The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 - theatrical trailer review
Directed by: Bill Condon Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner Rating: Not Yet Rated Release Date: November 18, 2011
TRAILER SCORE: 6/10
Thoughts by TSR: I’m not as anti-Twilight as a lot of people. That said, I do think the first two films border on abysmal (though Alexandre Desplat’s score for New Moon is excellent). Then the third film – that’s Eclipse, for those keeping track – came along and I enjoyed it well enough. That alone wouldn’t be enough for me to actually say I want to see Breaking Dawn, but there are a couple key reasons I am truly interested in checking it out. One is that the very talented Bill Condon has taken over directorial duties. The other is everything I’ve heard about Stephanie Meyer’s novel. Namely, that it’s insane.
With that in mind I was a little disheartened by the first half of the trailer. It wasn’t bad, per se, but it just wasn’t very exciting for someone like me who isn’t a huge fan. I’m sure there are a lot of people losing their minds over seeing Edward and Bella exchanging their vows, or Edward telling Bella, “Last night was the best night of my existence.” These things probably resonate with the die-hard fans – excuse me, “Twi-hards” – but for somebody not invested it’s just more of the same.
Then something happened. Bella gets pregnant! With Edward’s vampire baby! And it’s killing her from inside the womb! Now this is the type of craziness I signed up for! I’m not sure how far Condon will be allowed to take it, but a lot of this trailer looks delightfully over-the-top and that has me excited. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson have both done strong work outside the Twilight universe, so if their hearts are in it I’m sure they’ll be tolerable. Taylor Lautner has yet to impress me, however, and he appears to have his share of rough moments. One that stands out is him shouting, “If you kill her you kill me!” I guess this means I’m Team Edward.
Will there be sparkling vampires and shirtless werewolves? Yeah. Should we expect a lot of dramatic looks between characters? Yep. Hackneyed romance? Most likely. Basically we’re getting the things we’ve come to expect from The Twilight Saga. Still, Bill Condon’s involvement gives me genuine reason to be interested in Breaking Dawn – Part I. But most importantly we’re getting killer vampire fetus. And I can’t fight my curiosity… even if it is a little morbid.