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Movie Review: "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1"

Unless you've been living somewhere far removed from Planet Earth, you probably have heard that the next installment of the "Twilight" series has arrived in theatres. While there are only four books, the last one was so complex that it has been divided into two films, the second of which will be released a year from now. I was fortunate enough to catch "Breaking Dawn, Part 1" on the day of its release.

Caution: for those who have not read the books, some of the following might be considered mild spoilers.

The basic story so far is that 18-year-old Bella Swan, after moving to the tiny town of Forks, Washington, has fallen in love with Edward Cullen, a vampire forever frozen at the age of 17. The rival for her affection and loyalty is Jacob Black, a Native American teen who is a werewolf and a natural enemy of vampires. Bella has decided to sacrifice her mortality to become like Edward, on the condition that she marries him first.

"Breaking Dawn" is an appropriate title because it signifies a new beginning for Bella. She has graduated from high school and is ready for the transition of becoming a wife. The film opens with preparations for a wedding at the fantastic Cullen residence. The Cullens, while not biologically related, are all vampires created by the same individual, and they function as a family. They blend into society because they do not consume human blood, instead hunting wildlife as many humans do. The only ones in on the secret are Bella, the werewolves and other vampires. Thus most of the wedding guests are clueless.

The actual wedding is everything for which a Twi-hard could dream. The setting is gorgeous, Bella wears a stunning gown, and Edward is so happy he nearly has color in his cheeks. It's the fairy tale that some women plan from childhood. Yet this also signifies the end of Bella's childhood. She has grown from a girl with an intoxicating crush to a woman taking a forever vow.

Understandably upset about this arrangement is Jacob. His tribe has a temporary truce with the Cullens on the condition that they not harm a human. Bella becoming a vampire would not only violate the treaty, it would also mean the end of his best friend.

When Bella departs for a honeymoon with an unknown destination, her goodbyes to her parents have a double meaning. Her mother and father of course are wistful about losing their little girl to marriage, not knowing that they may never see her again in human form, or indeed in any form. I always found it ironic that dad Charlie is the town's police chief and never figured out that his son-in-law is a vampire or that his best friend's son is a werewolf.

If the wedding weren't fabulous enough, the honeymoon location is even more breathtaking. We all know what is supposed to happen on one's wedding night, but there is a potential problem: Edward is much stronger than a human, and he fears harming Bella. His bride, on the other hand, has the same jitters as any other virgin bride. Their experience is both amusing and beautiful.

Their wedded bliss, however, quickly takes an unexpected turn. Bella becomes pregnant, something that was not thought possible. And the pregnancy does not take the normal human course, but one fairly terrifying.

Bella is rushed to the Cullen's home in secrecy, and excuses are given to her family to prevent them from seeing her. But Jacob is informed of the situation, and he is torn between wanting to help take care of Bella and wanting to exact revenge on Edward.

One tidbit I'd like to pass along. Don't leave until the very end. Most of the audience in my theatre left as soon as the credits started, and they missed an important final scene.

I think "Breaking Dawn" is the best of the movies so far. The storytelling is more fluid, the photography is consistently visually pleasing, and Kristen Stewart's and Robert Pattinson's acting has improved (Taylor Lautner's could still use a bit of work, though). The werewolf sequences are good but not great in terms of looking realistic. There are other effects that I found impressive, but I decline to go into detail as it might spoil a particular scene. The soundtrack is good as always, and as always, there isn't a physically unattractive major character in the film.

As with most adaptations of books, there are some differences in the screen version of the story. "Breaking Dawn" was written from multiple characters' points of view, and except for one scene featuring Jacob, this was not done in the film. Some changes were necessary for ratings purposes. None that I saw were so major that they compromised the story.

Do you need to have read the book to like this movie? No. Do you need to have seen the previous "Twilight" films? Not necessarily, but you might be a bit confused as to why the vampires and werewolves hate each other so intently. Other than that, newbies would probably enjoy this.

"Breaking Dawn, Part 1" is rated PG-13, which is appropriate in this case. There is sex, but it is within the context of marriage, and there is a bit of tasteful nudity but nothing excessive. This film does not contain a high gore content, but some of the content does have a creepiness factor more implied than shown. Parents should decide on an individual basis whether they think their pre-teen should see this. Emotionally mature kids who have read and were okay with the book would probably be fine.

The "Twilight" saga is drawing toward a strange but satisfying conclusion. I left the theatre thoroughly entertained. The only downside is having to wait an entire year for Part 2.