. Melissa Rosenberg, the screenwriter, took a few liberties with her writing. There was never a "fetus" vs. baby debate in the book. There was a whole backstory to bringing this type of "creation" into the world and it had to do with the Volturri...a major "no-no" in the vampire world...blah, blah, blah. Yes, maybe there was a pro-life agenda in the book. We have to remember that these are written for young adults and targeted for teenage girls...not adult men who like to go out and shoot things and blow things up. Stephanie Meyer, the author of the books, has been very adament about keeping the movies to PG-13. I highly suspect a lot of her personal values/morals are projected in these books. And there was NEVER a fight scene between the wolf pack and the Cullens. I guess she wanted to ramp up the end of the movie a little more and stress the regard for imprinting in the wolfpack. This took up several chapters in the books. This was not supposed to be an "action" movie. But, I will say this....IF I had not read the books....nor seen the other movies.....I would not know what was going on with this movie. Hey, did you stay and watch the extra scene in the middle of the credits? It sets you up for BD2! (That scene was a screenwriter's liberty also.) Mark your calendar for next November! ....BTW, I enjoy reading your reviews. Would like to see what you have to say about Girl with Dragon Tattoo...have read the books and seen the Swedish version of the movies.
ReplyDeleteHey! First off, thanks for leaving me the comment. I always love to talk with folks about movies. So, to get into your questions...
ReplyDeleteYes. I have seen the other movies and I feel pretty much the same way about them as I do about this one.
No. I have not read the books. My wife has, and she loved them, but I couldn't "get in to them".
Now, I want to make something clear. This is a review of the movie itself. Not the books, not the writers or anyone involved with the franchise. This is ONLY my review of the movie. In my very humble opinion, this movie was boring. EXTREMLY boring. So much so that I almost fell asleep. I think that the writing was poor, that the characters are one dimensional, and that the actors portray those one dimensional characters exactly as they were written.
I have really liked Stewart in other movies. Same with R. Pat. But I truly believe that people are somewhat blinded by the quality of the books...so they are going to love the movies regardless. Not saying that is the case with you at all, just that I see some people getting the books and movies confused.
There is only one scene that I thought was well acted, and that was the scene when Bella is nervous walking down the aisle and she turns the corner, sees Edward, and calms. I thought that was a nice transition from Stewart and, had she portrayed her character that well for the rest of the movie...I would have loved it.
I must admit that I am slightly biased when it comes to Vampire movies. I liked vampire movies before they were "cool". Dracula, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the TV show, not the movie), Angel (my 3rd favorite fictional male hero), Lestat, etc. Movies like Fright Night, Lost Boys, Interview with the Vampire, and a million others. Vampires are demons. Bad A** demons that are undead and awesome. But this movie makes them look like A&F models that are on a VOLVO shoot. They sparkle. That is their biggest problem...walking into the sunlight and shimmering. Dracula does that and he bursts into flames.
I'm getting a little off topic. When it comes to the movies I try to set aside anything other than that movie. Clear my head of what I have heard, what other people think, the books, media...everything. Just judge the movie as a single piece to the puzzle. I might have failed in clearing my head before watching this one. In this case, I didn’t like it. I am very excited for the last film. Looks to be a culmination of the other movies all in one big final showdown...so that I am excited for. But this one just didn't do it for me.
I DID see the extra scene. Thought that was cool and it gave me hope for the last installment.
At the end of the day, I have to review my notes on movies and look at what actually happened during the film to say what it was I liked and didn’t like. In this one, the only things that really happened were (1) They got married (2) Bella got pregnant (3) They had the baby (4) Bella got turned. The script word count was really low (so not much dialog) and the only thing I LOVED in it was the scenery. That is kind of how I came to what I did.
Hope this wasn’t too long and I really appreciate you reading my reviews! Will be posting for Mad Max 2, Bad Teacher, The Muppets, and Hugo today. Make sure to check them out!
BTW. I am excited for GwDT. Not sure why they remade it so quickly, but I think it will be great!