Breaking Dawn at Midnight
Continuing a rich tradition of seeing the Twilight movies at midnight the first night, I found myself at Bellevue 8 Cinemas in Nashville in the wee hours on Nov. 18, 2011. The last “Twilight” movie ended with Bella and Edward getting engaged, and “Breaking Dawn” begins with the lavish wedding Swan-Cullen wedding. All the familiar Twilight faces were there and some new faces were introduced, so the wedding made a fitting entry point for “Breaking Dawn.”
Honeymoon & Sex Scene
“Breaking Dawn” deals with the honeymoon and highly-anticipated “sex scene” in a fairly tasteful manner. Apparently there is a segment of Twilight fans for whom this was the pivotal moment. Sad, when you consider the other more important and more interesting aspects of the book and movie. While everything was covered up, I though perhaps too much side view was shown on more than one occasion for a PG-13 movie. Personally, I wouldn’t let preteens or young teens see it even with a guardian. But since this scene was not pivotal for me, let’s move into the more interesting aspects of “Breaking Dawn.”
Love Triangle & Cast
“Breaking Dawn” continues the love triangle of Bella, Edward and Jacob. Bella and Jacob obviously have deep feeling for each other, with Jacob knowing he is loosing Bella to marriage and will then lose her again when she becomes a vampire. Belle is struggling with her own feelings for Jacob and her own losses as she begins to move away from her human family to be with the man/vampire she loves. Because of this, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner walked away with the movie. Billy Burke stole every scene he was in, Robert Pattinson had a couple of excellent scenes, Ashley Greene was a perky little pixie, and the other cast members were good ensemble players.
A Mother’s Love for Her Unborn Child
However, the most interesting element of Twilight is Bella’s fierce love and protectiveness of her unborn baby – a baby she is willing to lose her life and even Edward for. Edward has pulled away and has told Bella he doesn’t want to live if she dies, and her pregnancy is killing her, but Bella chooses the baby over everything. She alienates not only Edward, but Jacob, but she is still devoted to her baby. What a refreshing viewpoint in a society where babies have become disposable. The argument could be successfully made that “Breaking Dawn” — both the book and the movie — are distinctly and unashamedly pro-life.
The Power of Love
In addition, in the final moment of the movie when Edward must give Belle the venom she now must have or die, the movie shows through a series of flashbacks of Edward, Jacob and her family, it is the supernatural power of love that brings Bella back as much as it is the vampire venom.
Breaking Dawn Worth Seeing
“Breaking Dawn” lived up to the books as well as any 2-hours movie can live up to several hundred pages of details, and I was even more impressed by the movie’s portrayal of Bella’s transformation than I was by the book’s. Ultimately, PG-13 sex scenes and vampires aside, “Breaking Dawn Part 1″ is a movie about the sacrificial, healing and redemptive powers of love. Go see it. Leave the kids at home.
Next > Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 2: Why Twilight’s Last Gleaming Doesn’t Sparkle – Movie Review
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Twilight controversies: how will the ‘Breaking Dawn’ movies handle Twilight sex and birth scenes? Twilight at Midnight – a Movie Review A Christian Take on Twilight – Book and Movie Review Which Is Better — Vampire Skin or Wolf Skin?