Breaking Dawn Part One

The fourth and final book in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight saga is split in two for clear commercial reasons, but this first half suffers from bloating, turning it into bland, ponderous melodrama. Covering the lavish marriage of Bella (Kristen Stewart) to her undead lover Edward (Robert Pattinson), their Rio honeymoon and her pregnancy, director Bill Condon's over-reverential and plodding instalment goes from cheesy romance in the over-extended "wedding of the century" scene-setter to an It's Alive ending. While all the lead actors have got their roles down pat by now, a certain ennui has set in that's not helped by the banal dialogue and thin plotting in Melissa Rosenberg's dutifully dogged script. Twihards will no doubt love the movie irrespective of its flaws, insipid pop soundtrack and focus on muscles and glamour over acting talent. But this absurdly self-serious, vapid vampire love story sadly comes off as nothing more than a parody of the fine first film.