The first half of the final instalment of the film series based on the phenomenally successful books, Breaking Dawn - Part 1 takes off where the previous film Eclipse ended, with the wedding of protagonist Bella Swan (Stewart) to her vampire paramour Edward Cullen (Pattinson). Following their lavish wedding, the newlyweds leave for their honeymoon in a tropical paradise in a swoony haze of adoration. Soon after, however, it becomes apparent that Bella is expecting a rapidly maturing, half-human, half-vampire baby and the film takes a dark turn with former friends and allies turning against our heroine as the danger the child poses becomes apparent.

An adaptation of perhaps the most controversial of the four books, Breaking Dawn features a dramatic increase in tension and life-threatening dangers - this time the threat is also from within. While remaining faithful to the source material, director Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, Dreamgirls) and screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg ("Dexter", Twilight films) play up the underlying horror themes of the story, resulting in a film that is effectively tense and creepy in places.

Fans of the series already know the details but the uninitiated should be warned that there are some surprisingly graphic scenes in this instalment of the previously fairly tame series. Though a little light on plot resolution (remembering that this is only Part 1) and arguably a little silly in general, Breaking Dawn - Part 1 is still an entertaining continuation of the hugely popular film series.