Greetings,
There will always be people in the world who do inexplicable things. Sometimes those people are, well, us. Seriously, we have all done things that we cannot explain, even to ourselves. My "what!" behavior has included . . . seeing every Twilight movie in the theater. And I did this for the final time yesterday.
Yes, I went to see Breaking Dawn: Part 2 on opening day. Now I did go for the early bird show, which is what I usually do when I go alone and in a professional capacity. Plus, I'm cheap and I don't like tons of people crowded around me. I did get in cheaply, that's for sure, but I had no luck in trying to avoid a crowd. I really thought all the local Twihards would have been at the previous night's midnight showing or at school since it was 11 AM. But, no. It would seem some parents thought it prudent to pull their kids from a day of school in order for them to see a movie that will be exactly the same at a viewing after 4 PM. And I did not expect to see so many little girls there, who looked about five years old. I may have assumed they were vampire children if these Twilight books and movies had not taught me that such a thing is illegal in the vampire world. So, what the heck? This was a film for young adults, not young children. Seriously, if your five year old can handle seeing decapitation and dismemberment than you have more problems on your plate than worries about a too soon crush on Robert Pattinson. And do not make me discuss the clapping and cheering at inappropriate times. If this experience proved anything, though, it was this. I am in complete agreement with something that Danielle Fishel said when she was hosting the fantastic and wrongfully cancelled show, The Dish. What did she say in the early stages of the Twilight phenomenon? Well, it was something like "I want to see this movie, but it's the audience I don't want to spend two hours with" But all things considered, I count my blessings that an annoying crowd was the worst thing with which I had to deal. Moving on.
Now I am not going to do a full on review of this movie. That seems more appropriate for one of my theme weeks. Maybe when this comes out on DVD or when we hear of the inevitable engagement or break up of Robsten. Yeah, I have no idea if they are together now or not, so I do not know what is coming next. But I figure I should give some not too spoilery thoughts about the film. Just because.
Okay, in general, it wasn't that bad. Not as good as the books, but the movie rarely is. That would probably make people think the movie was terrible since a lot of them think the books were bad. I'll discuss that in a minute. Back to the movie. It has its good parts and bad parts, as I expected. So let's dissect a little.
When it came to the good parts, I got to see my Twilight crush, who is, surprisingly, neither Edward nor Jacob. Nope, I love me some Charlie Swan a.k.a. Bella's dad. He is the best character, if not in the books, then certainly in the movies. That would explain why his part got smaller and smaller as they continued on. Because when Hollywood finds a lick of awesomeness they tend to take a huge dump on it. But rest assured, Billy Burke, I recognize your brilliance. Now thanks much to Mr. Burke's contribution, I can talk about the other good thing in this film. It actually had a lot of funny parts. A lot more than the other installments had. Considering how morbid this saga can be at times, I like a little comic relief. And as far as the acting abilities of the rest of the cast, don't expect a ton of surprises if you've seen the other movies. You already know which adult I consider the best, and, again, Taylor Lautner is the standout for the youngsters. Oh, but if you thought Michael Sheen had previously reached his limit of flamboyance, you are mistaken. That's not an insult, by the way. I enjoy his ability to be funny guy/bad dude. It takes a gift.
Okay, now on to the bad parts. It did have a lot of oopsies, but none more than the one near the end. I refuse to spoil it, but, good grief, what in all hecks was that? Look, I took the time to read the books. I should not be sitting in that theater more confused than people who did not. As soon as, let's call it, "the thing" started, I was very much not getting it. I mean, I thought I would have remembered events so pivotal taking place. Actually, I certainly would have since "the thing" in the movie was nonexistent in the book. And DO NOT get me started on how they explained it, or explained it away, more accurately, in the film. Look, I appreciate them trying to make this more cinematic, and I definitely understand that changes are necessary when it comes to adaptation. But NO, Movie! You cannot throw in a vicissitude THAT huge! I have a feeling that the super hardcore fans are either going to absolutely love it or absolutely hate it. I see no middle ground here. Still, nothing will stop them from seeing it. Probably multiple times. But once was plenty for me.
So what, if anything, have I gotten from my Twilight experience, both through movies and books? Well, I'm not a crazy, squealy fan, but I am also not a hater. I sort of like the movies, and I sort of like the books. No more, no less. I just don't take either of these things very seriously. For better or worse, there is some entertainment there. I know a lot of people have a problem with both for many reasons. I've heard Stephenie Meyer being criticized because her writing was "too juvenile". Um, HELLO! These books were written for the pre-teen to actual teen crowd. Just because a bunch of bored housewives got a hold of them does not mean they were meant for people who have been through college, marriage and motherhood. They are plenty good enough for their intended demographic, though, they are certainly not the best written books. And I will not fault her for promoting abstinence to the young crowds. How nice that so many teenagers fell in love with Edward Cullen because he wanted to wait to have sex until they were married. I NEVER thought I would see that happen. As far as the movies go, I consider them "Why the heck not?" films. You know, if someone asks me if I want to watch Twilight or one of its sequels, I'd probably say, "Why the heck not?" They can be enjoyable in places, and even I have to admit I cougared out on Rob Pattinson a little in the beginning. Subsequently, though, I realized that little fanciful fling was merely a source of inspiration for one of my short stories. And when I say, MY short story, I do NOT mean fan fiction. I have some integrity as an artist, believe it or not.
So, to the film makers and especially Ms. Meyer, I say hats off. You took a passion you had and created something with it. Most people don't care to take time to nurture their ideas and, therefore, let them die off. That was not done in this case. As a writer who loves to see anyone try to build on their gifts, I can't object to that ever.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
