MANILA, Philippines - Wondering whether you should watch the final installment of the Twilight series, Breaking Dawn 2?
If it helps, the church endorses it.
The Catholic Initiative for Enlightened Movie Appreciation (CINEMA), also known as the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) film rating and classification board on Tuesday, November 20, endorsed the vampire-themed film in its blog, for the values it promotes.
"CINEMA recommends both the novel and the movie for teenagers as it brings into focus the value of marriage, the need to protect life in the womb and the importance of family," the blog read.
It gave the film a moral assessment of 3.5 stars out of 5.
The review contradicts past reviews by the Vatican. In 2009, the Vatican slammed New Moon, the second flick in the Twilight saga, and called it a "deviant moral vacuum."
The movie series, based on books by American author Stephenie Meyer, is centered around a love story between a vampire and a human.
Best lesson
The CBCP Cinema review highlighted familial values in promoting the film, which it said the movie focused on.
"If there is one thing Breaking Dawn 2 emphasizes it is the importance of family and how one's love for them would compel us to sacrifice, fight and risk everything for their sake. The film also shows that a family not only means one blood relative," the blog read.
It went on to say that while the story may at first seem trivial and only centered on vampires, this is not the case.
It added, "Breaking Dawn 2 — and perhaps the entire Twilight series — is not a vampire story where the creatures kill or are hunted, but a story about love, acceptance, family and sacrifice set in a time where vampires and werewolves existed."
The blog also acknowledged criticism toward Kristen Stewart's role as Bella in the previous films, and the disdain of critics toward "a girl chasing a boy."
But it defended her character in this flick, saying "a more mature and selfless Bella emerges and shifts her attention from herself and her heartaches, to her family and loved ones."
'Oh, the irony'
Upon hearing the news, netizens flocked to social media to express their reactions. Most were surprised, others were annoyed, while a number of online users showed amusement.
Still others criticized the church for promoting a film that netizens believed had anti-Catholic values.
Below is a compilation of the tweets Rappler saw on Twitter:
source: Catholic church recommends Breaking Dawn 2; netizens react