King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

Yes... I realise it's been 4 years since my last post. It takes a surprisingly long time to recover from a PhD. That's no joke. Someone should really, really study the effects of a PhD on the brain -- pre and post thesis-production... it's a shit show.

Anyway, what brought me back you ask? None other than --- KING ARTHUR!!

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Here’s my review in two parts. I literally have two totally different parts of my brain looking at this.

Perspective 1: I have my master’s in Arthurian Literature. I’m skeptical at the best of times about any re-interpretation of a legendary story, based on the late-Roman-era hero of King Arthur (I generally ignore the medieval, romantic, knights in shining armour Arthur).

Perspective 2: I have my PhD in the adaptation of event films, and I study, investigate, and celebrate taking original material and turning it into a unique, entertaining piece of media.

Also, I live in Snowdonia, Wales (although originally from the US) where this was filmed (it was also filmed in the Scottish Highlands, but surely the most stunning scenery was my backyard). So, I’m a bit biased by the locations.

So here are my two perspectives:

Perspective 1: Are you kidding? Vortigern and Uther are brothers? And Uther turns into the rock that holds Excalibur when Uther kills him? I’ve got that right, right? Uh huh? Right… in the written legend (yes, I know it’s legend, and therefore I shouldn’t be this angry at the faulty reinterpretation), Uther dies of old age, impotent but still the father of Arthur, and Vortigern is a random king in the north who wants a lot of power (political power…. Not serpents and giant elephants and mystical shtuff). Like any dude with an obsession of power, he tries to build a tower. It keeps falling. Over, and over, and over again... 

So, in legend, he learns from his prophets that he needs the blood of a bastard to be spilled over the foundations of his tower.  Only then will it be strong enough to stand. Merlin is a bastard. No one knows who is father is (spoiler… it’s Ambrosius, Uther’s brother, making him Arthur’s actual uncle), so this makes Merlin the most Famous Bastard in All of the Land. So Vortigern is determined to spill Merlin’s blood. However, Merlin catches wind of this, spins the story like any stellar politician would, and convinces everyone that there are in fact two dragons fighting underground, in the foundations of Vortigern’s tower, and that’s why it keeps falling. There’s a white dragon, signifying Vorgiern, and a red dragon, signifying Ambrosius. The red dragon is victorious! So Vortigern is defeated, and the red dragon still flies as the emblem on the Welsh flag. The Welsh people have also adopted Dinas Emrys as the location for this epic dragon battle, and you can hike to the summit yourself and see the ruins of Vortigern’s tower (some ruins… but more like 11^th century than the 6^th).

Anywho, this film takes EXTREME liberties with this story. Basically, they’re the same character names, and the rest is up for interpretation. In this film, the tower is actually an antenna of some sort for black magic. Right.

Things that are constant: Arthur is the unknown king. Arthur pulls a sword from a stone. A lady of the lake gives the sword back to him. Vortigern wants power and his tower won’t stand.

Yup. That’s it. Merlin is mentioned, but we don’t see him. He sends a mage to guide Arthur to his life as a king.

Things that are wildly redonk: Vortigern and Uther are brothers, the mystical element allows mages and those with power to control animals, thereby including crazy big elephants in the opening scene, and wicked large snakes. There’s also some crazy serpent ladies (including one who looks like the grandmother of the Fat Lady in the portrait from Harry Potter) who demand the blood of a loved one to be spilled in their creepy underground lake in order to grant power to Uther.

Who. Just. Keeps. Killing. His. Loved. Ones…. that's messed up.

So, with regard to an Arthurian retelling, it takes some major liberties. And it’s unsettling.  Its jump cuts, the inappropriate humor, it's a mess of cultures and genres, with some post-modern comic relief that elicits a laugh, but also jars the viewer. Our hero wears white, our villain wears black (and his minions are even called "The Black Legs"...) it's all just so wonderfully predictable.

Pros: what a unique retelling. What a use of the scenery of Snowdonia, and a reinvention of the oft re-told Arthurian legend in an updated, edgy, and functional way. It uses some lovely historical elements and a few names to retell the Arthurian legend sharply, with humor, action, and yes, some eye-rolls. I think you could really enjoy it if you knew nothing about the source material.

Cons: see above. Seriously? Messing with the timeline/bloodlines that much? GIANT ELEPHANTS!? Power antenna?? 

Perspective 2: HOT DAMN! How much fun was that?! I mean, if you’re going to totally disregard the potential of an historical Arthur, not question the likelihood of finding of a dojo in Roman London, ignore the existence of Camelot, Merlin, and any kind of believable through-line, you might as well have fun with it, eh? It has Guy Ritchie stamped all over it—thugs, brash jump cuts in editing, match-edited explanations (i.e. explaining a scene in words as a character mouths those words and we cut away to the action matching those words), crass humour, and moments of intense, gorgeously-filmed action. 

High points: Okay, there were indeed a few nods to the historical Arthur, and the legends that are commonly used and reinterpreted in Arthuriana: it existed in a Roman time (near the end of the Roman rule in London – aka Londinium), Arthur didn’t know his heritage, he pulled a sword from a stone, a lady of a lake gave it back to him… there are a few great nods to our well-studied legends.

