Hello everyone~ I hope you enjoyed your weekends. I finally saw Breaking Dawn Part 1 Friday night and was pretty thrilled with it. I'm such a dork that I took notes when I came home after the movie, as I knew I wouldn't have a chance to post them somewhat coherently until later in the weekend because my in-laws were visiting and I had to work today. Is it bad that while my mother-in-law and I ambled around a local holiday craft fair Saturday afternoon, my mind kept straying to thoughts of Edward and Bella on Isle Esme.....and that dang headboard scene?
I'm sure my MIL wondered why I kept having this goofy grin plastered on my face as we walked around together....it certainly wasn't because of the crafts on display.
I hope no one feels obligated to read this gigantic megapost with my reaction to BD Part 1, but I have this slightly obsessive compulsion to get these thoughts down in written form, as I guess it helps me to process everything that's going on in my mind about this movie.
Total Spoilerage for Breaking Dawn Part I.....from here to the end:
~I liked how the movie opened with everyone's reactions to the wedding invitations as we knew it would....only with no sign of “It Will Rain”, which I wouldn't have been completely surprised to hear while Jacob phased in the rain after leaving Billy's.
~I was surprised by the lighter and comedic touch given to so many of the early movie scenes, but it was nice to balance out the heavier and more emotional material in the second half. I loved seeing Bella's relationship with the rest of the Cullens, something that's been a little overlooked in previous movies. Bella struggling to walk in those four-inch stilletos, the Cullens carrying tree trunks into the backyard, and Alice directing all the activities with aplomb, as only Alice can.....priceless.
~I liked the sweet scene and kisses shared by Bella and Edward in her bedroom the night before the wedding. While it was cool seeing the flashback of a red-eyed and very handsomely dressed Edward, it seemed a little out of place here, and slightly odd that Edward wouldn't have reviewed this info with Bella previously. Didn't he briefly mention something about this part of his past to Bella, way back in Twilight when they were just getting to know one another? I'm so glad they kept the bachelor party scene in with some of the lines from the book, almost verbatim-- “I've been waiting a century to marry you, Miss Swan,” "Go....before they break my house,” “I'll meet you at the altar,” “I'll be the one in white”. I also loved seeing a carefree Edward goofing around happily with Emmett and Jasper—great moment.
~The wedding was gorgeous.....there are no words. I loved the gradual reveal of the dress and am so glad Summit kept that one tightly under wraps. Kristen looked absolutely beautiful in it, and I bet Rob wasn't merely acting when he saw Krisella for the first time and that beautiful smile broke out on his face.
Their kiss was amazing and pretty epic, and I felt as if I was intruding on a very private moment between the two of them, which I think was the intention. I thought Kristen pulled off the nervous and jittery bride so well with her near panic attack, and I became a little teary-eyed watching Bella getting ready, watching her walk down the aisle with Charlie, and especially watching her when she first saw Edward waiting for her at the altar. The toasts were lighthearted and funny, and Edward's was amazingly sweet. I'm not really sure why Jessica would have been making a toast in the first place as she's just a wedding guest, but I guess Jessica is the type of character who would wrangle the microphone out of anyone's hands just to get herself center stage.
I loved hearing bits of “Flightless Bird” and “Turning Page” during the wedding scenes. The Jacob/Bella goodbye scene was well acted and it wasn't quite as difficult to watch as I thought it would be, although I was glad we didn't have to hear “It Will Rain” at this point in the movie, either. I nearly lost it when Bella said goodbye to her parents, and remembered why Billy Burke steals every scene he's in.
~The honeymoon was just about everything I was hoping for, considering they were sort of flying blind after Stephenie's fade to black in the book. Thank you to Bill Condon for adding those brief scenes from the street festival in Brazil that weren't in the book. I loved seeing Edward cradling a tired Bella in the cab, and watching him watch her as she was intrigued by the fun and frivolity going on around them, and then stopping the driver so they could enjoy the festivities. And Robward speaking Portugese.......Rawwwwrrrrr! I especially loved seeing Edward and Bella get caught up in the moment as they walked through the streets—very sweet, with a steamy hint of things to come. It was such a joy to see Edward and Bella laughing and having fun together—looking so carefree and happy. We'd seen the wedding night clip so many times already, but I thought Rob and Kris did a great job portraying the nervousness, anxiety, tentativeness, and longing between a new bride and her husband on their wedding night. While I wouldn't mind seeing a “director's cut” if there ever is one, I thought the actual love scenes we were presented with were just enough for PG-13, and were very tastefully done and highlighted the emotion, intensity, and love shared by these two at this very pivotal point. I
loved that when Edward broke the headboard in an attempt to channel his strength, Bella helped him to focus on her and remain centered, and with her in that important moment. I think she said, “It's okay,” and helped him focus on her face, and I just
loved the simplicity of that touching scene. The only quibble I have is that I wished Edward would have been by Bella's side the moment she woke up the next morning, as he was in the book. I thought Bella's flashback to the previous night was an ingenious way to see the love scenes a little more indepth, and to see those sweet and sexy scenes through Bella's eyes, and her reaction to them.
