Blu-ray

Taking a leaf out of Harry’s Potter’s spell book, the final Twilight novel has been split into two movies. This wouldn’t necessarily have been a problem – except this instalment barely has enough plot to justify 45-mins of screen time, let alone the best part of two-hours!

Not that the franchise’s blinkered fanbase will care one iota. They’ll undoubtedly be too busy swooning at Edward and Bella’s wedding and their long-awaited night of necrophilic passion. Or gasping in amazement as Jacob falls in love with a newborn baby… Come to think about it, given Twilight’s huge teen fanbase, this flick is pretty perverted. Oh, well, at least it’ll all be over soon enough.

Picture: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 might be a complete non-starter in terms of narrative, but at least it looks pretty bloody lovely in hi-def. Director Bill Condon conjures up some gorgeous images – such as Bella’s pre-wedding dream sequence in Chapter 2 – that enable the Blu-ray’s AVC 2.40:1 1080p encode to show what it’s capable of. Elsewhere, the expanded palette offered by the honeymoon sequence shows off how easily it can resolve fine details and bright colours – and not just the usual verdant greens, deep blacks and warm browns that have become the trademark of the franchise’s visual style.
Picture rating: 5/5

Audio: Given how nothing particularly dramatic happens in the film until well past the one-hour mark, it’s hardly surprising that the DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix doesn’t set out to wow you from the get-go. Instead, it’s content to simply do the best it can with the dialogue and music – both of which are rendered perfectly. However, things perk up in the final third of the film, starting with the Wolf Pack’s telepathic communication in Chapter 11, where voices swirling around you. Then, when the vamps and lycanthropes come to blows in Chapter 16, you’re treated to some sizeable bass blows and directional effects.
Audio rating: 4/5

Extras: Previous Twilight Blu-rays have offered up generous selections of bonus features. But when it comes to ...Breaking Dawn – Part 1, the extras are as slight as the film’s plot.

The only feature that actually deals with the making of the movie is the audio commentary by Bill Condon. Thankfully he manages to mix the gushing platitudes about the cast and how hard they all worked with some informative details about the shoot. The only other video extras are the 9-min Bella and Edward’s Personal Wedding Video (in-character tributes to the happy couple. Yuck.), the 24-min UK Premiere Footage (red carpet interviews) and a collection of four music videos. The Blu-ray also features the familiar Jump to… topic menu and comes bundled with a bonus DVD.
Extra rating: 2/5

We say: Superb hi-def audio-visual performance from a truly dreadful film.

Entertainment One, Region B BD/R2 DVD, £25 Approx, On sale March 12
HCC VERDICT: 2/5