But in terms of a reinterpretation, if you’re going to take source material and make it your own, I honestly think King Arthur: Legend of the Sword was a blast.  I think it’ll be attacked by critics, but I had fun. It was clever, fun, action-packed, had excellent effects, good villains, characters I cared about… and the random ninja named George! I mean, why not? If you’re going to have a street-smart posse of thugs, they ought to be named George, Blue, Bill, Wet Stick, and Back Lack.  It was entertaining, great music, super-stylised, and excellent villains/conflicts. No gratuitous love crap, and interesting embracement of power. Arthur was always confident, but it was clear he had a lot to learn, and the pacing of this allowed for a really natural arc for the growth of Arthur.  He had to earn the role of King; believe he could fulfil it, overcome demons, train, and embrace his destiny (and all that wonderful cheesy shtuff). And, in turn, his band of merry fellows fell in line similarly.  The round table at the end was a bit twee (British term for super cheesy), but it worked. He’s not a snot-nosed, silver-spooned king. He worked and was driven for the power he now commands. A round table suited, and someone else knighted him the same way he knighted his knights (pardon the redundancy).

Low Points: Oh it was so gratuitous.... drama, serpents, blood, swearing... it was an old boy's club of redonkulousness. If I was the script editor, it'd be difficult to compliment the lacking through-line of this story, the believability of the villain, and the justification for things like mysticism and mages. It seems rather shoved into the world. It's not 'earned', so to speak. 

Speaking in the language of film overall, however, it was a fun, sharp, and clever film. Surprise surprise, I'm not the script editor, so my thoughts weren't taken into consideration, sadly :) But as a fan and scholar, it was fun. I can take it for the lark that it was, laugh, and enjoy. I loved seeing my home scenery on the big screen (seriously, if that doesn’t convince you that North Wales is the most glorious place ever, there’s not much I can do for you)

So, there’s my bi-brained response. If it’s a gateway for some wonderful geek to get into the legends and origins of King Arthur—brilliant. And if it’s a two-hour romp through the stunning scenery of Snowdonia focused on my hero, King Arthur, and some seriously questionable plot points, line-delivery, diction, and context, but you still laugh out loud …. Then that’s brilliant too!

In short, go see it. It was fun.  I doubt it’ll get multiple sequels.  I can't envision this making bank on its investment (maybe I'll be wrong!) But this one was fun. We shall see, eh? Perhaps if we gaze into the Crystal Cave…

The Hunger Games

So I was in Denver for work when this was released, and the friend I went to see it with said, "Isn't it cool that we're in The Capitol going to see The Capitol?" It took me a minute, but then in made perfect sense... The Capitol is described as being through the Rockies, and in a setting similar to Denver; plus there were a few restaurants and whatnot called The Capitol, spelled that way... it was convincing! How appropriate!

Also, Seneca Crane and Ceasar Flickerman were in the audience of my screening.... they were die-hard fans with really authentic costumes. Seneca even shaved his beard appropriately. I salute that sort of effort.

So here I will give a quick overview of my thoughts on The Hunger Games, directed by Gary Ross based on Suzanne Collins's novel (but if you don't know that already, where have you been? Painted into a rock lying in a riverbed?), and then I'll provide a bit of analysis and discussion on elements of the adaptation, the adaptation process, and personal thoughts on what I loved, what I didn't love, and what was missed in the film.




Review
The Hunger Games-- I was quite nervous about this adaptation. I spoke to some of the development team ages ago when it was just going into the script, and I was frustrated that I didn't get to work with them for long. However, I don't think I had to worry as I did... I was very sceptical, I was nervous, I didn't trust them, I didn't think they understood the span of their fandom and the power that they could wield over the financial returns of the film...

.... but I really shouldn't have worried so much because I think this was a well done adaptation, and a good film in its own right.  It's faithful enough to not upset the fans, it has necessary additional scenes to expand the narrative from the text to the screen without alienating the existing story and to provide enough information for those encountering the story for the first time, the elements of the book that were removed are regrettable (Madge, lamb stew), but I wouldn't have changed much in the film in order to get more of those elements, and at nearly two and a half hours, there wasn't a lot that could be added; the stuff that was there worked; the performances brilliant for the most part; costume, set, and makeup phenomenal, the camera worked as its own narrative tool, the CG while cheesy at times (the flames in the chariot springs to mind) was pretty effective overall (particularly with the tracker jackers and the fire), and I loved the music. I would have added a few things (time with Peeta mostly to develop that emotional relationship), however, but overall I was greatly pleased!

While I liked it at first, after my first viewing, I found myself wanting. I was at a bit of a loss, and slightly perturbed and unsatisfied by the film. However, I'm learning to accept that this is my go-to state after a first viewing. This is the viewing where I'm sitting with a note pad in my lap, marking moments that I have a thought I want to explore later, which may relate to my thesis, which may relate to a script I read last week or a book I'm considering optioning, which repeatedly takes me out of the narrative and into an analytical mindset instead of just watching and experiencing the film, and it's this viewing where the film is complementing or replacing the images in my head from the reading. This is why I wait for after multiple viewing to delve into analysis (I'm on 3; 4 will happen on Thursday when I'm back in Wales).

I left that first viewing feeling a bit angry that I didn't have more Katniss and Peeta affection time, and their relationship I still think is the one that could have used more attention.  I was also quite bothered that in the end of the games they weren't more torn up than they were.  In the book they're on the edge of death, and it was that tear-down to the will to survive, the bringing of the characters to base zero where their continued existence is in question, that really brings home the brutality of the Hunger Games for me. When they are lifted out of the arena in the novel, we don't even know if Peeta is going to live he's lost so much blood.  In this one they've got a few scratches, they're never bordering on dying of thirst or hunger, Katniss seems to still have a functioning ear, they're pretty much always pretty, and Peeta has both legs.