~Regarding the pregnancy.....kudos to Kristen for her performance, and to the make-up and CGI people for making her look so emaciated and frighteningly ill. It was almost difficult to look at her onscreen, and everyone played off that very well. I'm glad they left out Edward's offer for Jake's “stud services” from the movie, as I was never a big fan of that in the book, but I wouldn't have minded seeing a little more Rosalie/Jacob snark and sarcastic barbs at this point. I liked Seth and Leah and their little wolf pack with Jacob even more than I thought I would, and Boo Boo is just a cutie and kind of a scene-stealer, in his own right.
I too thought the extra wolf scene on the beach was necessary to help explain the wolf pack dynamics, and to remind and prepare fans for imprinting. I noticed they briefly showed Quil interacting with a toddler Claire on the beach, although non-book readers wouldn't have given that a second thought. I wasn't too crazy about the Cullen/wolf fighting scenes, but knew we were getting these to ramp up the action a little bit in the same way we got an actual “fight” in Volterra in New Moon, and will probably have some version of a fight in BD Part 2 (whether a real fight or part of one of Alice's visions, who knows?). The voiceovers with the wolves turned out slightly cheesy and a little annoying in my opinion, although I can't think of a better way you could portray that and get the point across of Jacob breaking away from the wolf pack. I was thankful that most of the interactions afterwards were done in their human form.
~I was somewhat prepared for the scene where an OOC Edward yelled at Bella, thanks to some of your hints and comments on the HH thread. I wasn't too bothered by it, as I think Edward was so desperate and scared of losing Bella that he had finally reached his breaking point....and it's almost as if he were showing signs of his humanity. I wouldn't have minded the yelling so much if Edward hadn't walked away from Bella and left her all alone on the exam table afterwards. Edward sort of made up for his behavior with the wonderfully intimate and sweet scene shared with Bella when he first heard Renesmee's voice. Rob and Kris both knocked it out of the park during this scene, and nearly brought me to tears, again.
~The birth scene was horrific, gripping, frightening, and well acted by all three principal performers, and was pretty darn realistic....as realistic as a vamp/human/possibly mutant baby birth scene can be.
Watching Edward plunge that huge hypodermic needle into Bella's chest afterwards was pretty crazy. I kept waiting for it....and was relieved to
finally see him meticulously and carefully bite Bella at her wrists (and ankles?), to give his venom every possible chance to work. Edward's desperation as he continually whispered to her and worked over her body and Jacob's obvious despair after he thought Bella was dead brought me to tears, again. I need to see the movie a second time, but I was a little unclear if Edward knew for certain whether or not his venom was working when he went outside to fight the wolves with his family.
~I thought the imprinting scene came across about as well as it could have, and was impressed by Taylor's acting here. I too liked the way they showed a future Renesmee at different stages of her life to foreshadow how Jacob would be whatever she needed him to be, at every stage, and this made the whole imprinting on a baby thing a little more palatable to me than it was in the book. I
loved the cinematic treatment of Bella's transformation.....from the very CSI-like shots of Edward's venom speeding through her veins, to the flashback sequences showing so many important scenes from the three previous movies, and finally finishing with an infant Bella being held and loved by a young Charlie and Renee
....a couple more tears shed by me. The way they showed Bella's outward physical body responding to the effects of the transformation was pretty amazing, all the way to her red eyes opening just before the credits rolled. One thing is for sure.....Kristen is going to be one kick@$$, beautiful vampire. And the brief scene with the Volturi was somewhat comical and a bit scary, but what a great way to set up Breaking Dawn Part 2. Everyone I watched the movie with said we were ready to see Part 2,
now!
I can't wait to see the movie again in a quieter atmosphere where I can fully take in and absorb so much more, now that I'm no longer waiting to see which scenes made the movie and which are lying on the cutting room floor. Overall, I was very pleased with the movie and so happy with the great performances as every actor truly stepped up their game. I think the material from this rather complicated and convoluted book was adapted about as well as could be expected, and I loved seeing many lines and canon bits from the book intact in the movie. I'm so thrilled with how this movie
finally showcased much of the love and romance that are so integral to Edward and Bella, and that had been somewhat lacking at times in previous movies, in my opinion. It was so much fun to see Edward and Bella looking happy and carefree, and I'm thankful the book was adapted into two movies or we wouldn't have been given many of these glorious moments from their wedding and honeymoon. It was funny.....the moment Bella hit the fridge on Isle Esme to fry up some chicken, I told my friend, "Oh well.....it was fun while it lasted."
I hope to check back in later tonight or tomorrow night to respond to your posts the past couple of days. Have a great night!