Breaking Dawn Part 1 - Movie Review

I watched it twice and am ready for the third :p
I'd like to start this review with Edward's wedding toast:

"It's an extraordinary thing to meet someone who you can bare your soul to and accept you for what you are. I've been waiting, for what seems like a very long time, to get beyond what I am. With Bella I feel like I can finally begin. So I'd like to propose a toast to my beautiful bride. No measure of time with you will be long enough. But let's start with forever."

Exactly. Zero reason not to like Edward <3

The pre-wedding was cut short. Very, very short. No Mercedes S600 Guard. No breaking the news to Charlie and Renee, so no changing color Charlie and motherly advice from Renee. But the mood is there. Charlie clearly doesn't happy with the wedding and Renee on the contrary is very happy about it. Bella is nervous and Edward is anxious. But I am grateful to see Alice having fun planning the wedding. In another words, bossing everybody. Love the scene where Alice shout: "Does no one have vision?!". Hahahaha. Very cute, darling. It is sweet to see Rosalie getting involved with the wedding. She is after all not offended by Bella's choice of groom, just her blatant lack of respect for mortality.

Now, let’s talk wedding.
We have waited for years to see Bella walk down that aisle.

I've been waiting for a year for this, so I'm going to shout it out loud. I LOVE THE WEDDING DRESS and the wedding shoes! The wedding dress is magnificent, the kind that only exist in fiction. Made out of crepe satin and French Chantilly lace, 152 buttons line the back of Bella's dress, with 17 additional buttons on each sleeve. And the shoes are the kind Alice would buy and Edward could afford for his lovely bride. I am serious about the price - the Manolo Blahnik Swan Pumps. The wedding dress is the surprise element for Breaking Dawn and I really appreciated the way it was introduced. When we first saw Bella, the dress looks simple. Just like her. But as she walked down the aisle and the camera close up to the back of the dress, I gasped with awe. And then to the sleeves and the rest of the dress... Lovely piece! If I ever got the chance to wear a wedding dress, I'd want to wear this.

I was anxious for this part of Breaking Dawn, but they pull it through. It's not perfect, but it is acceptable and I love it. Though they did not make Alice as the bridesmaid! The most important thing is it did have the "my world, which had been upside down for so long now, seemed to settle into its proper position" feeling. Rosalie played Pachelbel’s Canon in the book, but Bill Condon made Bella walked with Turning Page in the background. Lovely! And I like Bella's expression when she finally found Edward - "suddenly, it was only the pressure of Charlie’s hand on mine that kept me from sprinting headlong down the aisle". Another scene to love is Edward and Bella's moment on the altar as they share their first kiss as husband and wife. As Flightless Bird, American Mouth played on the background, the guesses disappeared leaving Edward and Bella alone in their world. You must recognize the scene from Twilight's prom. When you are with the one person you want to be, the world doesn't exist anymore. Life is content.

The first time I watched Breaking Dawn, I was not fond with the wedding speech. But as Edward said, what's a wedding without some family drama? Emmet's speech would sound ridiculous for non-reader, but of course I laughed to that. Hahaha. I am not sure how Jessica got to have her part in the speech, but she totally lost her mind :P Renee's lullaby was so Renee and it's something I could expected in real life. Charlie's speech was hilarious. He definitely illustrates his point very well! Hahaha. Love Alice's speech - it's a heads up for Breaking Dawn Part 2! Loving every words from Esme and I was deeply touched by that. That was so sweet.

Now, let's add up some Jacob.
Hot, hot, hot!
For a long lost guy who spends most of his time 4-legged, he sure looks perfect. Sigh. Who can forget his expression every time he sees Bella? He had that look from New Moon [the scene where he ran cheerfully towards Bella] What's not to love about it.. except that he is Jacob, of course. The scene was perfect. It is heart crushing to have your best friend saying goodbye to you as if you're soon to be dead to him. I nearly cry to the sound of Bella's heart beat. You see, that is what Edward and Jacob been fighting for in the Saga - to keep her heart beating.

There's not much to watch during the honeymoon - thank you Lord! I believe everyone notice/know that the first time was clearly cut and we only got to see what's in Bella's mind the next morning. Just to let you know, Bella's dream and the second time were cut without even a glimpse here in Malaysia - if you don't know what I mean, please go and get the book. So that leaves the honeymoon with their normal activities :P Isle Esme was wonderful, almost similar to what I imagine.
Bella's human time was fun to watch.
The beach scene was not convincing.
Edward and Bella playing chess scene was hilarious! Hahaha. It's something Jacob [suppose to] said in the book, but the dialogue did not make it into the movie ;)
Shocking Edward was weird... Sigh. Robert, Robert, Robert... What were you thinking, honey~

It was interesting to see the Saga from Jacob's perspective. All the while we never really understand what's happening inside his mind. We love the pack, but we never really listen to their side of the story. It was fascinating to see how their minds were connected and to see how they were compelled to obey Sam's order. I agree with you Jacob, to have no privacy for your mind is suck. I feel terribly sad for Leah. It would be a never ending nightmare to share thoughts with your ex, especially when he is happy with the girl he imprinted on: "being any kind of happy is better than being miserable about someone you can't have". That's an ouch. The imprinting scene was the best illustration from Book of Jacob. I am forever curious about the imprinting stuff, what it feels like, what ties a person to another person: "It's like, gravity. Your whole center shifts. Suddenly it's not the earth holding you here. You would do anything, be anything she needs. A friend, a brother, a protector".