I don't mind detail changes, and encourage them when they don't fit into the film's narrative (like I missed the reference to the mutts' eyes, but it didn't need to be there; the focus of that scene was on running away and surviving; it's a regrettable loss, but not a pivotal one); changes must happen with a media shift like a book to film adaptation, but the emotional change for me was in seeing them brought to near death, The Capitol bringing them back within days and then parading them around for show. It shows the brutality of The Capitol-- their power to save, and yet their refusal to save; only to allow children to kill, and it bonded Katniss and Peeta in a way that no one else would understand; not even past victors because they could never share the experience. Like a war buddy and a lover in one, Katniss and Peeta are bonded by their near-death experiences in the arena, and I missed that in the film.

My favorite moments of Katniss and Peeta, where I think you can see the most natural chemistry and affection is 1) When she thinks that Peeta has died after eating nightlock, and she finds him, hits him, yells at him, swears at him, and then hugs him with relief. It was a genuine reaction of affection, and 2) Right before they're about to eat the nightlock at the end when Peeta touches her braid. It's so sweet and sincere; I really do think that's their most intimate moment because it's not a game, it's not due to any commentary on Haymitch, and seemed a natural movement for Peeta. I wanted it to be the kiss in the cave, but it wasn't for me.

So that's my major complaint of the film; not enough of the emotional development of Peeta and Katniss. Seeds are planted, yes, but Peeta is supposed to be head over heels, crazy mad in love with her, and I could never sense his sincerity; Katniss is possibly playing the game and is uncertain of her feelings, so that's understandable, but the chemistry was still there in the novels, even if the certainty on her side wasn't; the certainty and the chemistry was always on Peeta's side, so I'm sorry that didn't showcase in the film for me.

Additions: They gave more cut back scenes to Gale, keeping him ever in our minds, particularly as these cut backs were almost always in conjunction with a kiss between Peeta and Katniss, illustrating the love triangle.

They also gave more scenes to President Snow, which I think was a very smart move. Donald Sutherland on The Today Show yesterday said that Suzanne Collins (a credited executive producer and part of the screenwriting team) supported the additions so that they gave additional weight to President Snow's threats, thus also illustrating the author's blessing upon the changes from the source text.  We have pages and pages to read about Katniss's internalizations of Snow's treachery and 'rule them all' attitude in the book, but in the film we don't get that kind of access to Katniss's head. Therefore we need more moments with Snow threatening Seneca, ripping apart roses, commenting on containing and defeating the spark of rebellion, and purposefully manipulating people's emotions by giving them hope and then killing it. He was wretched...which is just what he's supposed to be, so well done for those extra scenes. It also cut Seneca a bit of slack, in my mind. He was just a cog in the machine, and not a horrible guy, but raised by a horrible system to commit horrible crimes. Overall he too succumbed to The Capitol and to President Snow's maliciousness.

There were also a few small additions that I appreciated, one in particular was Katniss switching the window in her Capitol room into a forest-- you immediately saw her alienation in this strange, weirdly decorated Capitol filled with gadgets and weird colors. The forest put her back on familiar ground and gave us one of the first glimpses of the human, shaken, and threatened Katniss.

I'm going to depart from my normal pros/cons for this one and discuss it thematically, and a little chronologically instead, as that's how my notes, my head, and my thoughts are rolling!


Analysis

Opening music and titles- I would have chosen a different font (it was a bit too friendly; yes, a font can be friendly), but the information was concise, and projected the overlying serious tone of this film-- uprising = children fighting to the death.

Opening scene in the capitol and switching immediately to the grim District 12 gives immediate contrast to the divide between the Haves and the Have Nots; the rich and those that make them so.

Prim is a very good screamer; terrified and innocent and sincere all at the same time; we hear it again at the reaping-- it's a soul-crushing, heart wrenching scream; I too wanted to protect her.

Gale and Katniss:  I like their ease; in the books its so natural and comfortable; we also have the benefit of learning how long it took them to trust each other and the time put into the friendship to become a partnership; however it's clear that relationship is there in the film with the nicknames, the playing to Katniss's shooting strengths, the suggestion of running away together, and the sharing of the bread... all elements from the novel, but ones that illustrate the unity and partnership of Gale and Katniss. It isn't romantic, it's functional... but it's also affectionate. I always saw brother with Gale, not lover, but that's just me....

Katniss and her Mother: Wow. Way to put it to her that Katniss has been running this family, is strong, in control, the provider, protective (telling Prim what she wants to hear, singing her the lullaby, bringing in the food etc.), and the strong, directive tone to her mother "Don't tune out again... you can't." was really effective.

The Hob- smaller than I'd pictured it, and Greasy Sae was a bit more kind that imagined (I pictured her tough as nails, hard ass), but perhaps a little gentleness was needed in such a harsh atmosphere as District 12, and as we lost Madge, it was nice having the Mockingjay pin come out of a moment of kindness; a glimmer of the goodness still apparent in humanity.

The Reaping- the film at The Reaping was a good filmic device to provide information to those that were not previous fans of the books. It gives insight as to what happened in the past, and the Capitol's rationale in creating the Hunger Games. Gale's mouthing of the words and Effie's miming of them illustrates the repeated use of this film as part of the ceremony, thus giving information to the viewer, but also showing the Capitol's control and exercises of domination over the districts. This is also the first time we see Peeta...
  

