The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 delivers strongly for
the rabid fan base who have catapulted
the young adult novel series and subsequent movie adaptations to
the worldwide phenomenon that it's become, but it alienates a broader audience with a lack of any real action. Similar to
the tone of
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1,
the first film of
the two-part
Twilight conclusion is heavy on romance, love, and turmoil but light on fight scenes and gruesome battles.
The movie doesn't waste any time getting to
the goods and opens with Bella and Edward's much-hyped wedding scene. It works--
the vows are efficient and first-time franchise director Bill Condon (
Dreamgirls) moves
the party along quickly and amusingly with a well-edited toast scene and some surprisingly moving moments between Bella and her fa
ther, cast standout Billy Burke.
The honeymoon plays as a slightly awkward soft-focus made-for-TV movie, with a lot of long moments spent staring in
the mirror and some love scenes that feel at once overly intimate and completely passionless. It's a relief when Bella retches on a bite of chicken she's cooked herself and quickly concludes she's pregnant with a potentially demonic baby. From bliss to horror,
the Cullens return to Forks, where Bella spends
the second half of
the movie wasting away and Edward and Jacob are aligned in
their anger and frustration over her decision. Throw in some over-
the-top scenes with Jacob and his pack--including a strange showdown where
the wolves communicate in
their canine form by having a passionate nonverbal fight in
their minds (a plot point that works much better in print, it's portrayed in
the film via aggressive voice-over)--and
the film overshoots intensity and goes straight to silly.
The birth scene is horrific, but not as gruesome as in
the book, and by
the end, Bella has of course survived, though is much altered.
The final scene features a delightfully campy Michael Sheen as Volturi leader Aro and makes it clear that
the action and fun in
Breaking Dawn, Part 1 is ready to start. Fans will just have to wait until
Part 2 to get it. --
Kira CannyPrice: $30.99
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