The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1
The Break Down
In this first installment of the last chapter of the Twilight series we witness the wedding of the year between Bella and Edward. We witness the breaking up of the werewolf pack, a honeymoon to make you blush and a pregnancy of miserable (and creepy) proportions. There really isn't a whole ton that happens in this movie and yet it is still over two hours long. My husband yawned dramatically. He snored wildly and groaned from boredom with the conviction of a man who has been subjected to something truly beyond his capability to endure. I sure love him for all of that!
Lets be clear, I really didn't like the Breaking Dawn book. It was slow, weird and anticlimactic. I had hoped that director Bill Condon and screenplay writer Melissa Rosenberg could do a little something with the story to spruce things up a bit and they did. Truly, they did pretty well with what they were given to work with. Believe it or not men, this movie could have been a lot worse. I liked the quiet close ups of Bella (mainly because she's less annoying when she isn't speaking), the magical wedding, the romance and the sound track. Some of the cinematography when Bella is all sickly and nasty from pregnancy was really awesome. The movie was just slow, it's sort of a building up of plot so that, fingers crossed, the next one can have some excitement. Might not want to subject the hubbies and boyfriends to this though. And am I the only person who laments the fact that Jessica (Anna Kendrick) doesn't have a bigger role in these movies? She's my favorite character and always has the funniest lines but she's on screen for a total of two minutes! Who's with me on this?!
Motherly Advice: Don't take your teenagers to this!!!! Whoa nelly was it inappropriate! I had hoped they would handle the honeymoon scenes a little more like Stephanie Meyers did in the books. Just a before and after. No, they show the before, during and after. Complete with nudity, heavy kissing and some inappropriate movements. I've been married for 11 years and was blushing. It's not even contained in one scene either. So move forward with caution. Certainly the audiences who are most interested in this series (young women of tender ages) should not be permitted to see this unless you want to sit next to them and shield their eyes. Or wait for ClearPlay to work it's filter magic. This one will filter up beautifully. Swearing was minimal if any, I honestly didn't notice. There was one fight scene near the end between the Cullens and the Werewolves that was a little intense and the 'birth' scene was a bit gory. As us readers know, Edward has to bite the baby out of the embryonic sack in order to get it out and then he has to bite Bella repeatedly to turn her into a vampire. Some of the pregnancy scenes were a bit disturbing for younger audiences. Bella's back breaks near the end and at one point she has to drink blood from a cup in order to feed the baby what it wants. She also has a disturbing dream at one point that finds her and Edward standing on top of a pile of bloody bodies. So you've been officially warned of it's contents! I'd say this movie is 'appropriate' for adult audiences willing to shield their eyes when necessary.
Danielle'- I've Had Some Weird Pregnancy Cravings But..Blood?
Rated PG-13 for disturbing images, violence, sexuality/partial nudity and some thematic elements; 117 min; Directed by Bill Condon
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1
At last, the moment Twilight fans have waited for since book/movie 1: Edward and Bella finally get married and consummate their love. But of course, when you marry a vampire you can’t expect everything to be roses and sunshine, especially the sunshine, so when Bella unexpectedly finds herself impregnated with a mystery fetus, a dark cloud spreads over the new couple and all those intertwined with them. Oh, and Jacob’s still in it (and still angry).
ClearPlay In Action!
ClearPlay has two major sections of the movie to clean up: the surprisingly explicit (considering the tweenage fan base) honeymoon and a disturbing, bloody birth scene. Besides that, there are some minor language incidents muted as well as some trimmed sexual dialogue. With ClearPlay on full, all is pretty tame. I certainly wouldn’t let any Twilight fans in your house watch this film without filters, and the filmmakers should be ashamed of themselves for sexing up this movie.
Should I Break My Neck to Get Breaking Dawn?…
Okay, in my wisdom I will split my review into two for the two different audiences of this film.
Review for Twilight Fans
Excepting the slow pace and any moral outrage you may feel over the eroticized honeymoon, you’ll love it!
Review for Non–Twilight Fans
Need I even bother? This fourth installment of Twilight is somehow more plodding than the others and felt even more like a soap opera, probably due to the lack of action. This film is tailor made for those who are invested in the joyless love of Edward and Bella. If that isn’t you, shave a cat, schedule a two hour appointment, run for President, rent a different movie, whatever — just be elsewhere. It’s too late for me. Excuse me while I go carve a tombstone for my soul.
Brian Fuller —ClearPlay Vampire Wedding Planner
Rated PG-13 for disturbing images, violence, sexuality/partial nudity and some thematic elements; 117 min; Directed by Bill Condon