Peeta:  We first see him as a scared, shorter-than expected guy, but with a baby face that fit my imaginings of him.  Peeta was a slow burn for me. I didn't like the casting decision early on as I only knew Josh from 'Little Manhattan' and 'Vampire's Assistant,' and I thought him too small... I'm still slightly miffed by a few elements of the script and performance as it felt like a lot of the time he fulfilled the 'Hermione Role' in that he fills in script information. "Katniss, Haymitch is our mentor, we should try to work with him..." he's there to provide information which can come across as 'convenient' at times. However, I'm fully crushing on Peeta. I don't mind admitting it. Josh worked his way into my psyche and has taken over the visual role of Peeta fully in my imagination now.

Color- The color throughout the film is brilliant. Very effective and telling. In District 12, everything is muted. Grays, blues, whites, faded clothes and nothing is outstanding. The red of the banners and the influx of the Capitol stands out against the faded dreariness of the district. Then when we see Effie Trinket for the first time... holy Capitol difference .... bright fuchsia and those gold lips against the stark gray and blue of 12-- it certainly separates Effie as a far, far, FAR cry from 12.

12: Grays, blues, whites, dreary, faded
Capitol: Bright, primary colors and high-intensity and high-saturation colors; also a lot of block colors. There are very few patterns.
Arena: earthy; browns, greens, hiking boots, army green trousers... it's strange that the most 'created' thing, the arena, is the most 'natural.'

Music (and sound below)- I noticed the specific use of the music first in The Reaping, and then again throughout-- first of all, the score is gorgeous. I love James Newton Howard ever since I first heard 'Flying' from 2003's Peter Pan. He weaves a story with sound so well, and I love that he's not afraid to mix medias-- strings, electronic, voices, percussion-- it all knits together very well to create a specific tone for the image it matches. In Hunger Games, I noticed the use of music as a narrative tool more frequently than I have in other films.  Often the sound stops, or the dialogue stops, and music takes over; music can project a feeling so strongly, and this score with its strong base tones (listen to 'The Cave' on the score soundtrack; there is a constant tone across the bottom register... it's almost a buzz it continues so thoroughly that you don't notice it after a few bars. This tone is apparent in a few of the songs, and ties the narrative together, whilst allowing the melodies, the tones and the beats to take on specific actions.

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The Capitol anthem starts and we seize up for all that it embodies; the four-note tone of Rue's call appears and I get chills (you can even download the tone for free from iTunes or amazon-- message alert tone anyone? Yes.), or one of my favorites are the uses of percussion for Katniss's decision or for Snow's impact-- I'm thinking of the scene in the cave where Peeta gets worse and she decides to go to the feast for his medicine. She's serenely staring at him, worried and active, but quiet, and then the drums start (same track as above, it comes in at 2:24) and the first bow stroke and drum beat she is up and decisively moving. The music shift marks her decision and empowers her movements.

Similarly, when Seneca walks into the palace room after the games finish and that crystal bowl of Nightlock berries are there to greet him... then the drums/beats start (that bit doesn't seem to have made the cut to the soundtrack, but it's in the film right after we see the berries). It punctuates the scene and moves the story forward.

And this is just the score... then there's discussion on the lullaby (which has been stuck in my head since I saw it the first time, let alone after three viewings... it's stuck in there now for good!) and the soundtrack itself which I'm a fan of. A few songs feel superfluous (Kid Cudi), but overall the score and the soundtrack give a tonal feel to the film of folk, with acoustic, country, blues artists but also mixed in with new age/electronic/even punk feelings with mixed media instrumentation and edgy artists like Arcade Fire participating. Love, love, love the music. Sometimes I think a score can really make or break my experience with a film...


Sound- Along with the music, there's the overall sound profile of the film with interesting moments to notice.  The silence during The Reaping-- no music, no sounds, little dialogue, and the stunned silence after Katniss takes Prim's place, and District 12 gives the salute.  Again, there is no sound as Katniss and Peeta are taken to the train by Effie; she starts prattering on about washing up and the dialogue recedes, and the music swells, the emotion replacing the dialogue.  It is here that they board the train, and after seeing the disbelief of Katniss when Gale pulled out real bread, or the bath in a bucket, the worn clothes, and the twine as payment for fresh game, we then have the contrast to the sickening decadence of The Capitol. During viewing number three my mother leaned over to me in this scene and said "That's sick." And it was. It was a good shock, showing the inhumanity of The Capitol's 1%. I love that no words were needed; we had Katniss's and Peeta's faces, and the swelling, haunting, and descriptive music.

Similarly with Caesar Flickerman on stage when Katniss first comes out; she's shocked by the size and sound of the crowd, and we hear the muffled, foggy cheers that she hears, effectively putting the audience in her place. There was also silence after Katniss blew up the food and it was silent, then we all got our hearing 'back' only to hear the high pitched buzz, which may represent Katniss's destroyed ear, again putting the audience in Katniss's place. And another at Rue's death, similar to Sirius's death in Harry Potter: OOTP, Harry silently screamed as Lupin held him back; the music took the place of that emotion, and it did the same here with Rue. Katniss falls over her body and mourns her, but silently as the music swells. I also loved this moment how she had arranged the flowers around Rue, and then looked directly into the cameras, as an accusation-- "Look what you did!!" And then the brilliant salute to Rue, and the rebellion in District 11 as the music continues (about 3:00 to the end of that track) to take over; there's no dialogue in that entire section.

