On a commentary track included on “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1″ Blu-ray (Summit Entertainment, $34; also on DVD, $30; in stores Saturday), director Bill Condon addresses the disproportionate hatred the series seems to inspire in critics. “This series is about things women care about and has a woman at the center,” he says. “So there are people who just stay outside of it and mock it.”

And boy, do they mock it. A quick scan of reviews on rottentomatoes.com offers the following tidbits: “Director Bill Condon, prostituting himself, flirts with teen porn.” “A freak show of bodily trauma, with a great gooey gob of pedophilia slapped on the end.” “A freakish hybrid: Part medical horror, part cheesy Victoria’s Catalogue shoot.” “It’s like ‘Roadhouse’ for women.”

There is a supplicant tone coursing through a lot of these reviews – “Please don’t go see this movie!” – and there is bafflement and frustration, too, over what “Twilight” fans could possibly love about these films. Condon’s informative commentary provides some answers. He talks a lot, for example, about the great pressure he felt to get Bella and Edward’s wedding just right, so as to not disappoint readers of Stephenie Meyer’s novels. Helicopters buzzed the set during the filming of that scene, paparazzi hoping to snap a photo of Bella’s wedding dress, which had been kept under tight wraps. When Condon points out the specific shots that show off the gown in detail, they will seem like a revelation to many viewers, especially men: The first time I watched the movie, I had absolutely no idea I was supposed to be paying attention to that dress.

This is typical of the great divide between audiences and critics regarding “Twilight” movies. Even though “Breaking Dawn” earned the most scathing reviews of all the films in the franchise, it still grossed more than $700 million worldwide (“Twilight”-mania cuts across cultural and language barriers). Those numbers indicate there is obviously something at work in “Twilight” that goes far beyond Team Jacob and Team Edward mania. And a lot of men just don’t get it or are unwilling to put any effort into understanding it, opting instead to wonder how is it biologically possible for a vampire to impregnate a woman (news flash: vampires aren’t real!) or take more potshots at the hidden messages Meyer snuck into her books, subtexts that simply aren’t present in the movies.

Tellingly, some of “Breaking Dawn’s” strongest supporters – The New York Times’ Manohla Dargis, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Carrie Rickey, Movieline’s Stephanie Zacharek, The New York Daily News’ Elizabeth Weitzman – were women. I don’t mean to suggest that all female critics liked the movie (Dana Stevens’ excellent takedown of the film on Slate.com is a must-read). But the most eloquent defenses of “Breaking Dawn” were written by women, because the movie is an all-too-rare breed of international blockbuster: A big-budget extravaganza, replete with monsters and special effects (1,400 of them, according to Condon), told exclusively through a female gaze. Whatever you may think of the final product (I hated “New Moon” and “Eclipse”), these films deserve a more thoughtful reception than they are being given.

Condon’s commentary highlights aspects of “Breaking Dawn” you might not have noticed, such as the way he uses Carter Burwell’s score to emphasize the emotions of the characters instead of the action transpiring onscreen (the music during the bloody birth sequence is not the sort most movies would use during such a horrific moment). The director shares bits of meaningless but amusing trivia (Kristin Stewart could play dead without blinking her eyes or taking a breath for 90 seconds at a time), talks about how he sneaked certain things past the ratings board (I didn’t realize Bella’s back snaps in half as she’s going into labor until Condon pointed out the shot), explains why a scene that was highlighted in the trailers didn’t make the final cut and talks about the trims that were made to the sex scene in order to secure an R.

Those scenes are not included on the Blu-ray (although there is a feature-length documentary titled “Love, Death, Birth” about the making of the film, shot in HD, that will be catnip for fans). The deleted footage will no doubt make its way onto a longer “director’s cut” of “Breaking Dawn,” which Condon says will eventually be available. Just because the final chapter in the “Twilight” saga arrives in theaters this November doesn’t mean the series is going to vanish from popular culture.

Deal with it, haters

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Twihards will now be tingling, tittering and trying to get their hands on the latest instalment of The Twilight Saga for home viewing. Yes indeed, Friday is a momentous day. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 debuts on DVD and Blu-ray.

