(world's longest) Twilight Review

On Saturday, I went with some friends to see Twilight in theaters. I've been awaiting the release of Twilight for months now, counting down the days, while still in triple digits. To say the least, I have been SO excited! Now, I should start by saying before even seeing the movie, I knew it wouldn't be better than the book. Movies made from books very seldom, if ever, are better than the book. That's one expectation that I did have- that the movie wouldn't be as good as the book. Now, with that said, unfortunately my (already lowered) expectations were not met. After watching nearly every movie clip, trailer, teaser trailer, making-of-the-movie clips, and interview available online, Twilight looked like it was going to be out of this world-fantastic-sensational. Sadly, it wasn't. Was it good? Sure. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Was Edward absolutely amazing? O, yes! In fact, Edward made the movie worth seeing, for me. But, did I leave feeling disappointed? Yes. I felt unfulfilled. And I felt that it could have been so much better. The director had so much to work with, and the movie just did not live up to its potential.

*Disclaimer*

I am not a movie critic. And I don't claim to be, but I do know a thing or two about Twilight. I've read every book and frequent Twilight related websites quite often. Some people might say I'm obsessed and perhaps they're right. With that said, here are my thoughts and opinions about the movie.

Favorite moments:

- Edward.

- Ballet Studio scene. It was one of the best scenes in the movie. You can tell it was the first scene they shot, because the quality and special effects were far superior to the rest of the movie. When James was thrown through the mirror and it shattered into a million pieces and when Alice snapped James' neck...amazing.

- Bella and Edward's performance in the ballet studio. Their urgency and fear were palatable. 

- Here's an obvious one: the kiss scene! I knew it would be great, especially when I heard that Catherine made Bella (poor thing) and Edward re-shoot the scene. It was hot and sultry. And the passion and intensity in those quick moments was out of this world. I'm sure every girl watching yearned to be in Kristen's shoes.

- When Edward played his lullaby for Bella. I love a man who can play the piano.

- The baseball game. 

- When Alice says to Bella, "Oh, you do smell good."

- Any scene involving Alice.

- The Cullens grand entrance in the cafeteria (particular emphasis on Edward's entrance). My heart was beating so fast. They are all so devastatingly beautiful.

- When Edward saves Bella in Port Angeles. That whole clip was amazing. Edward's anger, ambivalence, restraint- all of it was nicely portrayed. I'm glad they had Edward come out of the car (unlike in the book)- the way everyone backed away from Edward, who remained completely silent. His presence alone terrified them.

- The way the director (with the help of a conveyer belt) designed the nomads' grand entrance into the open field. Made it appear as if they were gliding across the ground.

- And although I had watched it on trailers online several times before the release of Twilight- the scene where Edward saves Bella from Tyler's van. The look on his face! *sigh*

- Apple trick in the cafeteria and when Edward mutters, "Edible art." Lovely. 

- After Rosalie asks if Bella even likes Italian and Emmett replies, "Her name's Bella." As if that answers the question!

- The look on Edward's face in the parking lot at Forks High School just before Tyler loses control of his car. So focused. His piercing expression gave me chills.

- When Edward kisses Bella's neck at the end of the movie.

- Charlie and the pepper spray

- When Bella opens her car door on Jacob (so like Bella)

- The art the Cullens made from all their graduation caps, "We matriculate a lot," says Edward.

- "How old are you?" bit in the woods

- So happy they included the lion and the lamb part.  It was very important to me.

- Even though it wasn't in the book, when Edward calls Bella, "spidermonkey."

- Edward: "You are my life now."

- When Victoria says, "I'm the one with the wicked curve ball" after Carlisle throws the ball to Laurent. Victoria's performance was great. She definitely fits the role well. She's stunning.

- Edward's, I had an adrenaline rush, you can google it, line. Nice addition.

Low points:

- First and foremost, the MUSIC!  Aaack. Without the music (instrumental- 80's guitar solos) the movie would have been so much better. I love Paramore, Muse, and Linkin Park (all on the soundtrack) but the other music....my friend said it reminded her of a really bad after school special. And for me, a bad soap opera. The music, for the most part, was overly dramatic and made some of the scenes laughable.  And they were dramatic scenes where you shouldn't be laughing. One of the worst was a scene in biology class when Edward first takes in Bella's scent. It was horrible. And it became comical as a result of Edward's expressions and the music. What's disappointing is I listened to some of the songs on the Twilight soundtrack before the movie was released and the really great ones didn't play until the credits when the movie was over. 

