The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn

Viewer Rating:Fiona74 has rated The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn rating: 3 Star

Nowadays it seems any book adapted for film requires the cinema goer to have read the book. The Time Travellers wife was at times indecipherable to those who hadn't read the book. The Lovely bones unbearable (I only forgave that one because I loved the book), and now Breaking Dawn which if you do not like the Twilight books there is absolutely no point in going to see this. I'm not even going to attempt to defend the Twilight books as there is nothing to defend, you either like Vampire 'trying to fit into the world' type stories or you don't. For my part I enjoyed the books, first was good, second was awful, third and fourth very enjoyable.
Most critics seemed to have hated Breaking Dawn (movie) and in their defence I will say it is a bit lazy to expect a cinema goer to have read/loved the book, a film should surely stand on its own merit and be enjoyable for anyone. However I think the problem is for people who aren't fans of the books, they feel let down by this switch in tone in this movie to a more low key less action drama that focuses more on the key characters.
As a fan of the Twilight books, I think the movies so far have been pretty decent. Breaking Dawn the book is a book of two halves, the first half is a drama where really it is all just about the 'thing' growing inside Bella and how that effects everyone around her. The second half of the book is very action driven with lots of new vampires with interesting gifts etc In this respect I think this movie did a good job in the set up for the final move, it was true to the book and even managed to just about sell the awful imprinting story line involving Jacob.
I thought the acting as well had improved all round, Kristen Stewart turned in her best performance yet.
My advice, if you haven't read/enjoyed the books stay at home and wait for the final one, if they stick to the book again then the last one should satisfy all the action fans who feel hard done by.

Review published on the 28 November 2011 13:45