The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1

3/5

Average at its best, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 is an adaptation that fairly delivers what’s left of an overrated phenomenon.

It’s a dream come true for the mortal Bella Swan (Stewart) to be married to his perfect vampire boyfriend, Edward Cullen (Pattinson). But happily ever after is just not theirs to grasp when an unexpected turn of events began to unfold as the new Mrs. Cullen becomes pregnant. Conflicts arise when the ancient treaty of peaceful co-existence between the werewolf pack and the vampire family has been breached as everyone believes that the baby is a threat for everyone.

There is something about the Twilight saga movies that makes it an “almost there but never quite there” kind of movies. For starters, it wasn’t able to contain the hype and mystery that makes a series adaptation compelling in every sense, kinda like what the Harry Potter series have done for 10 long years. Can it be because the first movie was an epic failure in terms of production and over-all output or is it possible that its story just doesn’t have what it takes? It now becomes a crisis figuring out what went wrong in this movie franchise. Is it the story itself or perhaps just the movie adaptations? Well, I guess it’s both.

In the age of True Bloods and The Walking Deads where HOT, sexy, and fierce are being redefined, somehow the vampire and werewolf story this saga presents seems too bland. It’s like a steak without salt and pepper, pasta without parmesan. It just feels so cliché, predictable, and unexciting; in short, overrated in epic proportions. You watch it because it’s there or you’ve seen all the other instalments so might as well watch it too. Or you’ve read the book and just for the sake of.

On the upside, first and foremost, I have to commend the beautiful screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg, yet again. Among all the books, I think it was on Twilight and Breaking Dawn that Stephenie Meyer really got her creative juices out. She wrote Breaking Dawn very beautifully and so I am very glad that like the New Moon and Eclipse movies, this also stayed faithful to the book. Locations and cinematography gave as much justice to the marvellously rich imagery Meyer provided in the book. Lighting is perfect and editing was seamless. I think Director Bill Condon did a great job in terms of execution because he was able to bring to life scenes that were very critical in terms of an honest and decent depiction. These are scenes like the breaking of bed honeymoon consummation, Bella’s delivery, as well as Bella’s metamorphosis into a vampire. So good job! Also, sound and visual effects were so good! At least this aspect is amazing.

One more thing that makes this movie good is the beautiful beautiful music, not to mention Carter Burwell’s incredible scoring. I never liked a single music from the New Moon and Eclipse movies respectively but with this one, I love all the songs. Music choices were great this time.

The biggest downer of this movie is the below average, not even mediocre acting of all three main characters. By this time, they should have been giving their characters enough justice. This is also that part of the saga where much of the story’s narrative will depend on character building and eventual growth and maturity from each of them. Unfortunately, all three of them bombed at this one. Kristen Stewart I believe is one of the worst actresses of her generation and of all time! My goodness! Robert Pattinson still has no emotion and un-relatable in all aspect. Yes, he’s handsome but that’s it. He delivers line in monotone. Taylor Lautner is somehow a far outcry from the acting of his two co-stars but still needs a lot of in-depth polishing.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 is still a very enjoyable movie especially for fans and, now so-so fans like me. It gives you the visual image of the texts you’ve once loved in Meyer’s book and with all due fairness, it’s a good adaptation in many ways. It is still worth all the anticipation, your money, and time. It’s not a spectacle you’ll never forget but a nice spectacle to enjoy while it’s there. It’s also a nice medium to reminisce your crazy teenage love life. And while you’re already there, savour the guilty pleasures it brings. 

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

2.5/5

Very well made but less exciting, Eclipse is just how every fan wanted it to be.

In this third instalment of Meyer’s vampire story, Bella Swan (Stewart) is faced with a daunting choice, is it Edward or is it Jacob? As she is even more caught up between the complicated loves of two important men in her life, their little town of Forks and neighbouring town of Seattle is also being haunted by mysterious killings and disappearances. And despite their reservations, Edward (Pattinson) and Jacob (Lautner) are forced to work with each other to protect the girl who means everything to them.

I am a huge fan of the Twilight saga and not only did I fell in love with the story but I’ve come to love each and every character too. I’ve made it a point to read every page of the books with much enthusiasm and understanding. But I’ll admit to the fact that among the four books of the saga, it’s with Eclipse that I felt bored and really unhappy about. I didn’t like its storyline and most of its chapters are unexciting and dragging which was also the case with the movie.

