The Issue with "Breaking Dawn"

So I just got back from seeing The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 with Mom. I have many thoughts.

First, though, a little background/disclaimer.

I did not want them to make Breaking Dawn into two movies. I thought it was a foolish idea, and that the decision itself was purely for the purposes of making more money, and not necessarily for the sake of the story itself. I was convinced putting it into two parts would ruin it, would make it into some kind of joke, and I didn't want that at all. This is my problem, though: I honestly feel that BD does not have a story that can carry out through two parts. Not that the story is bad--because it certainly isn't. I just feel that BD's story is not complex enough to warrant two parts. Like in Eclipse, there is a heckuvah lot of wait time in BD. Don't get me wrong--I love the book. I love its quirks, I love the way the plot is structured overall (albeit how effing weird some parts are), and it's a lovely close to an entertaining and unique-ish romance. My dearest wish was that they'd treat it like they did with Eclipse and cut down on the annoying let's-sit-here-and-talk-while-we-wait time (leading to a battle that does not really take place, in all honesty) and make it into a cohesive, exciting story for film. The wait time won't work cinematically, and I was not sure they could achieve that with BD if they made it into two parts. Needless to say, I was incredibly miffed when they announced it would split. They would have to prove to me that the decision was worth it.

Now that that's out of the way, on to the first part itself. (I should also clarify that it has been awhile since I read the book, so please pardon me if I misremember anything. I really should reread it soon, especially for part 2...)  Major spoiler warning.

After finally seeing Part 1, I still don't know how to feel about it. I'm interested in the idea that this part focused on the "conflict" with the Quileutes, while the brief scene we get during the credits suggests that the overlying conflict in part 2 will be with the Volturi. This, I thought, was a good decision, but even then, the conflict was mostly driven by Jacob: the wolves were fine, and then they were angry, and then Jacob left, and they were angry with him in addition to the Cullens....I couldn't remember when Jacob takes official position as Alpha, and I spent much of the last half of the movie wondering when it was going to happen. (When does it happen?) I wasn't sure what to do with it all, though, and I couldn't remember enough from when I read the book to be sure either way. I was pleased, however, to see that they hadn't seemed to divide the point of view between Bella and Jacob. The scenes in La Push and those in Forks seemed cohesive and flowed really well with one another. I did, however, miss Leah explaining her perspective from being the only girl in the pack, but I wonder if they're going to address that in part 2.

I was very pleased with the first half of the movie. The wedding and honeymoon were beautifully done, and I really found myself caught up in it. I cracked up during the speech montage at the wedding (Emmett's and Jessica's were my favorites), and I adored the post-coitus montage during the honeymoon. I thought Bella's attempts to seduce Edward were funny, and they felt very Bella-like to me. It was also really cool to see them doing things: swimming, hiking, playing chess (though I did roll my eyes a little). I really felt their love and adoration for one another. One of my favorite sequences is when Bella realizes she may be preggers, from when she makes the chicken to when she calls Rosalie for help. I felt there was a lot of tension during this sequence, and I got chills watching the scene where Edward asks the woman who comes to clean about what she knows regarding what's happening to Bella.

I also really liked the scene where Edward and Bella are discussing the possibilities if Bella does die--which seems likely at that point in the movie--and Edward's outburst. This scene/sub plot was really well handled with the perfect amount of tension. Edward's anguish was palpable: he was facing the possibility of losing his reason for living, and no matter what Bella said--nor the responsibility of taking care of their unborn child--could make up for the fact that he knows he couldn't handle losing her. I thought this scene was a nice parallel, of sorts, to the scene in which Edward hears the baby's thoughts. Beautifully done, and I really felt the emotion the scene was carrying. (What can I say? I ship Edward/Bella forever and ever.)

I hated the wolf-telepathy part, as well as how they handled Jacob's imprint. The wolf-telepathy is something I can understand being very difficult to translate without it seeming campy. But it really was. I sat there for its duration feeling embarrassment for the first time ever watching a Twilight movie. It was too much. I almost wish the pack was in their human form for that scene, thought admittedly it would have taken away from the importance of Jacob declaring his independence/authority in the pack and the significance of it taking place when he's in wolf form. As for the imprint, I don't think it had the oomph it needed. Again, I understand the difficulty of translating it in a way that makes sense onscreen, but the montage didn't do it for me. I didn't feel like Jacob's whole world had shifted. All in all, it was an incredible disappointment.*

I don't know how I feel about the inside-the-body montages. It definitely warrants a second viewing. I did like how you see a snippet of almost-dead-Bella in pain followed by a shot of her lying there, calm and internalizing the agony. The birth scene in general is something I'm undecided on; I LOVED the tension and emotion when Edward is trying to save her, and I could really feel Jacob's misery when he believes her to be dead. But wasn't Carlisle supposed to be there? Or am I remembering incorrectly?

They ended about where I thought they would--I feel like there wasn't a lot of surprise in regards to the split point, to be honest. It's been awhile since I've read the book, but I could see some of the logic in ending it right after Renesme is born. I was surprised, however, that they went as far as to show the moment right as Bella finishes transforming. I thought they'd save that for part 2, but the more I think about it, the more I like the idea of leaving that as a cliffhanger. It holds a lot of tension and mystery.

