The first part of the final chapter of the Twilight saga is a well produced love story; still, the pace of the story is painfully slow, there’s hardly any action, and, in short, the film is best suited to the fans.

Plot
It’s wedding time in the small town of Forks. Bella and Edward’s dreams come true as they get to say “yes” to each other in front of their families and all their friends in a beautiful ceremony. Only Jacob, who is also in love with Bella, is not present; however, he’s not far away.

After the wedding, the new husband and wife leave for their honeymoon. They arrive at a beautiful island in the Pacific, where they consummate their marriage and spend some happy days together. But when Bella realises that she is pregnant, and that the foetus is growing at an alarming rate, drama ensues.

No one knows what will happen with the baby. Will it become a blood thirsty vampire monster, or will it inherit its parents’ good heart? Jacob’s werewolf clan isn’t going to take any chances, and decide to kill the infant. At the same time, it turns out that the unborn child is extraordinarily strong, and Bella is at risk of dying before or during giving birth. Neither Edward nor Jacob is willing to accept this, and is prepared to sacrifice everything to save the love of their lives.

Quality and Theme
The final novel of the Twilight saga has been produced as two films, and, in the first film, almost all of the action has been left out. The first hour of the film is basically about the wedding and the honeymoon, and, quite frankly, there are limits to how much lovey-dovey stuff you can take before you get fed up. When Bella realises that she is pregnant with a potentially dangerous child, the story changes pace; still, the characters continue mainly talking about their feelings. The lack of action in a film about vampires and werewolves is remarkable, and, at times, you get the feeling that you are watching a never ending soap opera.

However, the Twilight saga is first and foremost a love story, and this film is really about being willing to sacrifice everything for the one you love. Twilight fans will surely love the film. It is well made, it stays faithful to the novel and the male main characters will continue to charm teenage girls. Still, from a neutral perspective, this is the poorest film of the franchise so far. Hopefully, part 2 will be better, and provide a thrilling end to the saga.

Suitability
”The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1” has a 12A rating. Even though there is little action in the film, there still are some dark and gloomy scenes. The werewolves in particular, are quite scary at times. For this reason we recommend that no children younger than the age of 12 are allowed to watch the film.

Conclusion
Fans cannot miss this film. Everyone else might be happier waiting for the final part, which will be released next year.

Facts

Director: Bill Condon Genre: Drama/Adventure Actors: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, Rami Malek, Ashley Green, Anna Kendrick and more Language: English Nationality: USA Production Company: Summit Entertainment Running time: 1h 57mins Production Year: 2011 Age Limit: 12A Suitability: Young people BBFC’s Consumer Advice: Contains moderate violence and sex.

Our Assessment: Not recommended

Other reviews:

The Guardian

Empire online