I was fighting yawns and sleepiness during the first hour of it. It felt as if the movie doesn’t have a climax. And just like with the book, it only half peeked in the camping moment when Edward and Jacob had a long conversation about Bella while she was sleeping; my favourite moment in the story. Maybe it’s just me but the entire Eclipse plot and storyline appeared to me as a desperate intent to stretch a teenage my-world-revolves-around-you story. Or perhaps it’s because of the unappealing path the Twilight story had taken in this instalment.

The first movie was kind of cute, the second was a big improvement, and this third one is a plateau in the equation. Meaning, it’s the so-so among the three. Nothing about it was so spectacular to be remembered, nothing about it was so mesmerizing to take your breath away.

On a positive note, it’s an applauding feeling how close this movie adaptation was to the book’s story. It felt so good to see on silver screen the moments you read in the book perfectly depicted just how you imagined them to be. Once again screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg incorporated some valuable and memorable lines from the book into the final script. It maybe redundant to note but that’s the thing with movie adaptations from books, we want the movies to stay as true and loyal to the story of the book counter-part.

Though the storyline may be boring, I have to say that the movie was very well done. Director David Slade did a wonderful job. His execution was praiseworthy. Also, the special effects were really good and very much believable.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment in this movie will have to be the acting of the three main actors. Kristen Stewart gave a horrible acting as Bella Swan. Again, maybe it’s just me, but I am now even more convinced that Stewart can’t act. Her facial expressions were either exaggerated or totally irrelevant. She drops line monotonously and acts so plain. I totally take back my previous acknowledgements to her acting for bluntly, the girl can’t act.

There is something wrong with Pattinson’s performance in this movie or I was just too busy lusting over him in the two previous instalments that I failed to give much analysis and theatrical value to his acting. It’s safe to say that the man has a lot of potential acting wise but needs a lot of improvement to make it more genuine and believable.

Taylor Lautner on the other hand has improved a lot if acting is concerned but then again he’s a clear example of almost there but never really quite on the way. It’s unremarkable and totally forgettable. Also, I want to express my displeasure every time Lautner will appear shirtless on screen. I swear, call me weird but his body is totally unappealing and far from being sexy. Seriously, it’s not delightful to see his overly buff, ill-proportioned body flaunting all the time. It’s clearly a result of steroids to rush the body built for the movie.

Thank God Dakota Fanning was in the movie. I say this without bias and with full conviction; Kristen may get the lead role but DAKOTA FANNING IS THE STAR OF ECLIPSE! She’s magnificent!

Eclipse is not as exciting and remarkable than Twilight and New Moon are but it’s certainly worth everyone’s time and money. It’s the instalment every fan shouldn’t miss. After all, this is the kind of movie adaptation that caters more on the interest and likeness of the saga’s fans. I believe also that non-fans would still enjoy the movie if only to get through for the story’s conclusion in the next instalment. Special effects will also make the 2 hours inside the cinema really bearable.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

4.5/5

Awesome, HOT, and incredibly terrific, New Moon is every Twilight fans’ ecstasy!

As Stephenie Meyer ‘s Twilight saga continues in its second installment, Bella (Kristen Stewart) found herself happy and contented with her smooth sailing relationship with gorgeous vampire boyfriend, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). But an unfortunate incident at her 18th birthday party thrown for her by Edward’s sister brings their bliss into a halt. Edward decided to leave, totally convinced that Bella is better off away from vampires like him. Depressed and grief-stricken, Bella got fond of engaging in reckless activities because of the hallucinations it brings. Bella also grew closer to best friend, Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) in the absence of Edward. For a moment, she took comfort in the arms of Jacob but not for long as it was revealed that he is a werewolf. And given the fact that vampires and werewolves are eternally at war with each other, Bella found herself torn between two men very dear to her heart and if it’s not enough, both are very much in love with her.

I am a big fan of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight saga, setting aside my obsession with it and being totally objective about this movie, I have to say that it lived up to the great expectations of fans. First and foremost it is one of the best decisions Summit made to replace Catherine Hardwicke as director. If only Twilight was directed like this, maybe it has sustained fans’ and non-fans’ anticipation of the sequel. But be that as it may, I’m pretty sure New Moon will still do well in the box-office.

