Movie Review - The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2

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A Girl's Movie Review: Breaking Dawn - Part 1

Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner
Rated PG-13 for disturbing images, violence, sexuality/partial nudity and some thematic elements
Finally, finally, finally! Finally, they got a movie right in this series. If you have read my other reviews of the Twilight Saga movies, then you will know that I have been none too impressed with the film installments around this beloved series. The other films have focused too much on making this story realistic versus fully embracing fantasy elements of the series. Therefore, the movies have seemed more like simplistic teenage love stories rather than the robust romances of the book series.

Enough gushing...let's get to the movie. In The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1, Bella and Edward are preparing for their wedding. The invitations have been sent, and we see Jacob running for the wolf life after receiving Bella's invitation.  The Cullen clan, specifically Alice, plans an over-the-top yet unbelievably beautiful ceremony for Bella and Edward. The two lovers declare their vows under a field of hung flowers and begin their new life on an exotic honeymoon. After finally consummating their relationship, Bella and Edward find themselves in an unusual situation. Bella becomes pregnant, and the rest of the movie is focused on the birth of their new half-vampire, half-human child.

As I said in the opening, I really enjoyed the direction of this movie. I am a Twi-hard, and I felt very satisfied with the movie representation of key elements in the book. The wedding and subsequent reception were gorgeous and so perfect for Bella and Edward. The updated language and comedic moments felt natural to the story. The sex scenes were tasteful and not too sensational, which is how they are portrayed in the books. The progression of Bella's pregnancy moved along at a good pace, and the conflicting interests of the families was represented in a strong but not "preachy" way. Jacob's imprinting was only mildly disturbing, and the birth scene was intense yet appropriate for the rating. Some critics have really aired their disappointment with these critical scenes (honeymoon sex and birth), but the writers and director did justice to these scenes while paying homage to the way in which the books were written.

While the Breaking Dawn book began to stray from the major love story of the series, this science-fiction type of events brought a deeper insight into the relationship between Bella and Edward. Both the book and the film highlight the typical obstacles every couple faces over the course of a relationship. Living with difficult family situations, making joint decisions about children, fighting for each other when one of you is down, sacrificing your life for the other - these are all issues that loving couples deal with every day. I don't know where you get your advice for your relationships, but one of my main sources is the Bible. In the book of Ephesians, the author Paul is encouraging people to live out the love that they have experienced through God. In chapter four, he gives some great advice for our relationships...

And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences. You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly.  Ephesians 4:4-5, The Message

Healthy, loving relationships require a great amount of humility and discipline. From the Twilight Saga perspective, you can see this when Edward begs Jacob for help with Bella. It is also evident in Bella as she chooses to keep a baby that is dangerous to her. More importantly, we see the oneness between Bella and Edward as they grow to love a child who knows nothing but love for them. Loving couples have a unity between each other that is marked by their humility. May we all be known by that kind of love.

Unfortunately, we have to wait another year before The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 is released in theaters. May the final installment be as good as the last!

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner is written by Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight series. This book, in particular, is labeled as an Eclipse novella. For all my readers who haven't visited a literature class in awhile, let me remind you of the definition for a novella. A "novella" is a short story or a short novel. So, this book is a short story about a bigger book in the Twilight series. Don't you feel smarter now?

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner follows a girl named Bree, who falls prey to some nasty vampires in Forks, WA. Bree is targeted to become part of a newborn vampire army set to destroy Bella Swan, the heroine in the Twilight series. In this book, Stephenie Meyer gives us a glimpse into the nuances of being a vampire in Meyer's world and the evil behind one of Bella's enemies, Victoria. Bree is a young woman pulled into a chaotic world of malice and death. She learns quickly how to save herself from daily feedings by her peers. In these lessons, she also makes a friend who shares the lies involved with her captors, Victoria and Riley. After we get to know Bree and develop sympathy for her, Meyer cuts off her young life in the epic battle scenes of Eclipse.

If you haven't read the Twilight series, then this book will fall to the wayside of your reading path. If you have read Meyer's top sellers, then The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner will extend your Twilight euphoria for 178 more pages. It is a quick read, and the story adds some additional insight into the madness of Victoria's newborn army. The purity of living by carnality is quite evident in this story. Life by natural desires promotes selfishness and strife. I am reminded of this same type of life, which the apostle Paul described in Ephesians. He says this...

And so I insist—and God backs me up on this—that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. They've refused for so long to deal with God that they've lost touch not only with God but with reality itself. They can't think straight anymore. Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion.  Ephesians 4:17-19, The Message

In real life, we can also live by our carnality - our human instincts for evil. I love how Paul describes this existence as "empty-headed" and "mindless." Living by the flesh, as many Bible translators put it, actually tears down our character and intellect. Yet Paul and so many other authors of the Bible offer this solution for us.

