Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 parents guide

Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 Parent Guide

While the wedding, the consummation and the birth set the stage for this series' conclusion, many parents may choose to delay sharing the more intimate details of these activities with their children.

Overall C

Twilight fans finally get a chance to attend the much-anticipated wedding of Bella and Edward (Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson). But the young couple's marital bliss doesn't last long. When the bride discovers she is pregnant, the Cullen clan knows the birth of a child will expose them all to an even greater threat from the Volturi vampire council.

Release date November 18, 2011

Violence C-
Sexual Content C
Profanity A-
Substance Use A-

Why is Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 rated PG-13? The MPAA rated Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 PG-13 for disturbing images, violence, sexuality/partial nudity and some thematic elements.

Run Time: 117 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

Like the school kids in Harry Potter, the characters in the Twilight franchise are growing up. And with that maturity comes more complex storylines and adult themes that are not always suitable for younger viewers.

In what is possibly the most anticipated fictional wedding of the year, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) exchange marriage vows before a group of humans, werewolves and vampires. But only the bloodsuckers and those with the ability to phase know about the mixed company. During the ceremony Bella pledges to love and honor Edward, but she doesn’t promise to give up her attachment to Jacob (Taylor Lautner). And when the lone wolf makes a late appearance at the wedding party, she momentarily abandons her new husband to share an intimate dance with him.

However after maintaining their virginity before marriage, Edward and his bride anticipate consummating their relationship on their honeymoon. While the sparse dialogue exchanged in the bedroom seems almost cryptic, the depiction of this act is more explicit than many parents may anticipate and more graphic than anything from the previous Twilight films.

Then only days after their marriage, Bella discovers she is expecting. Unlike a normal human pregnancy, her baby belly blossoms in only a fraction of the time. Ravaged by the entity growing inside her, Bella soon looks like a severe anorexic (thanks to digital enhancement). In order to save her life, she resorts to drinking blood. But the depiction of blood through a straw seems almost inconsequential compared to the numerous times characters are drenched in the red stuff as the result of injury, vampire attack or childbirth.

In many ways, the film feels like an extended teaser for Part Two of the Saga slated to release in 2012. And while three main events - the wedding, the consummation and the birth - set the stage for this series’ conclusion, many parents may choose to delay sharing the more intimate details of these activities with their children who aren’t growing up as quickly as the characters.

Directed by Bill Condon. Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner. Running time: 117 minutes. Theatrical release November 18, 2011. Updated

Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1
Rating & Content Info

Why is Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 rated PG-13? Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for disturbing images, violence, sexuality/partial nudity and some thematic elements.

Violence: A vampire attacks and kills several criminals (some blood is shown). A character rips apart furniture. Werewolves and vampires fight. Characters threaten others. A pile of bloody, dead wedding guests is seen. Characters are frequently shown covered in blood as the result of injury or childbirth. A character plunges a needle into another person’s heart. A woman’s stomach is cut open with a knife.

Sexual Content: A couple goes skinny-dipping. Characters kiss passionately. A married couple is shown in bed together (The consummation of their marriage includes prolonged scenes of passionate kissing, some sexual movement, bare backs and shoulders and some carefully obscured nudity.) A woman wears a bikini and lingerie.

Language: A profanity is used.

Alcohol / Drug Use: Partygoers make toasts at a wedding.

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Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 Parents' Guide

What sacrifices does Bella make for her baby? What other characters make sacrifices for Bella? Is it fair for her to expect these?

How does this script continue to play on the love triangle theme? How does Bella’s marriage affect her relationship with her parents, especially her father?

How well do the details from the book translate to the big screen? What was left out or added? What are the challenges of adapting a script?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 movie is February 11, 2012. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 - Extended Edition

Release Date: 12 March 2013

If the theatrical length version of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 wasn’t enough for you, there is now an extended edition of the movie releasing to home video. (It offers a running length of 124 minutes instead of 117.) Along with the longer cut of the feature film, the Blu-ray (Blu-ray + Digital Copy + UltraViolet) or DVD (DVD + Digital Copy + UltraViolet)  packages includes an optional directors commentary.

Home Video Notes: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1

Release Date: 11 February 2012

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 releases to home video in a Combo Pack (Blu-ray/DVD) and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1: Bella’s Wedding Dress Edition. Both editions include:

- Commentary by director Bill Condon

- Bella and Edward’s wedding video

- Three Twilight character features: Jacob’s Destiny, Edward Fast Forward and Jacob Fast Forward

- Six-part behind-the-scenes documentary

Related home video titles:

Stephanie Meyer’s characters came to the big screen in the movie Twilight. The ongoing love story between Bella and Edward continues in The Twilight Saga - New Moon and Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

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