Pregnant Bella really, really, really looked sick. It's like all her health was suck away from her - literally. I like how they directed the scene where Jacob arrives at Cullen's mansion to find Bella pregnant. The angst in Jacob, the ever so protective Rosalie, the helplessness in Edward, Alice, Jasper, Emmet, Esme and Carlisle - were all well illustrated into the movie. Though, I feel like Edward and Jacob's conversation was a bit tasteless. Edward did not look as devastated as pictured by Jacob in the book: "This was the face a man would have if he were burning at the stake". Just saying. I am also surprise the "Bella can have puppies if she want" dialogue did not make it. That would make a huge statement. Hahaha.

There are two more scenes that did not survive for Malaysia: 1) Rosalie helping Bella bathing and Edward saw bruises on Bella's back, and 2) the birth of Renesmee - I've checked, the birth scene was similar to the book. The absence of the birth scene is my major disappointment for Breaking Dawn. I know the scene would not survive that much, but I never expected that the frames would jump that far. They could have made it more reasonable. Sigh! If I am unhappy about it, the non readers must have felt worse. Luckily, Bella's transformation was breathtaking. Instead of making the audiences feel the agony from Bella's perspective, they made the transformation beautiful. From the dead Bella to the 'living' Bella. The inclusion of Bella's memory brings mix of emotions, bittersweet kind of feeling and to ends it with the image of young Charlie and Renee holding baby Bella mark a significant start. Forever has begun.

From Twilight until Breaking Dawn Part 1, I see changes in Edward. Good changes. Fans did not like it very much, because he is suppose to stays the same forever. But I like it. Change is good. Despite the fact that Edward is frozen at 17, everything around him moves forward. Edward would agree with me, that the moment he found Bella, everything in his life changed. It is pleasing to see that from a lonely boy with cool hair style he has transformed to a man. A married man. That makes him human in my eyes <3

Besides the wedding, my favorite scene for Breaking Dawn Part 1 is the conversation between Edward and Bella below. It was a simple scene, but it leaves mark on my heart. I favor this scene because Edward and Bella look like a normal maried couple, not the Edward and Bella. They are just another married couple fighting for what's left in their relationship. No matter whom you are, human or not, you must commit and fight to make things work. Love requires compassion.

Edward Cullen: I'm sorry I've been so angry.
Bella Swan: I would be too.
Edward Cullen: I've left you alone in this.
Bella Swan: Marriage!
Edward Cullen: Well, they say the first year is the hardest.

Overall, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 is awesome and wonderful. I got a feeling that having Stephanie Meyer as the producer is the secret ingredient. Loving you, Bill Condon! I'm not sure if you're a Twilighter, but you sure succeeded in putting the pieces together. You don't have to watch Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse to understand Breaking Dawn. It's all there. For Malaysians, please be informed that you'll feel (or must have felt) a little bit lost due to the cuts. But we have cleaner cuts for Breaking Dawn compare to Eclipse. You won't know what's missing, unless you're a Twilighter, who know details of the movie :p

Here and there, pieces of The Saga were brought together in Breaking Dawn, both from the books and previous 3 movies. Mostly from Twilight. As we all know, there were many details being omitted from the book or changed for the movie. Carlisle's cross is one bold statement that brought us all back to the day we started reading Twilight and the day we fall in love with the Saga. Edward's character was not properly introduced in Twilight, so they made a flashback scene where he got a chance to tell more about himself. We can see Edward lost in his thought in the wedding shoes scene. We wonder what was in his mind. The flashback is the answer. Furthermore, to include Sia's My Love during the wedding also brilliant. My Love was the background song when Edward proposes to Bella in Eclipse. Emotionally you're remembering the sweet moment.

Carter Burwell, we're glad to have you back with The Saga. Love, Death, Birth is perfect for Breaking Dawn Part 1 and to have the composition played as the opening for the movie is brilliant. Suddenly you're tuned into the mood. The composition speaks where words could not explain and you can feel the emotion flowing through you. You can understand Jacob's rage, both Edward and Bella's feeling and the best part: Bella's transformation. The touch of Bella's Lullaby is just nice to recall your memories of Twilight and refreshed our memory of how forever begins. The Saga is all about sacrifices, fights and the will to do something for the one we love - that is just what Love, Death, Birth is all about.

So that's all I got to say about Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 ^____^ Another year to wait!