But that's no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It's rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you. Ephesians 4:20-24, The Message

A life outside of God, a life based in our humanity, is "rotten through and through." God offer us real life with a new beginning and ever-increasing character. Our intellect grows as we become rooted in the truth of God. Ignorance is no longer an option. That's what many of the newborn vampires have in the Twilight series and this novella - ignorance. I am so thankful for a better option in this life and beyond

'Breaking Dawn' Casts Mackenzie Foy As Renesmee

I realize this article doesn't have any Bible themes in it, but I just wanted to share the good news!

After practically years of suspense over who would play vampire-human child Renesmee in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn," it was author Stephenie Meyer who finally got to break the news on Wednesday night.  "Very excited about our new Renesmee, Mackenzie Foy," she wrote on the "Twilight" Facebook page. "She's an amazing young actress and I'm excited to work with her."

Fans will, of course, have a while to wait before they get their first glimpse of Foy, since the first chapter of "Breaking Dawn" hits screens on November 18, 2011, and the second half will roll out on November 16, 2012.

(To read the entire story, click HERE for MTV News.)

Key Characters and Terms for the Twilight Series

This is a handout that I used in my class last year. It was helpful for those who had read the books in awhile and for those who had little exposure to the Twilight series.

Key Characters and Terms:

Bella – Human female lead who moves from phoenix, AZ, to Forks, WA, to live with her Dad, Charlie

Edward – Vampire male lead who lives in Forks, WA, with his vampire family, the Cullens

Jacob – Quileute Indian male (and eventually a wolf) who lives on the La Push Reservation and becomes Bella’s best friend

Charlie – Father of Bella and Police Chief for Forks, WA

Renee – Mother of Bella, married to Phil – a minor league baseball player, lives in Jacksonville, FL

Mike, Angela, Jessica, Eric, Tyler, Lauren – Bella’s human friends at Forks High School

Carlisle – Adopted father of Edward, head of Cullen family

Esme – Adopted mother of Edward, wife of Carlisle

Alice – Edward’s sister, known for visions of future events

Jasper – Edward’s brother, known as newest vampire

Rosalie – Edward’s sister, known for beauty

Emmett – Edward’s brother, known for strength

Billy Black – Father of Jacob, elder for Quileute tribe

Sam – Leader of Quileute wolf pack

Quileutes – Indian tribe that lives on the La Push Reservation near Forks, WA

Nomadic vampires (James, Laurent, Victoria) – Trio of vampires that haunt Bella throughout saga

Volturi – Italian vampire group that serve as the leaders of the vampire world

Veggie diet – Cullen family phrase that refers to their choice of living only on animal blood, not human blood

Denali, Alaska – Location of another clan of vampires who have chosen a veggie diet, led by Tanya, place of refuge for Cullen family

A Girl's Movie Review: Eclipse

Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner

Rated PG-13

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse begins with new vampires being created in Seattle, a major city near Forks. Killing sprees are abundant, and no one knows who or when it will stop. Enter our star-crossed lovers, Bella and Edward. Bella is preparing to graduate high school and change into a vampire forever. Edward is encouraging his girlfriend to wait a while longer before making such a final transformation into a "monster" like him. And a third party has entered into the relationship with them. Jacob Black, knowing that Bella's human days are drawing to a close, decides to make his final move to secure Bella for his own. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is two supernatural boys fighting over one ordinary girl. Now, that's a good story, folks.

As the movie unfolds, Edward's family realizes that these killings in Seattle are somehow linked to Bella. The vampires of Forks (Team Edward) and the wolves of La Push (Team Jacob) unite to fight an epic battle against this army of newborn vampires. In the midst of this struggle, our heroine Bella finds herself fighting two sides to every coin. She loves Edward and wants to spend forever with him, but she can't let go of Jacob. She wants to become a vampire to help with the fight, but she also wants to experience some more human things first. Bella can't stand the thought of Edward and Jacob engaging in a battle where lives will be lost, but she knows that her own selfishness to make them stay will possibly hurt other people. Bella is lost and confused in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. By the end, she must make a decision and stick with it - forever.

And here is why I had problems with the movie version of Eclipse. Bella's internal thought process is obsolete in the movie. In the book, the reader feels the contrasting emotions pulling at Bella. Her choices are agonizing, and Bella moves through a tedious process to mature in this story. It really seems like Bella may choose Jacob, like he is a viable option for her. In the movie version, Jacob seems like a distraction. The powerful messages of Eclipse are reduced to teenage fodder in the movie version. Even Bella's seduction of Edward in the bedroom scene was simplified. The viewer never fully understands how much Bella must sacrifice for her love with Edward. OK, enough criticism. Let's find the themes in this story.

Eclipse is my favorite book in the Twilight series. When I first read the book, I wanted to hit Bella upside the head with the hard cover of my book. Her character is infuriating and just plain whiny in this story. When I read Eclipse for the second time, I saw how beautifully Stephenie Meyer painted a picture of transition from adolescence to adulthood. Bella must reconcile two sides of herself - the human and the supernatural. Bella's journey is a lot like our own in real life. When we begin to understand the greater reality of being in Christ, we crave a sense of peace between these two existences - living in the world and living in Christ. We need a reconciliation of the heart, a place of commonality for the soul. We as Christians can find this place in the foundation built by God. The apostle Paul describes it this way.

