Review:
"The Twilight Saga:
Breaking Dawn—Part 1"
Release Date: Nov. 18, 2011
Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 117 minutes Forget those preachy after-school specials about the harsh realities of unwanted pregnancies--Breaking Dawn—Part 1 should scare any teen out of practicing unprotected sex. In this fourth and penultimate entry in the excruciatingly awfullyTwilight Saga, Bella Swan and her vampire beau Edward Cullen tie the knot, get down and dirty PG-13 style on their honeymoon, and then discover Bella’s with child. No one knows whether the baby will be half-human, half-vampire. But it wants out now, and it will kill Bella if she carries it to term. To abort this possible abomination or not to abort? Decisions, decisions, decisions. And, as usual, Bella’s the one making them. Kristen Stewart does nothing to make us see Bella other than as her typical selfish, manipulative self in Breaking Dawn—Part 1. She cares only about her needs rather than the consequences of bringing into the world a being more powerful and deadly than vampire or werewolf. The pasty, pathetic Edward stands around looking all very concerned, but he remains a bloodsucker of inaction. It’s down to the spurned Jacob to protect the woman he still loves when his fellow werewolves decide to kill Bella in order to destroy her unborn child. If you’re still not on Team Jacob, you’re looking for love in all the wrong places. Played loudly but proudly by Taylor Lautner, Jacob might be a hotheaded himbo but at least he’s not afraid to get blood on his hands. Oh, but Edward’s a sensitive soul, I hear you say. Maybe so, but sometimes a man—or a vampire, in this case—needs to step up and be a husband to his wife. Director Bill Condon’s clearly picked sides. He presents Jacob as Bella’s white knight, admittedly one who prefers to go shirtless than wear a suit of armor. On the other hand, Condon gets a kick out of constantly ridiculing and abusing Edward. But that’s easy to do all things considered. As a director unafraid to tackle sexual taboos, most notably in Kinseyand Gods and Monsters, Condon should have brought a hint of sensuality to Breaking Dawn. Instead, he further drives this faux horror franchise into Lifetime territory with his clumsy romcom-ish handling of Edward and Bella’s wedding day and honeymoon. He also fails to bring out the best in his young and moody cast, so the acting remains as colorless as Edward’s complexion. Speaking of Edward, someone really needs to poke the sleepwalking Robert Pattinson with a wooden stake. If you have read Stephanie Meyer’s novel, you have a pretty good idea where Breaking Dawn—Part 1 ends. Like the last Harry Potter novel, which was also split into two films, Breaking Dawn—Part 1 feels too padded for its own good. Twihards will no doubt be ecstatic that there’s one last chance to spend time in the company of Bella, Edward and Jacob. The end of The Twilight Saga, though, couldn’t come soon enough for the rest of us. Robert Sims Aired: Nov. 17, 2011 Web site: http://www.breakingdawn-themovie.com/ |
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