45
Metascore
36 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75USA TodayScott BowlesUSA TodayScott BowlesIt is in many respects the best installment of the franchise as its stars go from sullen kids to sullen young adults, where their expressions look more natural.
- 63Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertAbsorbing, if somewhat slow-paced, and has without doubt the most blood-curdling scene of live childbirth in a PG-13 movie.
- 63Miami HeraldRene RodriguezMiami HeraldRene RodriguezPart 1 does something that no other previous Twilight movie had achieved: This one draws you close and keeps you there.
- 60New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanTo outsiders, in fact, Breaking Dawn: Part I will probably look like the weirdest, most expensive chastity commercial ever created. But Meyer's massive fan base will see something else entirely. They'll see a faithful, well-made depiction of the most eventful book in a beloved series. They'll see the actors they adore embodying characters they cherish.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyThe Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyIn the end, given how little goes on in Breaking Dawn - Part 1 despite the major plot points, what you're left with is to gaze at the three leads, all of whom have their constituencies and reasons for being eminently watchable. The only hope is they'll have more to do next time around.
- 50VarietyJustin ChangVarietyJustin ChangAll the more disappointing, then, that a story so pregnant with dramatic possibilities should wind up feeling like such an unconsummated opportunity. Drawn from Stephenie Meyer's polarizing, weirdly compelling fourth novel, the film is rich in surface pleasures but lacks any palpable sense of darkness or danger.
- 42Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumWhat we learn in this all-pain/no-pleasure episode is that marriage feels like a life sentence, weddings are miserable events, honeymoon sex is dangerous and leaves a bride covered in bruises, and pregnancy is a torment that leads to death in exchange for birth.
- Sex and abortion are the main topics of this installment, which tips between dullness and total camp.
- 38Orlando SentinelRoger MooreOrlando SentinelRoger MooreAt long last, The Twilight Saga sinks utterly into camp with Breaking Dawn: Part 1.
- 30Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzArizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzOverall the film is goofy, slight, without a truly deep thought in its pretty little head. And for a movie with vampires and werewolves, the only scary thing is in the title - "Part 1," which means "Part 2" is on its way. Shudder.