Twilight 'Breaking Dawn' Release Date: Will New Movie Hold Christian Audience?
The newest installment of the "Twilight" series, "Breaking Dawn," premieres at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles on Monday before hitting theaters around the U.S. this Friday.
The movie's stars, including Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, will hit the red carpet starting at 5 p.m. PST.
Avid fans have been camped out at the L.A. Live location since Wednesday, according to The Los Angeles Times. The media has dubbed the location "tent city," full of squealing "Twi-hards."
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The author of the "Twilight" saga, Stephenie Meyer, arrived earlier than her red carpet scheduling to hand out 600 signed copies of Breaking Dawn Sunday.
While some argue that the vampire storyline of the "Twilight" movies offer Christians the opportunity to share their faith through the message of sacrificial love, others argue that the series is entirely un-Christian due to its portrayal of reckless romantic passion.
"Twilight" involves the tribulations of young love between a 108-year-old vampire, Edward, and 17-year-old mortal Bella. Edward, although in love with Bella, must resist sucking her blood; in turn Bella must grapple with her willingness to join him for eternity, giving up her life to become a vampire forever.
In reference to the "Twilight Saga," Monsignor Franco Perazzelo of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Culture has previously said the movie "combines a mixture of excesses that, as ever, is aimed at young people and gives a heavy esoteric element."
The latest installment in the series, "Breaking Dawn," is no exception.
Actress Kristen Stewart, who plays "Bella Swan" in the series, told U.K. Glamour magazine that the upcoming "Breaking Dawn" is full of steamy sex scenes, so many that it was originally given an R rating by the MPAA.
"There are two big sex scenes in the two [final] films," she told the magazine, adding that her promiscuity in the most recent film was a "surreal" experience.
The Vatican meanwhile has described the previous installment of the “New Moon" as a "deviant moral vacuum."
Robert Pattinson, who plays the love interest of Stewart as character Edward Cullen, told Totalfilm.com that "[Stewart] went all out on the last one. It's almost a different genre of movie."
Many critics are questioning whether the new "Breaking Dawn" will be able to maintain its Christian audience with the addition of such strong sex scenes?
Others, who have previously suggested the movies could be used as a platform to engage with viewers about the Christian themes involved, may also be put off by the graphic sexual content on the latest installment.
"Parents, there is nothing moral about this series," contends conservative movie viewer "Abe" of Christwire.org.
"Breaking Dawn" premieres in London on Wednesday, and hits U.S. theaters Friday, Nov. 18.