Regardless of what critics think — and this overwrought and intellectually undernourished movie has been almost universally condemned as wretched and dreary — core fans don’t give a damn. Their many millions include mother-and-daughter duos who argue endlessly about Team Edward (Robert Pattinson) vs. Team Jacob (Taylor Lautner).

Together, both factions have pushed the overall boxoffice for romance writer Stephenie Meyer’s blood-sucking vampire franchise to staggering levels. Each new instalment maintains the pace. Part 1 of the Breaking Dawn finale ranks second in the series.

According to Box Office Mojo, the worldwide boxoffice numbers are: Twilight at $392.6 in 2008; New Moon at $710 million in 2009; Eclipse at $698.5 million in 2010; and Breaking Dawn – Part 1 at $701.9 million in 2011. The total is just above $2.5 billion. Breaking Dawn – Part 2, which is set for release on Nov. 16, is guaranteed to push that well past $3 billion. Meanwhile, billions are being spent on DVDs and Blu-rays.

While I am not a fan of the flicks, credit where credit is due. The home entertainment divisions at Summit Entertainment and Entertainment One do a marvellous job of giving Twihards a complete and thorough package of bonus materials. That applies to both formats. The DVD has the same extensive menu of extras as the Blu-ray. This is impressive at a time when many studios strip extras off DVDs to nudge consumers towards Blu-rays, which are usually loaded.

As for the movie itself, Breaking Dawn – Part 1 is well presented on both DVD and Blu-ray. The Blu-ray’s high definition obviously makes it pop, although that also means the hideous makeup on the Cullen clan members looks even weirder and Kristen Stewart’s horror-baby scenes look even more gross.

Makeup aside, on a purely technical basis, Breaking Dawn – Part 1 is the best-made of the four movies so far. With new director Bill Condon (Dreamgirls), and working with a healthy budget, the movie at least can boast it brought back great images from shoots in British Columbia, Louisiana, Brazil and the Caribbean. The laughable sequences are all about dialogue, especially when the Wolf Pack gets together for an angry palaver.

In contrast, the wedding of Isabella Marie Swan and Edward Anthony Masen Cullen on Aug. 13, 2011, is a lavish affair that is inspiring copycat wedding plans among Twihards. “We had the biggest wedding since Charles and Diana,” says production designer Richard Sherman. A mock wedding video runs eight minutes. You also briefly meet dress designer Carolina Herrera in the making-of documentary, a massive six-parter that runs 87 minutes (just 30 minutes shy of the movie).

This doc is ominously entitled Love, Death, Birth, which tells you exactly what Breaking Dawn is about. On DVD, you can watch it separately. On Blu-ray, you have the option of activating it either as a stand-alone or as a series of picture-in-picture segments.

Lautner gets his own breakout featurette, Jacob’s Destiny. Separately, an unusual (although not quite unique) option allows viewers to instantly jump to their favourite sequences in the movie. For example, if you want to re-watch every Wolf Pack moment, they will run together without the rest of the movie clogging it up. So Team Jacob members can roll with Lautner, either in his human form or as a werewolf. His fans get a howlingly good time.

The BD is now the Target exclusive, with the set decoration flowers from the wedding garland. (JM) http://pic.twitter.com/yNnoUI5T

Another and that’s it for now – you won’t believe how beautiful the BD one is when you open it and I’m not spoiling! http://pic.twitter.com/q644w2XC

Okay one more… (JM) http://pic.twitter.com/2sdD9iIM

@CarboV tweeted a question to Team Jack,

@Team_Jack y? will u give me something about what we gonna see in the BD2 sneak peek? pretty please with cherries on top? Jack the great?

Jack Morrisey responded,

@CarboV Bella and Edward. (JM)

22. Robert Pattinson in the ‘Twilight’ Movies

Playing a vampire in a series of movies comes with its own set of problems, not the least of which is the built-in time limit of playing a character who doesn’t age. While Robert Pattinson was 22 playing 17 in the first Twilight movie, he’ll be 26 playing the part in the final film. Forgive us the pun, but that’s getting a little long in the tooth for a teenage vampire.

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