Breaking Dawn: Part 2 - My review

Yesterday myself and a group of friends all got together to go see the final installment of the Twilight saga, Breaking Dawn: Part 2. I have always been a Twilight fan, of both the books and the films. I find it slightly disconcerting and definitely annoying when people compare it to the Harry Potter series or the Hunger Games trilogy, especially comparing the lead female characters. In my mind one must regard each story on its own and not compare apples to oranges. 

That said, I did enjoy the film, specifically with regard to some of the visual effects, such as Bella's first impression of the world around her as a new born vampire, the sharpness of her senses. In my opinion it was brought across quite beautifully. I also think that Kristen Stewart might have felt more comfortable in the role of a new vampiric Bella, she portrayed the character with more life than the annoying mouth breathing that we've come to experience in the previous installments. Bella was also more emotive, although I think the impression of Stewart as a cold fish may just stick for quite a few years to come, unless she finds herself a few comedies and fast. 

SPOILER ALERT: The most impressive scene in my mind was the fight between the Cullens and their friends, including the wolves, and the Volturi. The scene evoked many emotions in the viewer, the greatest one I think being disbelief. The scene was also quite sufficient in making this "chick flick" a little bit more guy friendly for the guys who're taking their girlfriends to see it. The fight does not however end quite the way one would think. 

In my opinion the book to film adaptation was more than adequate; certain elements were portrayed very well, others not so much. The human element of the story was skated over, whilst in the book Stephanie Meyer focused more on the emotions that ran through the characters due to the intense developments - Bella as a new born, Renesme's development, Jacob's imprinting, Aro's desire to acquire the "Cullen" treasures. They focused so much on the visual aspects that they forgot a little that essentially at the end of the day the Twilight stories are less about the fantastical and more about a love surviving and thriving within the fantastical. Regardless, it was a fitting end to the franchise, nicely tying up all the loose ends, and the entertainment value of the film was high enough that I walked out of the cinema satisfied and smiling. I would gladly watch it again. My personal rating is 7/10. 

Movie mania!

I am a self confessed addict of modern cinema. I watch everything, except of course if it's soooooooooo artistic that it bores me to tears. Here's my philosophy - when I enter a cinema, rent a DVD or watch a movie on TV I want to be, nay, NEED to be entertained! I wish to leave my brain at the door and have fun, and walk out smiling. Yes, yes, once in a while I'll watch something a little deeper and intellectual, but if I TRULY want intellectual and deep, I pick up a book and read.

Now, regarding the movie mania, I have finally acquired a few films which I have been DYING to see, since the opportunity escaped me whilst they were playing on the big screen. And just because I can, I would like to post a review or two.

First off, let's start with The Hunger Games. I read the trilogy in a matter of days and then got my hands on the movie. First off, let me say that I am looking forward to catching fire as much as any Hunger Games fan. With regards to the film, it's to be expected that an adaptation VERY rarely lives up to the book. We've all experienced it with the myriad of book to film adaptations during the past decade. This adaptation was however very well done, and in my opinion can stand alone without one having had read the books. Of course, by not reading the books, you will be depriving yourself of the deeper and subtle nuances.

Regardless, I digress. I will not be going into the plot too much, but I must say that it's amazing how one can fall in love with a story which basically deals with a bunch of teenagers killing one another for the entertainment of others. In the same vein, it made me think, "How in the hell would I survive the Hunger Games?" The portrayal of the characters was on par, especially by Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss and Josh Hutcherson as Peeta. It was brilliant because the sometimes uneasy feelings I had whilst reading the book, I experienced in a similar fashion whilst watching the movie. The dialogue felt slightly stinted at times, but not overly so, considering that especially Katniss spends a great deal of her time within the arena alone. This film has the ability to move you, to sweep you along and leave you with a dull ache as you crave more. The scenes with Rue can cause anyone to newly appreciate a baby sister and the cave scene is simply special. Of course it can be labeled as romantic, but it's so much deeper than that, it has more layers than that and it's one of the scenes that made you feel slightly uneasy and aching for more all at the same time.

Lastly I must stress that whomever has the audacity to compare this to Twilight - wake up! I am not hating on Twilight at all but the comparisons are unfair and out of context. I personally would rate The Hunger Games a solid eight out of ten, as it surpassed my expectations and am very much looking forward to Catching Fire.

Next up, The Avengers. Yes, I know, I know, I know, I've been living under a rock, so sue me. In any event I have been looking forward to it for AGES and finally had the opportunity to watch it and I LOVE it!!!! I cannot stress how much I love this movie. It has EVERYTHING that I look for in an action movie. Lots of explosions and hand to hand combat, lots of icky monsters from other worlds, lots of witty dialogue between the lead characters and lots of FUN, but not without a few slightly deeper aspects. Each actor encompassed their parts fully and expertly. Of course they had some practice with all of the previous tie in films, all except Mark Ruffalo, who in my opinion was brilliant as Bruce Banner/The Hulk, one of my favorite lines being his - "That's just it Ms Romanov, I'm always angry." I swear I had goose bumps! I loved the conflict between the characters prior to them actually assembling and working as a team, the banter between them was priceless. I apologise, I know that I'm gushing, but I had a MASSIVE smile on my face through out the whole thing except of course when that big loss occurred, the catalyst for them finally pulling it together. I'm not the kind of person to post spoilers, even if the whole world has already seen it, just in case someone else lived in a cave for the past year.

With regards to the story line and the flow of the film, it seemed effortless. Of course, if one did not see any of the previous tie in Marvel films, you might feel a little bombarded with a lot of new information, but I seriously doubt that anyone who has watched this film did not watch the others. Loki is in my mind a perfect villain, partly due to his delusions of grandeur and narcissism. The interactions between him and Tony is in my mind some of the most memorable, of course due to the fact that Tom Hiddleston and Robert Downey Jr deliver their lines with such ease and wit that one cannot look away. In terms of character development, I think that of Steve Rogers/Captain America will capture anyone's heart, considering that essentially he's a very lost young man coming to grips with the reality that he lives in. Chris Evans in my mind did a very good job in this respect, especially considering the timely bursts of humor.

I am very much looking forward to the sequel, as well as any upcoming gems that Marvel has to offer. On it's own The Avengers will remain in my collection for as long as is possible and I rate it nine out of ten. Pure unadulterated pleasure!

Anybody else watch anything fun lately??