- The special effects were abysmal. I'm not a film critic and there is a lot I do not know about special effects, but I do know that when Edward soars through the trees it's not supposed to look like he is peddling on a bicycle.  I now understand the main reason why the special effects were poorly executed- the extremely low budget of the film. I had no idea they only had 37 million to make the movie. Let's hope with the weekend box office success of Twilight that New Moon's effects will be much better. They have already made nearly twice as much as they spent making the film in ticket sales alone. Wow!

- Jasper's performance. Sorry, but I needed more from him. It just wasn't the Jasper I know and love from the book.

-  Edward's sparkling skin was lame. It looked like white static like the static on a broken TV. Very un-impressive, and it could have been really beautiful.

- The fact that there was virtually no character development for any of the vampires. None. To me, the background of each of the Cullens is extremely important, and we didn't learn anything in the movie. 

- Bella's lack of hysteria in the scene where she storms out of the house near the end and Bella's lack of sarcasm, passion, and inflection in voice and tone when she delivered her lines. Very flat. It was not how I pictured Bella at times.

- Some of the transitions from scene to scene were bad. 

- I would have liked to see more of the early stages of Bella and Edward's relationship- when it was first starting out and blossoming. One minute Bella is meeting Edward for the first time, and the next, she's head over heals in love with him and can't live her life without him.  O, please! I realize that when you're dealing with teenagers, love tends to work that way- in overdrive and at twice the speed, but things weren't even that fast in the book. We missed out on so many of the sweet, little moments between Bella and Edward.  That had to be one of the things that disappointed me the most. I was really sad that the movie focused more on the action and good vs. evil angle when in the book, it was not like that at all. Most of the book centered around Bella and Edward's love and their increasing attraction for one another. *enter Hollywood and the reality of movie-making* To appeal to the masses, Twilight was transformed into more of an action flick, rather than the love story it should have been.

Things I wish were in the movie, that weren't....

- I didn't realize until I read on a friend's blog, but we never learned about Jasper's talent! His ability to manipulate people's emotions. That's kind of a big deal, and it wasn't even touched on.

- Connection between James and Alice

- Edward: "Do I dazzle you?" 

   Bella: "Frequently."

I can't believe that wasn't in the movie!  It's on shirts and pins everywhere, but Catherine couldn't spare 1 minute to insert it somewhere?

- Blood Typing in biology class 

- Although I loved watching Edward play the piano for Bella, he never tells her in the movie that he wrote it for her!  People, who haven't read the book, needed to know that.

- I would have liked to see more of Bella and Jacob at the beach. The things he talked to Bella about in the book were extremely important- helped set the stage for future books.

Cast of characters:

Edward- Without question, my favorite character and main reason for going to see the movie. After seeing Twilight, I still think he was the best choice for Edward. His look is perfect. I told my friend, I'm not sure he will ever look as good as he did in Twilight (and I was further reminded of this when I watched him on Jay Leno tonight). Pale is the new tan. And boy, does it look good on him. He definitely was smoldering and had the dazzling thing down (despite them NEVER referencing Edward's ability to "dazzle" Bella in the movie!) Rob's emotion and anguish were accurately portrayed throughout the movie. He played his part with just the right amount of intensity, for the most part. In places, he was a little too dramatic. For example, his very first line, "Hello" was terrible. I almost laughed out loud. It sounded so awkward. And the way he looked when Bella first walked through the doors of her biology class. That whole scene was poorly done and disjointed. But otherwise, Rob did well. He's particularly good at using his eyes and facial expressions to display emotion- the look on his face after he saved Bella from Tyler's van as well as his expression when he saved Bella from the creepy guys in Port Angeles...priceless.

Bella- Kristen, Kristen, Kristen. I wanted so much more from you. And as the leading lady, I expected much more from you. Although, I do think Kristen Stewart was a good choice for the part of Bella, at the same time, Kristen did not act like the Bella we all know and love. Yes, she seemed to master Bella's clumsiness, and yes, she certainly mastered the teen angst that Bella has, but it just wasn't enough. What happened to her sarcasm? And her motherly and nurturing behavior? In the book, Bella takes care of her father. She cooks for him constantly and in the movie, we don't see that once. All Bella and her father did was eat at the local cafe.  And finally, Kristen's delivery of her lines were flat. For the most part, she was devoid of any emotion. In scenes where she should have been hysterical, she was not (IE: when she storms out of the house to protect her father from James). Critics say Kristen appeared to be simultaneously confused and half asleep. And I agree. Now, in Kristen's defense, Bella is not a varsity cheerleader and she is no Jessica. She's not bubbly, or outgoing, or talkative. So yes, the quiet, plain girl who doesn't like to be noticed is extremely hard to play. It's easier to write about, but translating it to the big screen is difficult. One scene which I will commend Kristen for is her performance in the ballet studio. She was very convincing, especially after James bit her. Her acting in that instance, was beyond her years.

