Plot
After human Bella (Stewart) and vampire Edward (Pattinson) get married, they finally consummate their relationship. But when Bella suddenly becomes impregnated with a human-vampire hybrid which is growing at an accelerated rate, her health deteriorates and it looks unlikely that she’ll survive the birth. With the local wolf pack circling, Jacob (Lautner) works with the Cullens to protect Bella…
Review
As the end approaches, Twilight goes all Harry Potter. Splitting the final book into two movies, this means that Twi-hards will get twice as much to Rob-sess over and haters will get double the amount to hate on / avoid like the plague. For the former, there’s plenty of big saga moments to get excited about, while for the latter the teen-pleasing antics will prove as flat and joyless as ever.
But while the usual po-faced declarations of eternal love are present and correct, Breaking Dawn – Part 1 occasionally veers into unusually horrific territory. Since the aforementioned big moments (the much-anticipated wedding, the bed-wrecking wedding night) are as anti-climactic as they tend to be in real life, what you’ll remember is the surprising gruesome-ness. Indeed, the prolonged pregnancy section (which seems to go on forever) feels more like something from a body horror than the usual swoony romancing we’re used to, while Bella’s emaciated state and the subsequent birth are actually quite disturbing.
Unfortunately though, new director Bill Condon is unable to overcome a number of problems. While both Robert Pattinson and Taylor ‘Who needs a shirt?’ Lautner are better than ever, Pattinson seems (understandably) bored with the role and Lautner is saddled with the same lovesick, third-wheel material. Bella is as unhappy as ever (despite literally being on her honeymoon) and a scene where CGI wolves talk amongst themselves may be the series’ naffest point to date, while even for a Twilight movie there’s not much action. Again, supporting players Anna Kendrick, Billy Burke and Michael Sheen are as good as they are underused, but fleeting moments of intensity aren’t enough.
Verdict
While venturing into uncharted body horror territory, Breaking Dawn – Part 1 will do what the previous three instalments have: give the fans something to Rob-sess over and give the haters something to hate.
