Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Surprisingly, My Disappointment In Breaking Dawn Had Nothing to Do With the Acting or Story...
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After watching Eclipse last year, I made the somewhat reluctant confession that maybe I was sort of a fan of the movies, but definitely not the books.
The thing is, I've always thought the basic story of the Twilight Saga was intriguing.
(Although Bella should totally have been with Jacob, but whatever.)
It was the way the story unfolded that left me feeling empty and disappointed. Not just the writing, which has been criticized and torn apart endlessly for years. I felt like something was missing from the story. There was no big payoff when the story ended. Sure, the characters all live happily ever after, but they didn't earn it, which is always what makes the happily-ever-after so satisfying.
Movies are different from books. The story necessarily plays out differently. Movies require action, while books can be as introspective as the writer wants them to be.
For that reason, I've liked the movies more. The story is a little more fleshed out. Sequences that were glossed over in the books are brought to life and the characters have grown and developed in a way that the writer didn't accomplish.
I had high hopes for Breaking Dawn.
I don't know why. Of all the books in the series, it was the weakest. The story was rushed and so many secondary plots went nowhere and I got frustrated and almost stopped reading.
But my biggest issues with the book would certainly be fixed when it was translated to the big screen.
And in some ways, that happened.
I was more than a little annoyed when they decided to turn the worst book into two movies, but they actually found a way to make such a logical break and to divide the book into two separate plots with separate antagonists. In fact, they did that so well that I found myself wondering why Stephenie Meyer didn't just write it that way in the first place.
(I'm guessing it's because she was just in a hurry to be done with the whole thing. At least that's how it seemed.)
But anyway, Part 1...
The wedding was beautiful.
The honeymoon was every bit as awkward as it should have been.
The acting was decent. Like, actually watchable.
Rosalie and Carlisle's wigs were bad, but Edward's hair looked good.
And when Bella is wasting away and looks like a corpse? I found myself wondering if she had lost weight for real.
I was actually kind of digging the movie.
And then it happened.
The Scene.
If you've watched it, you KNOW which scene I'm talking about. It was the scene that caused me to whisper a little too loudly, "That is the WORST scene in the history of movies."
It looked stupid. It sounded stupid. And it was next to impossible to even understand what the characters were saying.
It was bad.
The shame of it is that this was a pivotal moment in the film. The situation happens in the book, but I don't think the scene is even there. But it was necessary to the plot of the movie. And they totally botched it. To the point that I was embarrassed for everyone involved.
And the movie never really recovered after that.
It just got worse.
Not because of the performances. Not because of the story. But because of one bad effect after another. Lame camera angles. Weird cuts. Terrible computer-generated sequences.
I blame the director.
He's a talented, award-winning guy, but he was all wrong for a project like this.
It's a good thing there's still a whole year before Part 2 comes out. Hopefully they can fix some of the mistakes from this one and give us a watchable finale.
I know. That's asking a lot from a director who was interested in making a blockbuster, but was not emotionally attached to it.
I guess we'll see.
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Thank you for reminding me why I never finished reading the series or watching the series. I'm really not missing out!
ReplyDeleteNow Hunger Games on the other hand....Have you seen the preview? The preview already met my expectations of the movie...
I know exactly what scene you're talking about. That was BY FAR the worst and cheesiest part of the ENTIRE movie. I however really liked the movie and LOVED the books even more.
ReplyDeleteYes... I'm one of THOSE Twilight people!
Oh and how can you say Bella should be with Jacob?! She only ever wanted Edward. EVER!
I give the movie two thumbs up and I'm even more excited now to see the second part.
Ahhh, I CAN'T wait to see it. Yay for bad vampire movies!
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen any of the movies, but I'm actually kinda sorta a little bit wanting to read the books.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of the movies. The books were okay up until Eclipse, then she lost me. I'm going to see the movie eventually, maybe as a rental.
ReplyDeleteI can't even believe I'm saying it, but I completely agree with you about everything. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm ready for The Hunger Games!
Oh, that part was just AWFUL. So, so, so awful. Laugh out loud awful!
ReplyDeleteBut, like the little lemming (sp?) I apparently have become when it comes to the Twilight movies, I'll be there at the midnight showing next year!
I haven't seen it. I'm not into the Twilight thing. Too much angst. I'm sure one day I'll give in, but for now, I have no idea what you're talking about.
ReplyDeletebut I love you!
I haven't been able to get through the first movie. Granted, I'm not the target audience.
ReplyDeleteStrangely, this review is making me want to watch the movie so then I can discuss said scene with you!
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen it yet, but I plan to this weekend. I've heard things about that scene, so I'm a little scared!
ReplyDeleteWe went and saw it last Saturday night and I was disappointed as well. At one point, during the movie, Tim texted my BIL (he and my sister tagged along) and wrote, "Do you have a razor blade so I can slash my wrists?"
ReplyDeleteIt just seemed to drag on forever and some of the scenes were super awkward. Bella looked like she wanted to puke throughout the entire movie and the only time she seemed to smile and look happy was when Jacob was around (which further solidifies for me that she should've ended up with him in the end).
The blonde chicks who were the cousins from Alaska...my sister and I could not stop laughing. They looked like dudes dressed as women. Kinda like White Chicks all over again, remember that movie?
I honestly don't remember every detail of the book b/c I read it so long ago. But yeah the movie was super disappointing.
I know I'm in the minority, but I liked the movie. I thought it was the best one by far. But then, I also thought Breaking Dawn was the best book of the four!
ReplyDeleteHowever, even though I say this was the best movie, it still wasn't very good. The best part was the previews-- I can't wait until Hunger Games comes out!
I'm excited to see it! I've found all of the movies fun to watch because they haven't been very good. I don't hate them, I don't love them, I just find them to be good for a mindless night of laughter. I think Breaking Dawn will continue that tradition for me!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to wait for this one to come out on DVD I'm thinking... but I do want to see that wedding/awkward honeymoon scene. I'm also glad to hear that the acting has improved slightly.
ReplyDeleteOne movie you won't be disappointed in? The Muppets. Saw it over the weekend with my mom and brother and it was just adorable :)
OK I Loved it...ha ha ha ha ha ha
ReplyDelete♥ Celina
I'm going to see it this weekend. Don't judge but I loved the book so it'll be interesting to see my thoughts on the movie. Hopefully I'll enjoy it almost as much as I did the Muppets. :)
ReplyDeletefrom what i understand, "that" scene was edited quite abit, as was the honeymoon in order to maintain a pg-13 so maybe there will be more bonus footage somewhere?
ReplyDeleteI liked it, as you know, but it is pure indulgence. As far as the writing goes, it is her first set of novels - ever... so not bad for a first time out of the gate!