Jacob- I love you. I really do. Your smile is contagious. Your demeanor, charming. You are Jacob. Despite seeing very little of you, I liked what I saw. I'm ecstatic that Summit has announced that they plan to move forward with New Moon. There's a lot of Jacob in that one and although I am, and always will be, Team Edward, I have a deep-rooted appreciation for what Jacob did for Bella when Edward left her. I'm thankful for what Jacob was for her during her darkest time. He truly saved her.

Charlie- Billy Burke is a seasoned actor and has a great deal of experience on TV and on the big screen. And, in Twilight, it's apparent. He really captured Charlie well. His characterization was perfect, and I can tell he did his homework. Some of the funniest moments involved Charlie (IE: scene where he's cleaning his gun and scenes with Bella and the ubiquitous pepper spray).   

Alice- She's my favorite character after Edward, and she remained so in the movie. Ashley Greene did a superb job playing the role of Alice. I think she was the perfect choice. Her voice had the same melodic tone that I imagined Alice having when I read the book. Her frame and stature, perfect. The way she moved, flitting around, almost floating, was exactly how Stephanie described her in the book. Almost fairy-like. She was cute, light-spirited, and the welcoming *almost* sister to Bella that she was supposed to be. No complaints here. And can we say, beautiful?  Something that wasn't in the movie which I think was essential to the story line is the fact that James, the antagonist in the book, is the one who bit Alice and turned her into a vampire.  Knowing that, would help explain why it was Alice who leaps onto James and breaks his neck with one, swift movement. That part rocked. Who knew someone so small and petite could be so quick and strong?  But that's Alice for you.

Rosalie- She did a perfect job capturing the disdain and disgust that Rosalie's character feels for Bella in the beginning and throughout Twilight. I loved when she crushed the glass bowl with her bare hands in the kitchen. 

Emmett- Another character who played his part well. Emmett is the primary protector of the family. He's the Goliath. And it is essential that he have a presence where ever he goes. It's also important that he display an air of confidence (bordering on cockiness) and he did. Kellan did everything right, even down to the way he arrived to school- standing in the back seat of his Jeep.  Anyone notice his dance number in the field before the baseball game? And yes, he was wearing a blue, velvet track suit. 

Dr. Carlisle- Love you. I'm glad I was able to see a fair amount of Peter in Twilight, because he is one good looking man. His portrayal of Carlisle was fairly convincing and I enjoyed his performance.

Jasper- O, Jasper. I'm not sure if Jackson has grasped Jasper's character just yet. As the newest "vegetarian" in the family, I understand he's a bit uptight, distant, and altogether freaked-out that he will "slip." I get it. But what I don't get, is why he played the part as if he had something stuck up his rear. With few lines to work with, it must have been difficult to display anything else, but not outside the realm of possibility. With a change in body posture and facial expression, Jackson will be well on his way to appearing more like Jasper.

Esme- Her on screen time was very limited, but what I saw of her I liked. She's beautiful and her motherly and nurturing side came through.

Nomads (Victoria, James, and Laurent)- What a trio they were! I loved every moment they were on the screen. Victoria is smokin' and I can't wait to see more of her. Laurent's accent and his, "James, lets not play with our food," line was priceless. James played the part of the "bad vamp" very well. Loved how he cocked his head like a dog when he picked up a scent. It's a shame we won't be seeing anymore of him.

Students- Although they made up the supporting cast, some of the best moments involved them.  Jessica, Angela, Eric, Mike, and Tyler were cast very well. Mike exhibited the perfect amount of boyish charm, immaturity, and clownish antics. Jessica was self-involved and overly confidant as she should have been- a typical high school girl. And Angela was the quite, unsure, friendly girl that she should have been. 

So, with the exception of a few complaints, the casting was superb. I felt this way before I even saw the movie, and now having seen the movie, twice so far, it has only reinforced my previous feelings. I would not change a single character, but instead, hope that some of the actors study their character a little more. Delve deeper into their character's pasts and find out what (or who) makes them the way they are. And finally I hope that they read the reviews, listen to what the critics have to say, and adjust accordingly. And a few Thespian activities might not hurt either. Improv anyone?

I will add that after watching Twilight a second time this past weekend, I felt better about the movie. I actually liked it more. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that I went in knowing what to expect, so I couldn't be disappointed. Without expectations, I was able to sit back and enjoy the movie more- paying special attention to my favorite moments and shrugging at my not-so favorite moments. Edward's entrance still made my heart pitter-patter the second time I saw it, and I imagine the third time (yes, there will be a third) will be no different. So in closing, Twilight had some amazing moments and scenes and some moments and scenes that were not so amazing. But regardless, I liked the movie and plan to watch it many more times. And, of course, I will buy it.