I wish I could tell you that “Breaking Dawn: Part 1” was a god-awful embarrassment to the cinematic world. I wish I could say that I spent the entire film’s running time laughing at the ridiculousness of it all.

If I did say that, I’d be lying. As shocking as it is to admit, the fourth installment of the polarizing “Twilight” saga is actually kind of good.

“Breaking Dawn: Part 1,” follows America’s most obnoxious couple, Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson), as they finally intend to say their wedding vows, much to the dismay of werewolf Jacob (Taylor Lautner).

The most impressive part of the film is how director Bill Condon handles the ludicrous material he is given to work with. Stephenie Meyer’s fourth and final book of the “Twilight Saga” is filled with absurd and disgustingly graphic content, including a surprise vampire baby and the most heinous childbirth scene in literature history, as if readers needed another excuse to close the book.

Condon manages to film these sequences, including the vampire birth and the couple’s honeymoon, in ways that surprisingly work. The birth is a collection of carefully placed edits and point of view camerawork instead of a “Saw”-like exercise in blood and gore.

The director, however, can only do so much. There are plenty of scenes that are unsalvageable. There’s simply no way to make Taylor Lautner falling in love with a newborn child not creepy.

Another sequence involving a debate between the werewolves is also laughable. To say the decision to give the wolves human voices for a scene was horribly misguided is an understatement.

It’s moments like those that make the audience wish the movie didn’t have to be tied to the novel. Every time the movie gets into an interesting rhythm, it has to shoehorn a ridiculous plot point from the book to please its raving fans.

It’s also common to wish the movie could have recast its lead characters. To their credit, the entire cast seems very comfortable and at ease during the earlier parts of the film. The wedding scenes give “Breaking Dawn: Part 1” a lightness earlier films lacked. There’s even a surprising amount of genuine laughs, mainly thanks to Billy Burke’s performance as Bella’s dad.

But as the film goes on and the melodrama increases, the cast reverts back to the mediocre acting the audience is used to. Lautner is as wooden as a tree in Forks’ forests, and it doesn’t help that his voice hasn’t caught up to his manly frame.

Stewart’s performance also serves as a distraction. As the film goes on, she seems to get less interested in the project. During one montage, she tries on lingerie, hoping to alluringly impress her new husband. Bella is supposed to be having fun in the scene, but Stewart seems awkward, barely even able to show a smile.

Ripping on the acting in a “Twilight” film, though, is nothing new. What is different about “Breaking Dawn: Part 1” is that there’s surprisingly a lot to enjoy.

For one thing, “Breaking Dawn: Part 1” is the first film in the series to embrace its characters’ vampirism. In the other films, the vampires didn’t feel like horror movie creations. Instead, they were mopey high school students.

In Condon’s film, the vampires are actually blood-sucking, often disgusting creatures. At the end of the infamous birthing sequence, Edward’s shirt and mouth are covered with blood. It’s gross, but hey, that’s a vampire.

And when Condon shows a brief clip of “Bride of Frankenstein” during a flashback, it’s not just a cute reference. It’s a sign the series is finally embracing its horror roots.

There’s a good chance that if you’re vehemently against the “Twilight” series, “Breaking Dawn: Part 1” won’t change your mind. There’s still some stiff acting, and the movies are still crippled by having to stick to the source material. This may be the first film in the series, though, that could potentially entertain the beleaguered boyfriends being dragged to a showing.

It’s the best film in the series, but take that as the back-handed compliment that it is.