Chris Weitz did a marvelous job with Twilight’s second installment. Just BRAVO! The core, essential flow of the plot was perfectly executed. It didn’t confuse moviegoers whether they have read the book or not. It’s not like Twilight wherein the storyline jumped from A to E then B to P and viewers were just shocked in astonishment with “What the heck is this, Catherine? Are you sure you can direct???” Call me boring but in my own honest opinion, movie adaptations should always stay close as possible to its book counterparts. After all, that’s the main purpose of it, to give life to the book’s story through audio and visual media and not altering it. What is really praiseworthy about New Moon is that it stayed as accurate as possible with the book. It’s a tough thing to do given the fact that they had to compress the book into a 2-hour film. And let’s face it, the books were all phenomenal and fans of these types of literature wouldn’t want major alterations in the storyline. I believe one of the reasons why New Moon’s way way way better than Twilight was because it stayed faithful to the original text that made millions fall in love with Meyer’s characters and narrative. Hands down to Chris Weitz for the excellent depiction of major scenes which were all the way I have imagined them to be. The necessary and vital components of the story were all chronologically present in the film and really smoothed out the general flow. There was also right amount of suspense in this movie which is essential in the general feel of the plot.

I will never forget to commend Melissa Rosenberg, who wrote the screenplay for doing such a wonderful job in this movie. She also wrote Twilight’s screenplay and last year in my Twilight review I did say that her worked sucked but now I am truly contemplating if she’s the one to blame for Twilight’s rottenness or the director. But overwhelmed with her work with New Moon, I’d like to think all the blame was really on its infamous director, Hardwicke. Of course details were so much richer in the book but including the essential dialogues into the script was just perfect! It made readers smile in sheer outpour of emotions and surely did with viewers too.

Special effects were superb! Action sequences were more realistic and depicted excellently. I love it when the pack transforms into wolves. And the chasing sequence of the wolves and Victoria was just awesome. Cinematography was also a lot better this time. Over all editing was passable though of course in some scenes the film still fails to depict and make the idea of “time passing by” believable. Backdrops, locations, and shots were all just perfect and totally complemented each other. I’d also like to take note that the make-ups and prosthetics leveled up in this movie.

Acting wise, this movie fails big time but what the heck this movie is not intended for Oscars. And the market to which this movie is intended for doesn’t really care about best acting performances. Kristen Stewart in my opinion should really thank whoever the reason for her being cast as Bella Swan. She will always be remembered in Hollywood pop culture as Bella in Twilight but not because of her acting. She acts so rigid and not at all convincing. I really felt Bella’s pain when Edward left her and almost cried, that is, when I was reading the book. But watching Kristen in those particular scenes where she could have showcased herself, I couldn’t bring myself to cry cause to me she looks like someone suffering LBM and badly needs to run to the bathroom.

Thank God Robert Pattinson is HOT because he couldn’t act! He’s such an eye candy; a deliriously delicious vanilla ice cream you’d like to lick forever. But that’s just it. I love his accent…his voice is still heaven to me but the way he delivered his lines, seriously?! I do believe that Pattinson’s strength is really in his facial expressions and boy oh boy his eyes are his best asset. Despite his bad acting, I still think he is HOT and I’ll say it again, Robert Pattinson can send you to your wildest orgasmic mode!

Taylor Lautner is nothing but a shrimp to me. Desirable, mouthwatering, almost glorious body but completely unattractive. He did have his moments in this movie and he delivered most of the powerful lines in this installment but his stiff delivery makes him ineffective as an actor.

The inclusion of Dakota Fanning is fantastic! I love her! Up until this very moment, I’m still mimicking her facial expression and the way she delivered her infamous line, “This might hurt just a little.” Love it!

Of course I also drooled over the wolf pack. Dammit! Their buddies were OMG!!! HOT HOT HOT! And they’re handsome ha except Sam. He doesn’t appeal to me but Embry, Quil, and omg PAUL!!! Dammit! YUMMY!!!

This second installment in the Twilight saga, is a must watch movie. It’s a whole lot better than the first one. It improved in a lot of aspects and will totally bring you to the mystic world of vampires and werewolves. Fans will of course take time to fall in line and watch this movie but I think even non-fans should watch! After all, it’s very enjoyable. And it is a reminder to us all that NOTHING CAN EVER MATCH THE PAIN AND LOSS OF BEING SEPARATED FROM THE ONE YOU LOVE.

