The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (2011)

One half wedding, one half waiting room: that’s Breaking Dawn Part 1. Bella and Edward finally tie the knot in a forest wrapped in fairy lights, and the wedding toasts are the high point, mostly because Billy Burke’s Charlie delivers his like a dad who’d rather be fishing. Then comes the honeymoon, then a dangerous pregnancy, and the movie becomes an hour of Bella getting sicker on a couch while two families argue around her. Kristen Stewart commits, but she’s handed nothing to play except endurance. Taylor Lautner’s Jacob sulks through every scene he’s in. The wolves hold a whole argument inside their heads in the woods, and it’s the funniest scene of the year, by accident. Bill Condon splits one book into two movies, and you feel every inch of the stretch. It made $732 million worldwide on a reported $127M. A 3.0 because there’s barely enough story here for half a movie. $399.49 says you hear a wolf howl in a nature show and start voicing what it’s thinking.

What works: The wedding is pretty and Billy Burke’s dry, awkward Charlie gets the only real laughs on purpose.

What doesn’t: Splitting the book leaves an hour of waiting around, and the telepathic wolf argument plays like unintentional comedy.

Who it’s for: Committed Twilight fans who need to see every chapter, and friends who want something to laugh at together on a sleepover.