The next to last chapter of Stephanie Meyer's famed Twilight saga,Breaking Dawn:Part 1 got off to a rousing start at the box office,with a nice tidy take of over 139 million dollars.
However,that does not set the true value of the film for fans,many of whom I suspect will enjoy what was brought to the screen despite the various compressions of the plot made for cinematic purposes.
The story begins with preparations for Edward and Bella's wedding,an event that holds a mixture of joy and sorrow for more than one participant. While Bella is thrilled to at last truly be with Edward,some regrets do pop up such as not being able to tell her parents the complete deal about the Cullens and how her married life is going to be far from normal:
Things get even trickier during the honeymoon,as Edward fears that his supernatural strength is a threat to Bella in the bedroom. While their first romantic encounter manages to give their actual bed the worst of the bargain,Edward backs away from any more intimate moments,causing his new bride to long for that earlier enthusiasm:
That issue is quickly brushed aside as Bella is startled to discover that she's pregnant,something that should be impossible given that her husband's a vampire. That news frightens Edward as well and the two of them head for home to see what can be done about this situation.
Edward is determined that Bella's life is priority one over this strange new being growing inside her that may or may not be a threat to the world. Bella believes otherwise and wants to go through with this,regardless of the risks to her health.
Which ever way you look at it,this unexpected complication has an accelerated growth rate that makes any personal choices too late to consider:
All of this brings Jacob reluctantly back into the fold. While he's still frustrated over Bella choosing the vampire lifestyle over him,Jake is just as determined as Edward is to protect her at all costs.
When his wolf pack learns of Bella's impending baby,they vow to destroy all of the Cullens which forces Jake to declare his independence and form a new pack of his own. A major part of the Breaking Dawn novel allows Jake to have his own narrative and growing insight into this vast unexplored emotional territory for him and one of the compromises of the screenplay is that we are only shown such small an amount of that.
Yet,his character is given some room to grow,along with the wolfen brother and sister Seth and Leah who join him in the fight to save Bella and the Cullens. Not a comfortable arrangement there,but both the script and the character manage to make it work:
Even with some snips to the initial pace of the book's story line,Part One of Breaking Dawn does deliver the goods in setting up the bigger battle to come as the Volturi will make their presence(and demands)known in the second half.
Director Bill Condon skillfully adds some interesting visual touches to certain sequences,with a CSI inside-the-body viewpoint during some crucial moments for Bella and a special awakening point for Jacob that is lovely to behold. Ultimately,this is really a movie for the fans and they'll be the ones who appreciate it the most.
While we have another year to wait until the thrilling finale(Part Two is set to be released around this time in 2012),our time can be best filled by relishing and rereading the Twilight series and sharing it with others. Don't be afraid to laugh about it,either,since having a sense of humor about what you like only makes your fan love stronger:
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