Camera- along with the sound, the camera greatly assisted in putting the audience member in the place of Katniss/the tributes.  There was a LOT of hand-held camera work. To the point that I got a bit dizzy at times, especially at the Cornucopia blood bath, and Katniss's fight with Clove. This put us in the games, added to the confusion of who was killed, where, and when, and often gave us Katniss's view as she ran through the woods, or even Rue's view as her vision turned to white in the woods and she passed away.

Supporting Cast: Ooo phenomenal. Particularly Elizabeth Banks who I think got some of the best lines of the film and illustrated really good comedic timing. Plus, she got the best outfits. And I will love Stanley Tucci in nearly anything he ever does. He was a perfect choice for Caesar Flickerman. The hair, the over the top smile, the supportive and encouraging interview style-- it read well on the page, and was performed well on screen. It gives him a role as an entertainment personality, but then you remember it's for a battle to the death of children; someone so kind and welcoming is still ultimately supporting a society of fascism. I even didn't mind Lenny Kravitz. He's not the best actor, and his delivery was a smidge wooden, but he fit the part, I love the retention of just his gold eyeliner as his Capitol garb, and his sincerity works, although I think that's mostly due to Jennifer Lawrence's performance.

I really enjoyed how little the trailer gave away. We had quick flashes to the characters of Cato, Rue, etc. but with none of the expansion of their role in the story. We got to get to know them organically and naturally through the film.  Rue in the nets on the ceiling of the training center, Thresh laughing with her, Cato stirring up trouble and being a bully from the very beginning, and Clove's deadly knives and deadly attitude. It was nice to have all of that revealed for the first time via the film, and not have all revealed in the trailer.

Jennifer Lawrence: How have I not mentioned her yet? She's brilliant. I think her performance was spot on; anger, confusion, frustration, quick-temper but also resourceful, loving, loyal and calculating. She added a gravitas to the film, and a sophistication to the role that is needed for the character. It's not a frivolous one; there are a lot of layers-- Katniss embodies SO much, even though she doesn't realize it, she does. She is freedom, defiance, rebellion etc. She doesn't embrace these desciptors nor does she consciously act on them-- everything she does is from her own motivations, not political ones. However she needs to be able to also become a symbol; we need to see what the other citizens of Panem see-- The Mockingjay, and the embodiment of the hope needed to overcome the regime.

Plus I want her boots, her hair, and her kick-ass nature...


The Love Story (stories): There was also very little of the love story (stories) explored in the trailer. We got to have that drama introduced during the film.

I have to say I wasn't over thrilled by the love story of Katniss and Peeta in the film as I said above. I've never been overly focused on the relationships; I'm not Team Peeta or Team Gale, I'm team Katniss. She rules, and why does a main focus of the story have to be her choice of man? However, I still have enough cheesy teenage girl in me that I loved the flutter of love, and crushed on Peeta throughout the three books.  For the film, however, I was initially somewhat disappointed by Peeta, I didn't believe his love for Katniss, there wasn't enough kissing, the sincerity of the attraction wasn't convincing, but I like the relationship so well from the book I can't help but still be crushing on Josh, purely because he embodies Peeta. It's a lot like the Twilight effect, as my friend Ashley pointed out. The script was rough, the performances a bit forced, but you want them to succeed so much because you too crushed on a sparkly vampire that you're willing to overlook the cheesy lines, the overly-delivered performances, and the crush perpetuates.

Hence why I can't stop looking at this:

Moments I loved:
"Thank you for your consideration"

"Loosen your corset, and have a drink."

"He made you look desirable, sweetheart..."

Katniss's anger at Peeta after the Caeser interview and her slamming him into the wall-- great performance, great emotion, and good apology later.

As Ashley said, "Holy tracker jacker jesus...." great scene

The cut to the Gamemakers right after Katniss and Peeta put the medicine on each other; it's a lovely moment, and they cut immediately to the Gamemakers who are in a trance; rapt attention whilst watching this moment with the rest of Panem. It's as if they've captured the Gamemakers, putting the power into Katniss and Peeta's hands.

The rebellion scene in District 11; I found it even more emotional than Rue's immediate death because you could see the effect of the games... and recognize the pain they all feel, but are generally unable to show due to The Capitol's wrath.




Things I missed:
The inner dialogue of Katniss. It wouldn't have worked on film; I acknowledge this, but it was hard to attribute just how calculating and bright Katniss is when you only have visuals to work with. They did a great job showing the extended hunting scene in the beginning; figuring out the wind was blowing her scent to the deer, her skill with a bow, her strength of character taking care of her family... that was a lot of exposition and character development accomplished visually, but I still did miss the inner dialogue and the discussion we had access to as readers.

Katniss screaming Peeta's name the second that they announce partners are allowed. I loved that moment in the book; her complete abandonment of safety, and an honest reaction that gives the reader (and would have given the viewer) a hint as to her potential affection for Peeta.


Right... surely that's enough for now... I'll keep mulling stuff over, I see a scene-analysis in my future, and I know I had some questions from my Hunger Games trailer analysis post that I'll get to answering as well, but this should be enough to be getting on with. I welcome any and all comments!

I'm lecturing at Arcadia University tomorrow, then flying back to Wales tomorrow night and will have a few days of relaxation in my cottage in the valley, with thesis-writing, script-reading, pony-patting, and Peeta-dreaming.

