Breaking Dawn

Calling a movie the best Twilight film to date isn't exactly high praise, and at this point, it isn't likely that newcomers to the series are going to be drawn to theaters. However, should a loved one drag you to the latest adventures of Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner and gang, don't panic: There's more to like than you might expect.

There are dream sequences, hallucinations, micro close-ups of vampirized veins crystallizing inside the body, werewolf-vision, Bride of Frankenstein shoutouts, a giant cake made of corpses, and more blood than in the other three movies put together.

Meanwhile, much of the dialogue is genuinely funny stuff, comprised of series in-jokes fans will appreciate.

Edward and others sometimes use their powers as much for frivolous things as life-and-death matters. And the finale veers into horror territory: the birth scene pushes PG-13 to the limit, and the wolves are genuinely menacing for the first time.

But let us not over-praise: the movie's good relative to expectations, but it still has issues. Like the soundtrack, from the overly busy score to the dull and annoying pop songs that punctuate every moment. The acting by the three leads is better than it's ever been, but the supporting cast members often feel interchangeable. Kristen Stewart in particular has improved and didn't completely suck in this movie. Only in tiny moments. That might be because she didn't really have to act this time around. All she had to do for most of the movie was lie on the couch and look sickly.

Most who attend the movie, however, will have no such misgivings. And should be forewarned to sit through the first half of the end credits to see the lead-in for Part 2.