Bill Condon's Twilight

Rating: Null/10 (18 November 2011)

It really is challenging to write up a review for any Twilight movie, especially this fourth installment when you're neither a fan of the books nor the previous movies. Because when you're a fan, you can easily geek out and be stoked about it no matter what. But when you're not a fan, you're faced with the fact that you're going to write about pretty much the same damn thing again because you've noticed a pattern. One thing I'd say is that the build up, before this movie arrives, around how it would depict the sex scene and the birthing process does come in handy in attracting those of us who think that it's a dreadful experience dragging our feet to the screening for another round of Edward-Bella-Jacob..
Dreamgirls director Bill Condon handles BREAKING DAWN PART 1 which I was informed is told through Bella's point of view. They should've added.. Bella's point of view, pain, suffering, and agony, because Bella gets even extra nervous than before, obviously because of the wedding, what that wedding would do to Jacob, moments leading up to losing her virginity and the decision on whether or not to keep her baby, the story sure does put her in very uncomfortable situations one after another to the point of seemingly torturing her. Edward is the concerned husband, the worried dad to be. But what stands out to me is the present development of the character Jacob who goes into some really dark places and by that I mean he seems to be dealing with his own tough choices and the anger or the frustration that he carries may allow him to become a man depending on the choices he makes.
And so I think where those character are in the story this time around encourages the actors Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and especially Taylor Lautner to push their skills just a bit further. Whereas in the previous movies, they could easily remain in the comfort zone of a lovey dovey very generic love triangle, now they find themselves in a love triangle situation equipped with heavier complications and consequences. But if you think having an Oscar winning screenwriter Bill Condon in charge means having him rework Melissa Rosenberg's formulaic script, think again! Because the last thing on Condon's mind is to upset the fans. So the staring contests and the cheeesy unbearable, often unintentionally laughable dialogue are still there, it still feels like watching a teen soap opera with cinematic values, so everything that you'd expect from a Twilight movie, BREAKING DAWN has all of them, but I think what Condon managed to do is maintain the tone and set up a conflict that would lead to some kind of common ground, he also managed to approach certain risqué segments appropriately, keeping them within the boundaries of Bella's point of view, even the birthing process itself is done in a manner that allows you the audience to somewhat see what's going on through her eyes. Having Condon as the helmer allows the characters to offer more, thus allowing the actors to express a wider range of emotions, believe it or not.
The fans who've come to be swept away by this franchise's romantic weapons, so to speak, will not be disappointed. The lavish outdoor wedding and the rather funny toast speeches would get any Twi-hard to giggle and chuckle, not to mention the honeymoon in exotic Brazil with the ridiculously private exquisite vacation home, which serves as a role model for what honeymoons should be like. The production goes all out, spares no expense. Of course fans of action movies like yours truly would also expect a good fight between the vampires and the wolves, and that's exactly what I get from Cullens vs. Jacob's clan. If I were to take one thing that I'd consistently find truly impressive about this whole franchise is the VFX of some of the characters turning into wolves, that to me will always be the part that's pretty hardcore. Now they even digitally mess with Bella's weight which I think is one of this film's nifty treats.