The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn- Part 1: Movie Review

Directed by Bill Condon
Screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg, based on the novel by Stephanie Meyer.
Running Time: 117 minutes (1h, 57 mins.)
Rated PG-13 (for disturbing images, violence, sexuality/partial nudity and some thematic elements).
Distributor: Summit Entertainment

Here we go again. We get another one of these films. You know, the one with the sparkling vampire and the girl who falls madly in love with him. When you really think about it, you gotta wonder why anyone, especially a mother of three, write this? That question won't really matter to anyone anymore since it's a worldwide success and it's making teen heartthrobs out of almost every young cast member involved. So now we come to the first part of the final film in the series, which means Summit Entertainment used the Harry Potter trick in order to make more money. Does it work? Not to sound like every other film critic but keep reading to find out...

If you're a fan of the series, then you already know the story. If not, then here's this brief description. Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), along with everyone close to them, must deal with a chain of tragic consequences brought on by their marriage and their unexpected pregnancy, which will lead to a childbirth that could kill her. If anything, just watch the trailer and the countless television spots. They help. Now, I want to make clear that I am not a fan of the Twilight saga. Even though I don't exactly mind seeing the movies, I think we all know that they're the franchise that made vampires lame. The countless Twilight wannabes don't help either, especially The Vampire Diaries. Worst. One. Yet.  True Blood is more of a better show. At least some of the vampires on that show are badass. But we're not talking about those two, so let's get back to Twilight.

As you know, this is the first part of the film, which I felt was weird because it seemed like everything big in this part happened. Yeah, I know Harry Potter did it, but they had enough material to split it into a two-parter. This however, doesn't. As I mentioned before, the two-parter trick was obviously done by the studio to make more money off this franchise, but it probably could have worked better had it been one long movie. Then again, with the exception of the fans, why would anyone want to sit through two-and-a-half to three hours of this? The performances are more of the same. Kristen Stewart is a notable example, at least in some scenes. I never liked her character and this film didn't change that at all.

In the first film, she was a little crazy. In New Moon, which is the worst film in the series, she went beyond crazy and acted like a total bitch. In Eclipse, she's still a bitch, always pitting the vampire and the werewolf against each other. In this one, she proves herself as needy, an example being a montage of scenes set during the aftermath of their time...you know...under the covers. After their first night of doing it, Bella wants it again and Edward refuses, only to give in later. Taylor Lautner starts okay, but gets progressively worse as the movie goes on. Most of his dialogue doesn't work and his character still constantly has hissy fits, especially in an unintentionally hilarious scene involving him in his wolf form and the rest of his wolf pack. When it comes to the three of them, Robert Pattinson was probably the better performer. Supporting is the same, not that it's a bad thing to these guys: Ashley Greene, Elizabeth Reaser, Peter Facinelli, Anna Kendrick, Billy Burke, Sarah Clarke and Kellan Lutz. As for Michael Sheen, I wondered why he was credited because he isn't even in the entire film. The only time you ever get to see him is right after the credits, which you should probably stay for if you want to get an actual hint of what will happen in part two.

The director this time around is Bill Condon. You might know him as the director of Gods and Monsters, Kinsey and Dreamgirls. Like the second film, it's looks like anyone could have directed this. At least in the first film, Catherine Hardwicke put some of her own visual style into the mix. Same with David Slade in the third. I think they should get someone like Zack Snyder to direct one of these films. I know it's too late now, but come on, think about it. Melissa Rosenberg returns as screenwriter and the script this time isn't that bad. Yes, despite some unintentionally funny scenes, there are also scenes that do contain some of the emotional, character-driven depth that was missing from the others. I do have to say the action scenes aren't shot that well. They're set in places so dark, I almost thought I was watching the film in 3D.

I didn't expect too much from this film, seeing as it's a Twilight movie. They were scenes that worked and they were scenes that didn't work. There are moments of interesting intensity (especially the scenes with Bella and the growing demon baby) and moments of unintentional laughter. I found myself in a mixed bag with this fourth entry, so I think the least I can give it is **1/2 (Two stars and a half).