You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness...No prolonged infancies among us, please. We'll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love. Ephesians 4:4-6, 14-16 The Message

While our lives may fluctuate with lovers, friends or family, our core foundation in Jesus Christ always stays the same. It never changes or moves. Christ is constant in our lives, and we find a placed of reconciliation with other believers. That's why being part of a community of Christians is so important. Everybody is used differently by God, but each of us is created with the same Oneness in us. In the Twilight series, we see this happen in the wolf pack. Sam and his pack have different personalities, but they are effective when they work together. The same is true for the Cullen family. They have different abilities, but their unity and love far surpasses any supernatural power.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse ends with Bella making some final decisions for her future life. She doesn't play with anyone's emotions anymore. She doesn't act like a baby when she doesn't get her way in some situations. Bella begins to feel empowered by her new maturity. In growing up and becoming part of one community, she finds the peace and reconciliation that she desires. How will Bella's newfound maturity change her relationships? You have to wait until November 18, 2011, to get that answer, my friends.

A Girl's Movie Review - The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner
Rated PG-13 for some violence and action

Finally, it’s here. After months of anticipation and a media blitz ad nauseum, The Twilight Saga: New Moon has finally hit theaters. Thousands of women will flock to cinemas across the globe this weekend to gather an early Christmas present for themselves. Thousands have already been intoxicated by the film with midnight showings earlier today. I am one of those. With little sleep and much needed coffee, I offer my review on The Twilight Saga: New Moon.

New Moon follows the ongoing story of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. After Bella's birthday party turns into a near death experience for her, Edward and his family decide to leave Bella and the community of Forks, WA. Bella is left behind to face a crushing hole in her heart and start over - yet again. Cue the new boy in the picture - Jacob Black. In the Twilight movie, we only saw a glimpse of Jacob, but his story is critical to the entire Twilight saga. Jacob helps Bella recover from her devastating loss, and a new relationship buds between them. New Moon takes the Twilight audience into a darker portion of this teenage love story. It is filled with hopelessness. Bella thinks she will never recover from Edward leaving her. Bella cannot figure out how to reconcile what she thought was real with this new supernatural world she now knows. And Bella knows that she is using her best friend Jacob to occupy her time until her own death.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon takes its liberties with the original storyline in the book. Unlike its predecessor, the changes made for this movie make sense for the portrayal of the story on screen. The dialogue is edgier and sounds more like real-life teenagers. The sexual tension between Bella and Jacob is increased significantly. (I can’t tell you how many times I thought they would kiss.) Some favored scenes from the book are left out, but it seems forgivable in the film. And The Twilight Saga: New Moon blows its predecessor away when it comes to special effects and action. The after-school special feel is gone and replaced with a solid film.

While New Moon is a story about hopelessness, The Twilight Saga: New Moon gives a light and almost logical appeal to the darkness of depression. The movie reminded me that everyone interprets stories differently. While I thought Bella was suicidal through most of the book, many of my friends thought she was just acting a like a teenager. That is how Bella is portrayed in The Twilight Saga: New Moon. In the movie, her overwhelming depression is covered at lightning speed. In the book, Bella has a miserable existence. She feels hopeless and powerless to change.

Like Bella, we all feel powerless at times. No matter how hard we try to control our circumstances, we fail. We don’t have any control over people. This realization can send us into a search for meaning in life. Like Bella, we can walk around like zombies, not knowing how to function. As a Christian, I know that every human has hope in this dark and sometimes weary world. The Bible has a lot to say about feeling powerless. In Ephesians 2:1-10, the writer describes the hopelessness of human life and how God jumps into the water to save us.

It wasn't so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn't know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It's a wonder God didn't lose His temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, He embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on His own, with no help from us! Then He picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.

Now God has us where He wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all His idea, and all His work. All we do is trust Him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! Ephesians 2:1-7, The Message

God has given us a gift of everlasting hope. We can have joy and real life in Christ. You know, the Twilight books have caught a large amount of slack for Bella’s unhealthy dependence on Edward. I will agree with the “unhealthy” assessment of that relationship, but I think that Bella is a good representation of humanity. We all seek to put our happiness and hope into Someone bigger than us, and we feel defeated when that person fails us. Hope can only exist in God. Outside of Him, we are left to our own devices and limited abilities.

My own hopes for The Twilight Saga: New Moon were tempered after my ongoing disappointment with the first movie. But I think that most Twilighters will be pleased with the second installment. Plus, the guys will like it as well. The one major downer in the movie is Taylor Lautner’s acting as Jacob. Once Edward leaves Bella, the movie slows down and almost leaves its exciting pace. The introduction of the wolf pack keeps the story moving, but Lautner’s poor acting was distracting to me. All becomes well in the Twilight universe when Edward returns at the end of the movie, and we are left with a cliffhanger to be solved in the third installment, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (coming June 2010). While the New Moon book and movie may differ at points, they both leave us with a solid message – hope changes us.

Rating: Thumbs Up