Monday 12 December 2011

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn....give me strength...

(Article i wrote for December's print issue of Groove Korea)







Sun Tzu famously wrote in his classic The Art of War, that "if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle” but “if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles”. This is my justification for choosing to preview the latest installment of the Twilight series ‘Breaking Dawn’, when there are far more interesting films coming to Korea in December such as ‘Tin Tin’ or ‘Sherlock Holmes 2’. The Twilight films are one of my battles. I know they are horrible films. But to explain why and defeat them, I must know them, lest I will be imperiled and lose my good taste in movies. Besides, what kind or critic would I be if I didn’t acknowledge a franchise that has grossed almost $1 billion dollars in the US alone?

We last saw Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson, or R. Patz to the kids) propose to Bella Swan (Kirsten Stewart or K...Stew?) and Breaking Dawn sees them marry and enjoy a Honeymoon in Rio because as we all know, Vampires love hot sunny climates. However, not all is well in the Cullen household as betrayals abound and during a near fatal childbirth, Edward has to succumb to Bella’s wish to make her immortal or risk losing her forever. What should be a joyous moment as they becomes parents to a “remarkable daughter”, only sets off a chain of events that pits them against their enemies, the Volturi which culminates in an all out battle. Much like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, internet rumors are rife as to where Breaking Dawn Part 1 will end and Part 2 will begin.

Now before I continue, I have a confession to make. I actually quite enjoyed the first twilight movie. There, I said it. I liked it so much that I even went to see New Moon. Big mistake, as that had to be one of the worst films I have ever seen and Eclipse was only marginally better. So what can we expect from Breaking Dawn? One thing that is for certain is that a lot of fans are going to be extremely disappointed. The huge talking point is the book’s notorious birth scene, which contains macabre details of vomiting blood, Edward biting through a placenta and bloody corpses. Hardcore fans want these essential details to remain, but Producer Wyck Godfrey has addressed this by saying, "it would be a crime against our audience to go R-rated" which translates to “we want to make more money”. So it appears that if you are a fan of the Twilight saga thus far you are in for a treat, meaning more of the same, but if you were looking for an adult adaptation from page to screen, you’re probably going to want to take comfort in a good book. May I recommend Sun Tzu’s The Art of War? It has gotten me through many a difficult tough time. Watching Breaking Dawn included.

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