Happy Hunger Games!

The cast all sorts of healthy and happy... and clean, from their Vanity Fair photo shoot!

which looks suspiciously like the Twilight shoot from awhile ago...

Breaking Dawn Part 1: Reactions

First reaction: Fans will be happy, filmmakers will be happy (hello box office intakes!), and color-me-wrong, I thought this film would be ridiculous, awkward for the wrong reasons, rough, and a bit painful to sit through-- it was not! I rather enjoyed it from beginning to end! Definitely some cheese-moments, a lot of eye-rolling worthy lines, but I've come to enjoy and embrace those fabulously cheesetastic moments! It's not going to win any Oscars, and I probably don't need to see it more than maybe once or twice for analysis reasons, but I was entertained.

If you're a not a fan of the books, I think you can skip over this film; it's not gonna make cinematic history except maybe with regard to box office earnings. If you are a Twilight fan, however, I think you'll be very satisfied with this film.

Explanation: Breaking Dawn is the film that I was most skeptical about. Even Meyer wasn't sure it was going to be four books, she thought it would be over at three, so the fourth, while it tied up a lot of loose ends (except for Leah, of course), it felt a bit gratuitous, and splitting it into two-- well, a bit fluffy and indulgent. Don't get me wrong, I loved it! I love any excuse to spend more time reading in a corner about the characters I've grown to love (hence the initial obsession with Pottermore-- although that's waning... hrm, that's for another post), but it never felt like a very strong story. The first half really just consisted of marriage, honeymoon, pregnancy, and could be done in about 12 minutes of film, so I was wary and concerned for how they would stretch this into two films, as there's not a lot of conflict going on in that first bit (yes, the wolves, yes Bella and Edward fighting... but I never had the feeling that a ton was on the line; it was fairly static). The second half gets more complicated with tons of randomly introduced characters, a building and epic battle, with no battle...  but all of that being said, I still ate up every word, read it multiple  times etc. etc. It was fun, but it wasn't the strongest in terms of story and construction. It was just fun and indulgent. We're all allowed a little non-brain-heavy fun.

Blissed-out Teenage Love

However, it's a crazy different tone of book. All of a sudden we are asked to believe a lot of strange and convenient things (Vampires can be dads? Ok! Wolves can imprint at any age? Ok! Jacob was attracted to a fetus? OK!), so perhaps (aside from box office returns) the thought for two films was that it was going to take us, the audience, a little bit of time to get from seeing this blissed-out, teenage couple, to seeing them as a married couple, and then as married future parents. That's what I took from it anyway, because I enjoyed the film; I didn't find it dragging (except the speeches at the wedding... horrible! Not even funny, just bad. Cutting room floor); it was well-paced, and gave ample time for us to understand and come to terms with all of their fluctuating reactions from bliss (wedding/honeymoon) to acceptance (Bella at first nudge, Edward at first thought-reading).

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I was rather impressed for how they accomplished all that they had to with this film. Fans will be happy with this film, I think, because it's so bloody true (pardon the pun) to the book. And why on earth, at this point in the Twilight Saga's lifespan should the filmmakers look to satisfy anyone but the fans? Give the people what they want! Plot points! Gorgeous Wedding! Cute boys in tuxes and topless! Precision with details! Hot sex and smashed headboards!

We're not looking for best screenplay here, we're looking for satisfaction for the series that so many have grown to love, and hate, and perhaps love again (have you noticed how it's pretty cool to hate Twilight right now? And yet it's projected that Breaking Dawn: 1 will break box office records? Funny... haters still gotta see it, eh? :), but even though it might not win an academy Award, that does not mean that it was a bad film. I think this executed a popular text really well, and did so logically and thematically, with ample moments of emotion and beauty (yes, I shed a tear at the wedding-- the look on Charlie's face as he gives her away-- it kills me!). 

Anywho, so overall I was well pleased. It was well shot, great use of color, fab special effects (the change), the wolves have improved although are still clearly CG, and the cast seems really comfortable with each other and in their roles (particularly the Bella-Edward, Bella-Charlie, and Bella-Jacob). 

DISCLAIMER!

Right, I'm calling the next section "reactions" instead of "analysis" because that will come in time. When I try to do all of it in one blog post, my head explodes, and I'm guessing not a single person gets the whole way through it.... so, this bit is reactions, and I'll do some analysis of specific scenes as requested (if there's a scene in particular you want me to look at, let me know! Right now I'm thinking about the kiss at the wedding... we'll see what else springs to mind).

Reactions:

Titles: Straight in with the titles; I like that-- and effective "BAM! Here begins the story!" moment. I also love that they were a burgundy red, fading into an icy blue. It's the red of human life, fading into the icy blue of a vampire one (Get it? Get it?), especially with the rising sun, shedding light onto the 'new life.'

Voice Over: Intriguing how Bella focuses on childhood; she's about to step into her own marriage, thereby shedding the cover of childhood and stepping into adulthood, but the line "Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies," immediately refers to the vampire life, and made me think of Renesmee, and the questions of mortality that are still to come. Heavy stuff for 30 seconds into the film, eh?

The Trio: The relationship between them is shifting, and it was well handled. They finally look less awkward and stilted in their roles too, which helps.  It's understood the boys don't like each other, but what they have in common (Bella) is strong enough for them to get past their jealousy. I like that in the opening shot we have a sandwich of scenes of the trio: 1) Jacob opening the invitation and running for it, 2) Bella packing up her childhood in her room, and stroking the dreamcatcher that Jacob made for her, and then 3) Edward arriving, and filling her in on his darker past (p.s. They finally got the flashbacks right! It was well-shot, costuming appropriate, and it didn't make me cringe).

