tMC DVD Review: Twilight Breaking Dawn: Part 1

Directed by Bill Condon. Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Gil Birmingham

Rated PG-13 for violence, sexuality, disturbing images, mature themes and partial nudity

117 min.

Not sure I’d even be interested in seeing Breaking Dawn: Part 1, (I’ve only seen the first film) I hesitantly agreed to watch and review the DVD.  Knowing the wedding was to take place in this installment and wondering what was up with the baby bump, I began to look forward to it and cheeringly poured myself some tea, got comfy on the couch and hit play.  I was ensnared within the first minute when Jacob (Lautner), rips off his shirt.  Good reason to watch as any, I guess… even though I am Team Edward.  Do we say that anymore? 

Wedding preparations leave bride, Bella (Stewart), restless and Groom, Edward (Pattinson), anxious.  Believe it or not, there’s even a bachelor party thrown for him.  I assume the lady vampires would have thrown Bella one hell of a bachelorette, but sadly, there is no such event on my DVD.  Maybe it’s on the cutting room floor.  As the Groom is taken away, they promise to meet at the altar.  Just in case he forgets what she looks like in the course of one evening, she tells him that she’ll be the one in white.  With these words, for some reason, I couldn’t help but envision the white dress splattered with the color red and blood soaked.  As if director Bill Condon knew what I’d be thinking, he has Bella fall into a deep sleep and begin to dream.  Within this dream the beautiful color of crimson falls all around her as rose petals.  I was most impressed with the way he shot the wedding.  The kiss is long and sweet and the last thing Bella and Edward are thinking about is an audience.  Condon puts you in their heads by spinning the camera around his lovers revealing that they now stand alone. 

Even with a wolf in the midst, the wedding goes off without a hitch and the toasts send them to begin their new lives together… forever… whatever that means in this union.   Jacob gets a bit testy when he finds out that the love of his life, who just married his mortal enemy, is going to make love with her husband as a human and not a vampire.  Doing this is unsafe, as Bella is not equipped to handle the strength of her new husband’s affections, and Jacob is worried for her life.  Except for a few bruises and broken furniture, Bella finally losing her virginity, goes as well and as smoothly as it could between a human and a creature of the night. 

The rest of the film centers around the pregnancy and, ‘will Bella make it or won’t she’?  Bella certainly appears to have attended her Planned Parenthood centers for advice, and will not terminate the pregnancy no matter that her life is threatened and we watch as she wastes away to nothing, literally dying to keep what Edward refers to as, “That thing,” alive.  The make-up is good and a rather cute Kristen Stewart is left gaunt and ghastly.  

A war is started over what may or may not be gestating inside of Bella and the Cullen’s find themselves defending their new family member to the death.  Jacob and his pack have eternal struggles as they gear up against the vampires in what has been an amicable treaty.  Leave it to sex to break that apart. 

If you’re a fan of the series, you’ll love this DVD (and the documentary on disc 2) and the ending will leave you chomping at the bits for the Part 2.    

2-Disc DVD Extras:

6-Part "The Making of" documentary (complete with Kristen Stewart puppet… very lifelike unlike the real Stewart who I find boring); Edward Fast Forward; Jacob Fast Forward; and audio commentary by director Bill Condon.