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by DeAnn Welker November 21, 2008 1:00 AM

It's hard to judge Twilight like any other movie, for a number of reasons: First off, you have to consider the audience. It was sort of made for them, and if it appeals to them, it's a success, right? Then there's the buzz factor: How much would we like this movie if there were no buzz? Finally, there's the fact that it's technically an independent film that's been widened due to said buzz. If watched as an indie, the movie might make people feel very differently than it does in its current context. All of these elements are important when reviewing Twilight, so I'm trying to keep them all in mind when I say what I'm about to say.

Twilight is by no means a terrible movie. It is well-directed, beautifully shot, exceptionally cast with a bunch of unknowns, and probably only as cheesy as it absolutely had to be, given the high level of cheese in the books.

First, the directing: This could have been a far worse movie under the guidance of a more commercial director than Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen, Lords of Dogtown). She made a lot of smart decisions, one of the most important being the decision to move the important action in the film closer to the beginning of the movie. In the book, it just goes on and on with the boredom before there's anything at stake. In the movie, though, the villains are introduced sooner, and a lot of stuff that happened late in the book happens in the movie in between things that happened much earlier in the book. That probably sounds confusing or like it's not true to the book, but it actually works well. It doesn't change what happened, but it keeps it from getting too slow right up front.

We all knew Kristen Stewart could act, after seeing her in Into the Wild, but the rest of the cast is just as excellent. Although Robert Pattinson (Edward) can get overly broody and always sounds like he's trying really hard to cover up his accent, those moments where he lightens up (like when he puts his arm around Bella in front of everyone and grins that he's going to hell anyway) and opens up are thrilling. Those are the moments where you'll feel the magic between the characters. The rest of the Cullen family is perfectly cast, as are the "bad" vampires. And then there's Billy Burke as Bella's dad, Charlie. Burke does the most with what he's given to work with here. He manages to turn his relatively few lines into a scene-stealing performance. He's the one you'll feel for, love, and who will constantly amuse you.

There are problems with the film, too, though. The biggest one is simply that the cheesiness does tend to invade and overwhelm. If you haven't read the book, you're going to blame the movie for the sparkly-diamond meadow scene, but it was just as cheeserific in the book. (I know, I know, most people find it magical; I do not, perhaps because I'm a vampire purist and think that's a ridiculous mythology for what happens to them in the sun.) But that's not the fault of the film. What is frustrating about the film is so many slow-motion, lingering shots on things that don't warrant it: an angry vamp, a high school kid. And the swoopy, "Look at our movie! It's so magical!" camera work in some of the love scenes with Bella and Edward gets tiring, boring and nausea-inducing (and not just because of the corniness). Some of the action scenes could have used better effects (forgivable, though, considering this first film was relatively low-budget) and the running could have looked a little more realistic, but those are barely worth quibbling with. Although the baseball scene is one of the coolest, most original things I've seen in a movie in a long time, action-wise. Instead of overdoing it with the slow-motion and the effects, it uses rich colors and textures to create this really cool, magical atmosphere (the clothing, acting and physical acting help, too).

Overall, this isn't a bad film. It's going to appeal to the built-in fanbase of hard-core Twilight fans. It's also going to win over plenty of non-fans and newcomers, because Stephenie Meyer's work really is all about the stories, not the writing, and in film form, the audience doesn't have to focus on the simplistic, repetitive writing style. We're free to sit back and enjoy the story. And, even though it's often trite and clichéd (the good girl who all the guys want, but who ultimately chooses the bad guy with a heart of gold, as just one glaring example), it is a wonderful little love story that will appeal to women of all ages. And my guess is that baseball scene will even create fans out of all those guys who are dragged to Twilight by their girlfriends, sisters, moms, wives, etc.

Leave your comments below, then discuss this movie with other Twihards in our forums!

TAGS: Bella, Catherine Hardwicke, Edward, Kristen Stewart, review, Robert Pattinson, Stephenie Meyer, Twilight

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23 Comments

November 21, 2008 10:15 AM

Sallie

I agree that that meadow scene was cheesy and akward(sp?). I still really enjoyed the movie and now I have to read the books and discover the rest of the story.

