12

Monday, August 4, 2008
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom

BLOOD
From Page 10
point: "the age of immortal
infants" - what?) an omnipres-
ent and strange oversight. But in
the most pivotal turning point of
"Breaking Dawn," she does not
even pay her faux pas even this
rudimentary attention.
Asked to sum up the book in
one word, the first thing that
comes to mind is ... heavy. Dense.
Plot-laden. Or strangled, rather.
The final installmentis less alight
page-turner and more an exhaust-
ing chore than its predecessors.
The book could easily be broken
into two separate stories, possibly
more. Considering Meyer's popu-
larity and the incredible length of
the book, it's hard to imagine why
this didn't happen - unless the
author was concerned that after
the initial round of resolutions,
fans wouldn't bother to read fur-
ther. But if the second story isn't
good enough to stand on its own,
serious consideration should be
given as to whether it should have
been published at all.
The book isn't all bad, though.
Another departure in the fourth
book is a shift in style. Readers
get a break from Bella, as the
werewolf, Jacob, refreshingly,
takes over to narrate the middle
chunk of the book.

MUMMY
From Page 10
committee-thinking and power-
lunching, where no idea is reject-
ed by the filmmakers. Too bad
the writers' strike had to happen.
Otherwise, crap like this wouldn't
have been rushed into production.
Only coked-out execs with deep
pockets think that dragons-ver-
sus-mummies-versus-machine
guns would be awesome. Sans
narrative. Well, it could be awe-
some - if it were executed with a
wee shred of intelligence.
Rob Cohen, the director, is
a Harvard graduate. What the
hell happened here, then? Not
to get into rankings or rivalries
- I know my place - but shouldn't
that degree produce a man that
makes films with more thought
and care? Instead, he gives us junk
like "XXX," "Stealth" and "The
Fast and the Furious." It really is
who you know, isn't it?
Cohen's a 59-year-old grown
man, and yet he's spending money
to show us hits to show us crotch-

hits and crappy CGI. I don't know
whether this says more about him-
self or the underestimation for his
audience.

4

Young love for the undead.
True to form, Meyer's plot is
fun and fanciful. She weaves a
satisfyingly intricate tale. (Don't
try this book before you the first
three.) The world she has cre-
ated is magnified in this volume,
a delightful blend of comic-book
superhero abilities, a behemoth
length "Lord of the Rings"-esque
cast list (Do I hear "spin-offs,"
anyone?) and interesting twists
and turns - even if her charac-
ters are remarkably slow (though
notably quicker than in previous
volumes) to realize developments

Meyer alludes with unnecessary
obtuseness. The book is darker
and more sci-fi-oriented Meyer's
early works. But fear not - those
who have clung to the "vampire
smut" element of the series will
not be disappointed.
"Breaking Dawn" leaves a lot
of room for criticism. But those
who rabidly criticize it are miss-
ing the point. "Breaking Dawn"
satiates the- lingering thirst of
die-hards and casual readers
alike - even if it doesn't quite
hit the spot.

Where will you study abroad?

I
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