They have a good chemistry, all three of them, and as Bella calms Edward's fears about being a monster, it's a real conversation; it doesn't feel trite and cliche...instead it seems sincere and assuring; heavy on the cheese, but again, I've accepted that. Jacob and Bella really do appear best buds, and I like how they can call each other on their crap. Very real.

Oooo pretty. And look! Stephanie! And Wyck! And Melissa!

The Wedding: There may have been more hype about this dress than Kate Middleton's! I liked it, and a little bit more on the sexy side than I was picturing. You hear the description from the book-- 1918's, lace, satin, long sleeves, and you picture a dowdy, frumpy thing; or at least I did. This one was lovely; just a bit of lace at the sleeves, and those buttons going up the sheer almost back-less dress-- gorgeous! 

-The Aisle: I like the lack of dialogue; instead, there was a build up of strings, her relaxing after seeing Edward's smile, and the strong crescendo and break of the music as she approaches him. Brilliant pacing, building the tension and excitement, and infusing the scene with emotion.

-Cameo! I loved that Stephanie Meyer, Melissa Rosenberg (screenwriter) and Wyck Godfrey (producer) got to "attend" this scene, too. Fun little nod to them. 

Color scheme!

-The colors. the focus on spring, the emphasis on brown and green of the woods, with purple all around and a touch of gold from the Denali clan--- I couldn't help but notice these were the same colors as the meadow-- green, brown, with purple, white, and yellow flowers :) Intentional? I'm going to guess yes. Very little in a film is unintentional. Not when $127 million is being spent. I can also see this color scheme/wedding design inspiring weddings for years, and years, to come! 

-Charlie. Stop. Just stop. I got teary! I did not expect that! The look on his face when he gave her away, and his hesitancy to give her away at all; from the time he read the invitation, until he held her arm down the aisle-- lovely. Flippin' love Charlie and Billy Burke's portrayal of him.  I also like how they slipped Sue Clearwater into these scenes. Cleverly placing her into the scene, making her a normal fixture in his life, and someone that he fetches champagne for :) I also enjoyed Charlie's "that's just weird" comment about the graduation caps at the Cullen's house.

-The kiss. Great chemistry, and I love how Bella grabs onto the lapel of Edward's jacket. Cute. It was also very effective that the wedding guests 'disappear' during the kiss, so it seems as if it's just the two of them sharing this intimate moment. Also, how rockin' was it that 'Flightless Bird', the Iron and Wine song that played during the gazebo dance at the prom in Twilight (2008) comes back for this moment. Even the camera shots are the same. Spins around them, cuts back and forth to each face... it really brings the love from the first film through to the fourth; as if that love at first sight was the same; strong, true and consistent throughout; this wedding was just the formal realization of it.

-The speeches. They were horrid. CUT! I know they were meant to be awkward, but really... cut. But I loved that Carter Burwell brought the Bella's lullaby theme from Twilight (2008) back into the score, playing softly as Edward gave his speech about his bride. Again, tying that first film through to this one.

Volvo- Of course they drive away in a Volvo! Black this time :) It really does look like a shot directly from the 'Forks' game Volvo did a few years ago. Clever!

Rio: I'm glad we had a little bit of time to watch the happy couple as a honeymooning couple together. It gives a firm grounding to the substantial crap that they have to deal with afterwards. But  right now, they're newlyweds, they're away from their family, away from being the center of attention, in a lively and exciting city with lots of people making out on the street and playing music, so how nice that they get to have a romantic, hot little dance, and then escape to their paradise-like bliss on Isle Esme. And what a beautiful shot of Rio in the moonlight as a single boat speeds away into the open ocean. 

The First Time: Surely this is the most anticipated scene in all of Twilight.  And tell me if you agree, but I think it was pretty damn bang-on to the book. What I remember when reading that section was the horrible awkwardness; the insecurity and the bravery needed to take that first step sans robe into the ocean, and I think this scene really hit that home. The awkwardness staring over the bed at each other, I like her 'human moment' being a total girl and shaving her legs, fixing her hair etc, freaking out at Alice for only packing ridiculous lingerie, and finally sucking it up, realizing the guy she loved was out there in the water, and just walking to him. 

Lotsa destruction

I like that they didn't show much in the actual scene. The headboard breaking, and Bella assuring him she's fine, and that's about it. What was really well done, however, was Bella remembering it the next morning. It was sensual, intimate, accurate (of course we all replay our first kiss/whatever over and over), filled with extreme close-up shots bringing the audience into the ooey-gooey mentality of "that was lovely" so when Edward comes in and is all depressed and angry with himself, we're mad too at his incredible ability to buzz-kill! 

Nice chess set!

Nice touches: The chess set (very clever), the humor moments as the housekeepers silently takes out the shattered bed... but where are the eggs she eats so much of?

Finding Out She's Preggers: Nice timing with Alice ringing the second that Bella realizes what has happened, and prior to this moment, Bella and Edward have hardly separated. Even when they're doing something apart- like sitting across from each other playing chess- they're still leaning towards eachother; touching at any opportunity, and all over eachother snuggling etc. As soon as the discovery of the pregnancy is clear, Edward removes himself from the picture. He distances himself, and even in the car they don't touch. Clearly he's freaked out, but filmicly, this is good depiction of him mentally and physically removing himself from the situation in order to "deal with it."

