Finally saw all the five movies and wish to not see anything more related to Stephenie Meyer Twilight books, unless she decides to write a new book about the amazing world she created. Of course will read the book before watching anything, as with the huge success she got with her four books, writing a fifth should not be an easy task as now readers expectations have to be very high. Well, at least mine are.As some of you know, especially if you read the first movie review, I liked the first and the last book, the ones in-between were less interesting for me. Luckily was able to read all four books before watching the first movie as Meyer's world was first created in my imagination and when watching films my imaginary world became the benchmark to see what they did in the movies.
Still believe that the first installment, Twilight, is the best movie when considering everything involved in making a movie as director Catherine Hardwicke created in the screen a world very similar to what I imagined when reading the first book. But from the acting point of view, the second movie New Moon by Chris Weitz has the best Kristen Stewart performance. So, from the cinematic point of view -not related to the story- the less interesting film for me was Eclipse by David Slade, so much that I didn't even bothered with a review.
The same happened with Breaking Dawn - Part 1, besides the story there was nothing interesting to see in it. But mentioned that the fourth book is one I liked and from it what blew my mind was the fantastic use of words that Meyer created to describe the confrontation with the Volturi. So the movie second installment was really what I was interested in watching as was very curious to see how that magnificent description could be translated to the screen. Honestly I tried to imagine it and in my very creative mind was almost impossible to figure it out how to do it.
Breaking Dawn - Part 2 by Bill Condon was a great surprise as even if it wasn't thanks to the director but to the joint collaboration between Stephenie Meyer and scriptwriter Melissa Rosenberg, what blew my mind in the book ALSO blew my mind in the screen. Well, more than my mind, blew my emotions. The so-called "twist" in the last installment really is not something new to the book, it is in the book but in the movie is told so unexpectedly that audiences react loudly when key elements happen. Well, not only the audience that surrounded me, I also reacted! (lol). Which is fantastic as not often a movie makes me "react" in a public place!
Won't spoil the movie for you, as know that most blog readers are not teenagers and probably have not seen the movie, but if you read the book and were moved by the confrontation then be prepared for a great surprising interpretation in the screen. Before the confrontation I only got impatient, very impatient while all the previous events happened as I just wanted to see that part. LOL. Yes, movie is all right, nothing special, similar to Part 1 as after all was filmed together -two years ago- by the same director.
The five films were a nice entertainment moment that allowed me to escape reality and live for a while in the fantastic world Meyer created but more relevant, in the imaginary world I created while reading her books. I believe that imagination is something that adults tend to use less and less as they grow up, which only makes me to pay more attention to it and to use imagination very often. But what you create in your mind thanks to what you read is very personal. That is why I believe that all five films are for adult audiences a very personal trip into the world they were able to imagine. For those that do not used their "imagination muscle" while reading the books as well as for those that haven't read the books, the trip becomes not pleasant from almost every point of view that involves filmmaking, as honestly, movies are nothing special in the world of films.
Truth is that this saga did something interesting in the American filmmaking industry, it allowed them to "discover" that female-centered stories have HUGE audiences beyond young female teenagers as the five films in the "domestic" market made more than a billion of dollars and the number doubles when you add the international market. Figures tend to be different according to the source you consult, but all place the up-to-date figure close to three billion for the worldwide box office. The immediate benefit is that other female-centered stories are being currently told with also great box office results, among them the best example is The Hunger Games first installment that has collected only in theaters almost seven hundred million worldwide.
As often happens in the American industry trends appear to only eventually disappear but hope that "smart" industry executives realize that stories well-told make more money than lousy stories told with huge amounts of special effects. Stephenie Meyer Twilight stories are good, were able to involve teenagers with the romance between the lead characters and adults with the imaginary world. Just imagine IF all five films were done with the same standards that the first one had -which included more creative freedom to the director and "a lot less hands in the pot"- surely the box office figures could have been a bit higher.
So the Twilight chapter is closed, but I still have one more thing to do. Have to have the Box Set with the five films as definitively have to have them in my collection to be able to visit my own imaginary world as often as I wish. No date has been set yet for the release however know that the Box Set has to be available by next midyear; but the best is that already have someone committed to give it to me as a present, LOL!
Cheers!
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