Twilight

3/5 stars

I love reading books and it usually excites me every time a book I really love will be adapted into a motion picture. But over the years, I have learned to lower my standards for me not to get disappointed when I watch the movie. Most of the time, adaptations of a novel into a major motion picture weren’t so good and very few are successful ones that has the moviegoers asking for more.

There was an enormous hype for Twilight. Why not? The novel from which it’s based is undeniably a bestseller, its soundtrack debut at the top spot when it was released so I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s now number one in the box office. I’ve already anticipated that fans will flock theaters as soon as the movie hit cinemas that’s why I already reserved a ticket for its 1st day, 1st screening at Gateway Cineplex 10. It was the first screening but all the tickets were sold out! Very very promising…

Supposedly, I’ll be giving credit to Director Catherine Hardwicke for I know how hard it is to squeeze in a 498-pages novel into a 2 hours film but to be honest, she didn’t do a great job. As well as the screenwriter who sucked big time in her job. In adapting novels like Twilight in a major motion picture, one of the crucial parts if not the most, is the point when you have to choose what are the particularly important scenes from the book that should be in the film. Aside from the nonsense add-ons they included in the story, the biggest problem of this Twilight adaptation resides on the wrong selection of scenes. Hardwicke wasn’t considerate at all those who didn’t read the novel. There are just so many missing details that were pivotal in making the movie more coherent. In film school, they (we), call it Inciting Incidents and this movie failed in pinpointing those turning points in the book. There were so many beautiful and more important scenes in the book that should’ve been in the movie instead of adding ridiculous scenes that were totally not in the book. In my opinion, the unnecessary alterations they made with parts of the story just made it confusing and jumbled!

Twilight was filmed in low budget that’s probably the reason for this “jumping rope” game with the adaptation but seriously, failing to include Bella and Edward’s conversation in the book why in the very first place, TWILIGHT is its title, is simply unforgivable in the part of the Director and Screenwriter! OMG! And what’s with the movie’s ending? What the heck?! Victoria?

The Port Angeles and the Prom scenes were two of the best moments in the book but were totally depicted in a very horrible way! I was grumping with displeasure in my seat while watching it! I was really like, DUH!!! If only Hardwicke was able to craft it the way it was told in the book, Twilight would have been the best movie of this year. The way they were depicted in the film, they were not half as much the kilig feeling they should exude. Though the Director and Screenwriter’s work wasn’t favorable at all, Cinematographer Elliot Davis did a pretty well job. He should be given enough credit for a very beautiful lighting and over all look of the motion picture. It was simply fabulous!

Also, I need to commend the actors for portraying their characters very well especially Kristen and Robert. Stewart was great in her acting especially the scene when James (the bad vampire) bit her. Pattinson was perfect for the character of Edward Cullen in all aspects! He’s a GOD! Oh so HOT! Just like Edward, sometimes he doesn’t need to speak for you to get weak. Just by looking at his facial expressions or far worst his eyes…shucks! I literally wanted to melt in the freezing theater of Gateway while watching Twilight. His voice…his accent…is heaven! Robert Pattinson can definitely send you to your wildest orgasmic mode!

Tyler Lautner as Jacob Black is a big NO-NO! What on earth could have they been thinking casting him as Jacob??? I wonder how the adaptation for New Moon will be under this mistake.

With very disappointing reviews about Twilight, in my honest opinion, it’s still worth the 180 bucks you’re gonna spend. There may be major flaws with how Twilight was adapted into a major motion picture but still, it has this charismatic effect that wouldn’t make you feel as if you’ve wasted your money as well as your time. If you’ve read the book, just try not to compare its story with the movie. If you haven’t read the book, I couldn’t care less, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the movie. Expectations for Twilight were just too high so I suggest keeping in mind, DON’T EXPECT TOO MUCH. Though Catherine Hardwicke ruined the story, Twilight still has the magic to captivate you, make you hope for someone like Edward, and most importantly, the movie can still convince you that in this lifetime, LOVE CAN STILL CONQUER ALL amidst any situation, whoever that person may be.

And after all, don’t let the opportunity to see Robert Pattinson as EDWARD CULLEN in the big screen. HE’s worth every peso you’re going to spend on Twilight!