I'm not going to get into the abortion chat. We all know it's ridiculous that Edward and Carlisle start to plan it without even consulting her, and I like that Edward gets a bit mad at her for not even involving him in her decision, but isn't it interesting that he didn't really make any initial effort to involve her either! Right... not getting into that...

The Pack Communication: It's a good move to shift attention constantly onto Jacob and his movements since he plays such a large part in this film.  They show him on the beach talking about imprinting, showing Claire the two year old, re-introducing the "it's not creepy, I swear" mentality, and I thought the way they handled the pack's communication was pretty decent. The wolves themselves are still clearly CG-ed, and at times laughable, not brilliant, but not as bad as the first version, but I liked that the chatter within the pack was constantly going. It was loud, busy, every thought... just how I imagined it would be. It wasn't overly confusing, so that was well handled by the filmmakers, but it was accurate in showing the horrible power of the alpha order, and the 'voices in the head' commentary they always hear. You can understand why Leah and Seth might want to leave for moral and personal reasons; it's just be a lot quieter! And when Jacob took up the mantle of Alpha, it was epic; the whining of the dogs, with the bending to the will, then fighting back, rising up, and leaving. Hello drama!

More accuracy from the book: Seriously, they stuck so closely to the details, it was nice to see the extra effort in there, even switching the blood from a glass to the plastic cup with a straw when Bella starts drinking blood; showing her mouth completely full of blood though-- that was striking. It might be hiding the blood from Bella to make it 'easier to swallow,' but the audience had no such luxury; we could see exactly what she had to do for this baby.

    -I also liked this bit when Alice grabs Jasper and says 'Walk with me' to get him out of the room and away from the blood. Cute.

The Cullen color-scheme, Blues, silvers, whites and greys

Edward Aplogizes: Thank goodness he finally joined #TeamBella and apologized for leaving her alone in all of this, and we finally get a glimpse of the happy family that they could become as he hears the baby's thoughts for the first time.  Bella is often in blues and grays in these scenes, which is interesting since that was always the color scheme of the Cullens, particularly in the first film. It was advertised, illustrated and focused on, and here is Bella, gray in skintone now too as she looks just slightly better than dead, wearing blues, and steely grays, taking additional steps towards becoming a Cullen.

Jacob distracting the other pack: Very effective storytelling technique.  It shows clearly which side he is choosing, and gives us a quick view of what's going on whilst Bella is stuck in the house.

She has looked better...

The Birth: Holybloodygooeygory. We knew it would be bad, there's no way for it to be pretty and easy, but I wasn't entirely prepared for blood and guts all over Edward. It was well shot though. Tough, red, fuzzy, clear for when Bella sees Rennesmee, and then the turmoil as they desperately try to turn her.  That was one hell of a syringe going into her chest; the dense, silver venom, and Stewart can play a corpse well.  She looked horrific! I was convinced.  The actual process of turning was brilliantly shot; it'd be so easy for that to be super-cheesy, but I just found it really interesting to see a visualization of what that process might look like. Red, fleshy and bloody, turning black like lava with a burning underneath, and then switching to dimondy-iciness.  

The Fight Scene: How nice it was to see it since we didn't get that chance in the books. It was interesting to see Edward's understanding of the imprinting, and the immediate backing off of the other pack. Granted it was a "convenient moment" for one of the 'basic laws' to be no harming someone who a wolf imprinted upon, but hey, it worked! It was also very well-shot. It was so tightly packed, that you couldn't tell who was where, and it built the suspense and our concern for the characters. We didn't want any of them to get hurt, and the confusion and close-ness of that filming added to that.

Rennesmee: she's pretty damn cute.

The Change: Brilliant. She looked horrible. Literally a corpse; underfed, bad color, unhealthy... and then... we see the venom flow through, her hair get shinier, her dress fills out, the cuts on her arm heal, her spine snaps back into place, color into her lips, and the dark circles removed from her eyes. Such a neat visualization, and satisfying somehow to see the power of the venom and how it changed each of them.  

Final shot: I CALLED IT! I totally called it (yes, yes, Maggie, pat on the back, I promise to gloat no longer), I had guessed that the final shot would be Bella opening her eyes, and them being blood red. I'm sure I can come up with multiple witnesses if required. Whoop!

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The flashback in this bit again really ties the first film through to the last. Similar to the end of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix --purely with regard to what it made me think about-- where Harry is possessed by Voldemort and flashes back to all of those scenes with his loved ones-- we got to relive the series. We got to remember the first time we saw those scenes, how they affected us originally and what they have contributed to: a huge saga of drama and emotion! It was nice to see the first meeting, the first dance, the departing in New Moon, the reunion etc. 

Extra scene: Who doesn't love the fact that the Volturi are spelling and grammar fiends? Love it. Plus it also reintroduces them into our minds; they see the Cullens as a threat, know that the coven has grown, and we now know that they are a threat-- which leads us gracefully into Breaking Dawn: Part 2.

RIGHT! Let me know if you have specific requests for scenes to analyze, and by the way, what did you think?!


UPDATE:
Ahhh and I love, LOVE Marah Eakin for this article.  and the link inside the article for the piece last year from Genevieve Koski. Stop hatin' Twilighters, and don't judge or read too hard into anything... fans deserve some cred, folks!