I must preempt my review of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part 1" by stating that I put the novel counterpart down after the events that this movie translates to screen. Everything Stephanie Meyer had built up her readers to expect was shattered with her horrific description of vampire pregnancy and birth. It went too far and I was disgusted. I must also mention my bias in my dislike of Stephanie Meyer's writing in general; within the novels, characters act out according to contrived plot developments and speak things that just don't make much sense. Her main character, Bella Swan, attaches herself to dangerously possessive men and loves to punish herself. The first "Twilight" film adapted these shortcomings into a script that didn't give the actors much to work with; it was awkward. The subsequent films in the saga, each with a screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg, have evolved in such a way that the actors, I believe, have taken liberties to invigorate these characters with some much needed humanity. Having increasingly qualified directors helped too. As directed by Bill Condon, "Breaking Dawn-Part 1" is an exceptional offering in the series and a pretty terrific film in its own right.
Anyone who has read the novels or listened to teen girls talk must know that the opening events of "Breaking Dawn" see human Bella (Kristen Stewart) about to marry Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), the very handsome vampire. Since vampires are immortal, "death do us part" doesn't apply here. It's a very nice wedding, well accepted by everyone except Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), the werewolf. Within this love triangle, females across America have by now made a choice between 'team Edward' or 'team Jacob' and as far as the novels go, I'd say either one was a raw deal. The actors are talented enough to create some depth that was lacking in the books. Perhaps that is because Taylor Lautner and Rob Pattinson must instinctively know what goes on in a young man's mind, whereas Stephanie Meyer can only imagine. Forget about Vampires and Werewolves, anyone can hash out a mythology for that; it's been done for centuries. But I digress.
What follows this wedding is a honeymoon that only Royalty have experienced and that Stephanie Meyer can only dream of. The only caveat to that is Edward has skin that is basically cold granite disguised as flesh and poor, virginal Bella is a fragile human. How they make this work, the movie graciously doesn't reveal. Needless to say, Bella is left with minor bruising and something worse writhing around inside her. This requires an emergency trip home so that Edward's 'father' Carlisle (Peter Facinelli) can try to figure out what exactly is in there. He can't. This leads to complications with Jacob's pack of werewolves because, as they see it, whatever Bella is about to produce from within is an abomination and violates an already fragile treaty. This development forces Jacob to make a choice between his family, and a family comprised of his natural enemies and the girl he has inexplicably loved despite her growing attraction to the un-dead lifestyle.
It is in these events that "Breaking Dawn-Part 1" carries its emotional heft. I have felt throughout the series that Taylor Lautner is the better actor and he really applies himself here and conveys an agony that resonates well. Certainly, Edward has been making hard choices for a long time, and makes them still. But as the film gathers tension, it was in Jacob's hard choices that I was most involved. If it comes down to logic and well-being, he is clearly the better choice for Bella, as he has lamented for three films. Even after her choice is clear, Jacob sticks around and makes vital decisions that save the entire Cullen clan more than once. These scenes are captivating and well-choreographed, some with really impressive digital effects. Other digital effects are convincing, but also disturbing because of what they convey. You won't have to guess which.
Each subsequent film in the Twilight Saga has had a new director. This choice was deliberate and with David Slade directing "Eclipse", I didn't think it could get much better than that offering. Bill Condon has raised the stakes, only to be outdone by himself when "Breaking Dawn-Part 2" comes out next year. He has a great eye for shot composition and is a marvelous visual story teller. This is a beautiful motion picture with a vibrant color pallet that seems to shift with the tone and themes. I have a hard time deciphering the themes in the novels, if there are any; but since "New Moon", the movie versions have seemed to each convey a self-contained resonance. For "Breaking Dawn-Part 1", I felt a strong sense of sacrifice and how it forces people to grow up, even when there are comforts around them. Bella is about to say goodbye to mortality, Edward faces his worst fears about himself and Jacob puts aside everything he thought he knew about himself to make the right choice.
I was completely unprepared for this movie. Compared with the original "Twilight", it is hard to believe they are adaptations of the same literary universe. I am never one to get very involved with comparing novels to their film counterparts, but in this case, there is no comparison; the films are far and away the better medium to tell this story. Perhaps the freshness of new directors has been the driving force behind the relevance of this franchise, as with the "Harry Potter" films. Whatever it can be attributed to, there is no denying that Bill Condon has crafted a moving and elegant film. It does not make me want to finish reading the Breaking Dawn novel, however. For whatever happens next, I'll catch it in "Part 2" next November. The novel is just too gross. The film is engrossing and for me, that is worth the wait.