Breaking Dawn

Of course, like most girls nowadays, I'm a big Twilight Saga fan! When the last movie was released, I went to the movies with my friends to watch it. Keep reading to find out what I thought about it!

Ever since I read Twilight, I became a huge fan of the books. I don't know if it was because I identified with Bella, wished for an Edward or truly felt like that could happen to me. Well, you know what I mean! For the past 3 movies, I had gone to the premieres with my friends at midnight, memorized the character's lines and downloaded the soundtrack as soon as it was available online. For this one, I guess life happened, because I found out they had split book 4 in two the day before I went to see it with my friends. No, we didn't go to the premiere this time around. One of my friends is a doctor, so her schedule is super complicated, and mine isn't that manageable either!

The Credits

As soon as the movie started, I got sucked into Bella's world. There's something about the way they adapted the script in each film that draws me instantly into the story. The actors' performance is quite poor and, at times, disappointing. In my opinion, neither of them really achieves portraying the character they're supposed to be playing. It's a pity, because Stephenie Meyer is one of the few writers that actually took her fan's opinions into consideration when making the movie. For me, the worst performance was Robert Pattinson's. He has not yet convinced me he is actually Edward. Or maybe, I have a very strong idea of what Edward should've been like that gets in the way of me liking him.

The Plot & Characters

The story was amazingly well adapted. For all the Twi-fans out there, the fact that book 4 has a very slow beginning is no surprise. So, of course, I guess we all expected a slow and boring movie. Fortunately, they seemed to rush through the first part of the book and make pauses at the right times. This helped build the story and explain what most mattered to the audience: how and why Bella finally becomes a vampire. The honeymoon was one of my favorite parts. I think this was very much like the book and the attention they put into every detail is very much appreciated.

The actors I most love are Bella's parents. They managed to make them funny and attractive in spite of them never really playing a key role in the story. The wedding ceremony was amazing and even better than I had imagined. I loved the fact that Stephenie made a short appearance there - she's so lucky to have lived the experience of her books becoming movies! Another detail I didn't quite enjoy was Bella's wedding dress. I hated it, even if Carolina Herrera designed it. In the movie, Bella wears two dresses: one during a nightmare and the one from the actual wedding. I liked the one from the dream better. Since Kristen is so skinny, I don't think it was flattering at all. She looked like she was in her pajamas! The model in the picture below actually looks better than her, lol!

One of my favorite parts in the movie was the honeymoon. Even if it wasn't accurate, the main details remained. Bella's clumsiness is the trait I most relate to in the books.

Moving on, I have to admit I'm not Team Jacob, but I do enjoy the parts where Taylor Lautner makes his appearances. His sarcastic comments are hilarious. I also liked the fact that his muscles aren't as big as they were in the last two movies. He looks way better when he's a bit skinnier. Some details I did miss from the book were a more active participation of Alice and Rosalie. In this book, they are practically the ones that most shine because of the way they help out Bella and support her decision.

The Visual Effects

In the past movies, the visual effects were nothing to write home about. However, in this movie I found them outstanding in comparison. The part where Bella is making the change and her body goes from dead-like to perfect newborn vampire is amazing. They did a terrific job with hair and makeup; it was shocking to see her ill-looking in the scenes where she was pregnant. On the werewolf side, the VFX were also good, but not very different from the past movies in my opinion.

Renesmee Cullen was another big surprise. I remember I read a long time ago that Book 4 was a big challenge to turn into a movie because of the visual effects that this particular character would need. On the short scenes where the baby appeared - while Jacobwas busy imprinting on her -, I was shocked by the great job the digital artists did. I can only hope that Part 2 has the same quality or better.

Conclusion

I don't think I'll ever consider the Twilight Saga movies as excellent. There are many others that are superior by far. However, for the fans of the books, these movies aren't that bad. I have to admit that even if I loudly complain during the cheesy parts, I enjoy watching them. There might be a personal mixture of emotions that may have something to do with that, because I've seen each movie with my best friends that I love with all my heart. Now, if I have to give my impartial opinion, I think the movies are bad. Even if the script, hair and makeup, wardwobe and scenery are pretty good, the performance of the actors is very defficient.

I'm not convinced that Robert Pattinson is the best Edward they could've found. Taylor Lautner is not a great actor either, but there's something about his personality that makes the movie fun to watch and his lack of skills not as notorious. Kristen Stewart's Bella has also been a huge disappointment through each of these movies. I don't think she has the personality or passion other actresses have to transmit deep feelings like despair, sadness, depression or even happiness. If I compare her to Natalie Portman's winning performance in Black Swan, Kristen just doesn't cut it. Then again, I'm comparing her to an Oscar winner which might seem unfair.

When it comes to the soundtrack, they do have a very good selection of songs to go with each scene. I think they have nailed this part right from the very first movie. My friends and I have very different musical taste and, somehow, the songs from these movies have always been a favorite we share. Stephienie Meyer has a great taste when it comes to picking songs young adults and teens will love. In conclusion, I love the movies because I love the books. Sadly, the movies alone are as big a failure to me, as Christopher Paolini's Eragon when they tried a shot at the big screen.

See you soon,

Ren =)