The first “Twilight” movie in this on-going saga received our Dove Seal but the next two did not and, unfortunately, “Breaking Dawn Part One” doesn’t get it either. As usual, the film doesn’t miss the mark by a lot, but the violence level hits a three in our rating, too high for us to award it for family approval. If it had been a two, it would have made it. The sex category nearly hits a three as it features scenes of the newly wed Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Bella (Kristen Stewart) making love. Although the scenes are not explicit, there are the sounds of heavy breathing and enough which is not left to the imagination to make parents a bit uncomfortable if they sat next to their teen son or daughter. With images like the imagined one of several wedding party members dressed in white but lying together as bloody corpses, not to mention the other scenes containing blood, it is a bit much.
Without plot spoiling, pretty much everyone who reads the books or knows the films is surely aware by now that after Edward and Bella’s wedding that she becomes pregnant. The question is: what exactly is she carrying? It is a sweet innocent baby or a monster that will want to suck blood from people’s necks? Adding to the problem is Jacob (Taylor Lautner) who despite wanting to help Bella out, can’t get past his hatred of Edward, at least in the early going. When his ravenous wolf family vows to attack Edward and his family, the action picks up and the plot thickens. The movie finishes with a cliffhanger and no doubt many fans will wait with anticipation for part two of this two-parter.
It was nice to see a minister perform the wedding and a statue of Christ is shown in a close-up following the ceremony. Blood flows from characters just a bit too much in this film. It is too much for us to award our Dove Seal to this one.
