I didn't like Twilight at all. It was awkward, awfully scripted, and the acting was amateur. New Moon was better, it seemed like it was starting to find it's footing. Adding Michael Sheen, Dakota Fanning and going to Venice really helped the movie. Eclipse was my favorite of the three. The characters had developed, the scenes were engaging and interesting to watch, and Taylor Lautner's acting had become bearable (remember, everything is relative). Since the movies seemed to be getting progressively better, I had some hope for Breaking Dawn Part 1 (Wonder where they got the idea to split the finale into two parts...).
Sadly it fell short of my expectations.
The movie starts with Bella and Edward's long awaited wedding. The decor was so white it made the vampires look tan. There's a creepy dream sequence Bella experiences early on, and I think that was the best scene in the entire movie. The first act is emotional - they did a very nice job with the soundtrack's melancholy chords. But the second act dragged on and on. I thought it would never get out of it's quicksand-like pacing.
Thankfully the movie started to pick up near the end, and left us with a well done, but extremely predictable, cliffhanger. I was disappointed by the movie's slow pacing, and let down by it's awful writing. There were lines where I laughed out loud because of how out of place and unneeded they were. The acting was not great but good. The person who stands out in these movies for me is Robert Pattinson. He has the hardest character to portray; Edward can't show emotion because he's a vampire but at the same time, he has to love Bella enough that he would give his life for her. He found a nice middle ground for showing that.
All in all, thoroughly disappointing. And since I'm on Team Moviegoer, I hope they have better luck with part 2.
Actors: Kristen Stewart (Bella Swan), Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black), Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen)
Recap: C+
Photo Courtesy of Summit Entertainment
