I first saw The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 during a press screening earlier this month.  When the movie ended I wasn’t jumping out of my seat with excitement or elation like I had the first time I saw The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. I was thoughtful.  I had to process it. As the next week went by, I found myself dwelling on moments that I loved and the moments that I hadn’t cared for as much fading away. When it ended after my second viewing at this past Monday’s World Premiere in Los Angeles, I had grown to love it and now, can’t wait to see it again.

What I have come to realize is what care with which screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg and director Bill Condon have handled these characters, especially Bella (Kristen Stewart).  Through three movies we have watched Bella Swan mature before our eyes as she fell in love with a vampire and faced many dangers along the way that could have cost her own existence and threatened the lives of those she loves.  In Breaking Dawn, Part 1, all of her trials and tribulations appear to be over as she pledges her eternal love to Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), but as fans of the book know, a new danger is about to threaten Bella’s life.

This is Stewart’s movie.  Although new characters are introduced and old characters get a chance to play larger roles, more than any of the films so far Stewart is outstanding as she fades from nervous bride to elation at the sight of her groom.  She handles the nervousness of a virginal bride and the attempts at sexiness to seduce her husband with equal aplomb. And then there is the bulk of the movie as we see Bella deteriorate while pregnant with an unknown entity – you can feel her physical pain in her performance.  I found myself becoming detached from Bella as the movie went on and her situation became less relatable, which, whether intentional or not, seems like a good segue as the character moves into her second life in Part 2.

Pattinson’s Edward is a joy to watch as he marries the woman he has waited eighty plus years for, but then sexy and vulnerable during the much anticipated honeymoon.  What I missed from the book with him was what Jacob referred to the “burning man” during Bella’s pregnancy. Yes, he is hurting and emotional, but I was looking for more desperation.

As for Taylor Lautner as  Jacob Black, Lautner’s performance has never been better. His character has to make choices that are against his very nature – protect the vampires, work with Edward, and become a wolf pack leader. You see his difficult effort as he longs to protect Bella, but also wishes he could move on to someone else. He is the right amount of frustrated with Seth and Leah Clearwater (Booboo Stewart and Julia Jones) when they join his pack after he defects from Sam Uley’s (Chaske Spencer) pack – Jacob disagrees with Sam over how to handle the unknown threat growing inside of Bella.  His interactions with Leah as she empathizes with Jacob’s pain are particularly poignant.  He also spends a great amount of time interacting with Cullen’s and at times makes you wonder if they should trust him or not.

As for the Cullen’s, in the book Emmett, Jasper, Alice and Esme often seem to be missing in action during the time when they are all confined to their house during Bella’s pregnancy because of the threat of Sam’s pack.  In the movie, all of the Cullen’s are much more present, which leads to increased tension between the family members as they all have their own opinions about the “problem.”

Unfortunately when you have to fit so much into a movie, things about the book sometimes don’t make it.  In this case it’s the humor of the interactions between Jacob and Rosalie (Nikki Reed).  As Bella deteriorates before our eyes, laughter just could not have been interjected without it being wildly inappropriate. It’s a good call from that standpoint, but we miss that extra impact of Rosalie’s character and we also loose Bella’s reasons for turning to Rosalie during her time of need.

Emmett (Kellan Lutz), Jasper (Jackson Rathbone), Alice (Ashley Greene), Esme (Elizabeth Reaser), and Carlisle (Peter Facinelli) are seen interacting as part of the family dynamic more than ever before. In the other films we often just saw flashes of these characters that we know so well from books, but in Breaking Dawn we see the characters in their element – Emmett protecting his family; Jasper sensing emotions and fighting his bloodlust; Alice pulling off the perfect wedding and being a sister; Esme being an authoritative matriarch; and Carlisle struggling as a doctor with what he doesn’t understand while feeling the weight of his family’s tension and suffering.  We also get to see the family as couples and as a whole celebrating their brother/son’s wedding day and in those moments we see how much of a family the Cullen’s really are.

Billy Burke as Charlie and Sarah Clarke as Renee, Bella’s parents, both give memorable performances on their daughter’s wedding day.  Both display the right emotions and are given some terrific dialogue that makes it an incredibly “real” affair.

The wedding is beautiful and has one particular moment that will mean a lot to fans.  Separately, I have to acknowledge the great Anna Kendrick as Jessica at the wedding reception. She will be missed in Part 2.

The honeymoon feels real.  When the happy couple arrives in Brazil on their way to Isle Esme there is something so freeing about seeing Bella and Edward as a married couple on their own.  The time on Isle Esme is filled with great moments and makes Sleeping at Last’s “Turning Page” the song of the Breaking Dawn soundtrack.

Yes there are some flaws, but sometimes it’s just a flaw of how the material is written. Wolf telepathy had to be handled some way and they did the best they could, but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t cringe. The wolf thing alone will kill non-Twilight fan’s opinion of the film. While fans cheered for it at the premiere the other night, the first audience I sat in was filled with snickers and groans during the same scene.

The introduction of the Denali coven felt a bit awkward and forced. While we know they had to be introduced for the sake of the Part 2, the moment felt out of place.  It was quite dramatic, but then we don’t see them again, which is true to the book, except Irina isn’t at the wedding in the book.

Overall, I think fans of Breaking Dawn will be happy. All the elements that make that story are done beautifully. There are so many small moments, that as a fan have huge significance and I thank Bill Condon for taking that level of extra care.  It ended perfectly to set up for Part 2, which fans will begin their countdown for as soon as they leave the theater after seeing Part 1.

Don’t forget to stay for the credits as there is an additional scene during the second song.

This review is by Amy (@OhMyCarlisle).