Ultimately, I feel like I can't really have an opinion about this movie until I've seen part 2. I still feel like there's not going to be enough genuine plot to make it work as a movie in itself. We have yet to see the other awesome vampires from around the world (including Garrett *fist pump*), see Bella kick some major ass as the badass vampire she is (including when she gets angry with Jacob for being annoying about calling her daughter "Nessie"), and (hopefully) see her go talk to the man who makes the fake i.d.'s (though this scene is arguably unnecessary). But then there's the fact that this huge battle they're expecting to fight doesn't actually happen (and the last half of the book builds and builds and the tension is never really dealt with). And then, of course, Alice disappears for a disconcerting amount of time, which kills me (Alice is one of my favorite characters). And honestly? Most of these little things happen AS THEY ARE WAITING FOR THIS BATTLE THAT NEVER HAPPENS. I feel like they really need to beef it up or something; make it so that it won't leave the audience feeling unsatisfied plot-wise. They need to be wise about splitting it up. I mean, I suppose Part 1 works....to an extent. But as of right now? I do not yet understand why the split had to be made.

Some points of interest:

• The dream Bella has of her and Edward in their wedding garb standing on the pile of their loved ones, drained and deceased, was particularly chilling to me. I couldn't remember if that was something she'd dreamed in the book, but I loved it all the same. Nicely done. I approve. 
• I LOVED the wedding speech montage, especially Emmett's recommendation for Bella to get plenty of sleep now when she still can. Geddit? Because, you know, Bella's going to become a vampire, and she and Edward will be breaking headboards every chance they get. I appreciated the pause there, too, as the double meaning of what he was saying sunk in. I laughed so hard. Emmett is awesome. 
• Seth Clearwater really bothered me in Eclipse. This time, however, I grew to love him. I don't know what he did this time around, but I really, really felt for the kid watching this movie. 
• Rene and Charlie reacting to the graduation cap artwork = GENIUS and hilarious, as well as a nice throw-back to the first film. 
• I missed Bella's strong reaction to realizing she'd probably never see her mother again. I didn't feel that panic at all as I did in the book. 
• I did enjoy most of the montages throughout the movie, especially the pre-act Nervous Bella (Kristen Stewart did a really nice job with this; I felt it was very much Book Bella on screen). The look on her face when she finds what lingerie Alice had packed for her is perfect (and incredibly hilarious). I also really like Bella's life-flashing-before-her-life montage. 
• I did like the Edward-as-a-killer-in-the-teens-and-twenties flashback. Nicely done. 
• Bella looked disconcertingly emaciated. Oddly enough, I was really pleased with that detail even though it was really difficult looking at her in that state. Great effects.
• I did not care for the effects with the wolves during the "fight" at the end. I thought they looked incredibly sloppy. The wolves were fine throughout the rest of the movie, though. (I know, it's weird, but I don't know how to explain it.)
• I was really uncomfortable watching the scene in which Bella drinks the blood. This isn't unusual: I felt the exact same way when reading that in the book. Also interesting to note: Edward puts the blood into a styrofoam cup, not unlike the one I had been drinking from during the movie, though mine was filled with Mt. Dew instead of blood. 
• What was up with Jasper's hair?? Why do they feel like they have to change it every movie?
• I liked seeing the Denali clan at the wedding. I do admit, though, that I don't remember Edward mentioning them in the previous movies, so I wondered if those who hadn't read the books were confused. 
• Alice is perfection in every scene she's in. I LOVED her directing everyone when they're decorating, as well as her having Bella practice in heels. I also loved the scene in which she and Rosalie help Bella with her hair and makeup. 
• The honeymoon scene was lovely. I have no criticisms whatsoever. 
• Jasper and Alice swing dancing during the reception was unexpected but so, so perfect. I ship them so hard, it's ridiculous. 
• Bella's dress was GORGEOUS. Holy schmokes, was it beautiful. 
• I love the moment at the wedding right after the vows where Bella and Edward kiss and it's like there's no one else there. Call me a hopeless romantic, but I thought it was a beautiful shot. 
• Can we talk about how hilarious and awesome Emmett and Jasper are when they are waiting for Edward before the bachelor party? 
• I think the only wolf pack scene that worked for me was the one where they're sitting on the beach talking, and the members who have not yet imprinted are watching the others with resentment and such. 
• Jacob didn't piss me off this time around as he did in the third film. I especially love the scenes where Edward asks him to talk to Bella and the one where he does go talk to her about considering, essentially, an abortion. Really great acting in both, from all involved. 
• I'm not quite sure this film has established the significance of why Rosalie would be the one on Bella's side. I did like, though, how Rosalie was adamant about referring to Renesmee as "the baby," as opposed to "that thing" or "the fetus."
• I'm curious as to how they're going to handle Renesmee. I didn't know how to feel about what we saw of her as Jacob was imprinting. Also, I thought I saw teeth on the baby, but I could have been imagining it. Related: I didn't know how to handle the part when she bites Bella, and then Edward takes her away....I just don't know. It's all so jumbled to me. I felt that way when reading the book, too, but something about the way it was handled in the movie....

*throws up hands* I just don't know. I really don't. 

*I have mixed feelings about the imprint in the book; I feel very cheated as a reader in general that Jacob imprinted on Renesme because to me, it seems to negate the relationship that had been built so carefully between Bella and Jacob in the three books previous. It was like the relationship hadn't ever meant anything in the first place, but perhaps that's the peculiar thing about imprinting (see Leah and Sam's destroyed relationship).