November 21, 2008 10:57 AM

Miss Portland

I hated it. I am all for cheese, but this wasn't even Kraft Singles....it was wiz. Baseball?!?!??! Seriously?!?! It is a chaste bodice ripper with sexism a plenty. Ehhh, the fangirls will have an aneurysm.

November 21, 2008 11:29 AM

kaeth

replied to comment from Miss Portland

That's a stupid criticism though, because that is in the book and it is a huge plot device in the book so to take it out would have I think been quite a stretch. If you don't like the book or the story fine, but then what are you doing going to see the movie?

November 21, 2008 6:02 PM

Erin

Great reeviw!

I'm looking forward to it but not stupidly expecting a masterpiece. I know it's cheesy (as are the books) but I'm sure it'll be enjoyable.

November 22, 2008 4:33 PM

adub

I can't believe how gentle the reviews for this movie have been - I do like the books, but the movie was just spectacularly, awesomely awful. The theater I was in last night was packed with fans, and it was still - frequently - rocked with laughter during the many many cheese-erific scenes.

November 22, 2008 5:42 PM

Theresa

I have to disagree; I thought it was poorly directed and poorly shot except in the scenery. The writing was awful, the editing was choppy. I am by no means a film snob-me and TBS are good friends, with Sandra Bullock movies in constant rotation, so believe me-I know and on occasion like cheese. But this was a disappointment bc while the books are not great (they're not well written even if they are entertaining), this movie felt rushed, spent an odd amount of time on useless things and left out minor character development that would've flushed it out a bit more. Transition would've been nice. I don't know-in terms of mythology and gothic romance it could've gone in so many directions and it took the lamest of all. Also-wtf was up with Jasper?

November 22, 2008 11:36 PM

JainaMac

replied to comment from Theresa

I agree, Theresa. The script was awful. I completely disagree with the review. The direction was horrible. I felt like I was watching something a student filmed in their backyard. The theater I saw this in was also laughing uproariously at things that were definitely not meant to be laughed at. I've read all of the books, thought they were decent, and I thought maybe the movie could be cool. Not so much.
And the music! Such horrible, inappropriate music selection. From the strange 80's power ballads that would then fade into wierd indie-rock chick singing. The music always jarred me right out of any scene I was watching. It never made sense and I was laughing out loud several times because of it.
I thought many of the unknowns were pretty terrible. Alice and Jasper in particular were groan-worthy at times. And Kristin Stewart phoned in that performance. She looked confused or drugged most of the time.
So disappointing.
(LOL Theresa, yeah, WTF with Jasper. Such a strange performance...and not to get all stupid girly about it BUT...isn't he supposed to be ATTRACTIVE?! With the exception of Edward and Carlisle none of the Cullens were amazingly beautiful.)

November 23, 2008 2:08 AM

krazykaycee

I think that the film was cast really well, and I thought all the Cullen's were beautiful though Carlisle being at Crayola-white was kind of off-putting...surely that would seem weird to someone? I mean, even albinos aren't that color.

I thought the film moves so slow in terms of action--every scene was a cheese-tastic Bella/Edward moment that might be nice in a larger context, but to stand alone as action doesn't make sense.

I got the feeling that if you haven't read the books, you wouldn't be able to get all that into the movie, but I've heard otherwise from a lot of people so, I don't know.

November 23, 2008 9:38 AM

Hailey

I loved Twilight, and I loved the books! I think all the actors were great, and so were the action scenes.

November 23, 2008 8:41 PM

Robin G.

Given what the movie had to work with, I have to say it was fairly impressive. It's a credit to the talent of tge actors and the director that the movie rose to the level of mediocrity, when you consider how appallingly wretched the books were.

The worst moments of the film were lifted verbatim from the text. The best moments in the film weren't in Meyer's work at all.

November 23, 2008 9:56 PM

angela

i was not impressed with the movie. I loved the books but was not expecting much from the movie.it had some good parts but also had a lot of bad parts. the females cast were great. loved charlie and emmett casting. robert pattinson as edward has grown on me. but WTF was with jasper? he looked like edward scissorhands!

with that said, if there is a sequel, i am there. :)

November 24, 2008 12:55 AM

carol

Scene:
Bella: "Don't leave me!"
Edward: "Where would I go?"
Audience member: "To Acting School!"

November 24, 2008 5:34 PM

Selena

I totally agree with the review. I think it was perfectly stated that the cheesy parts in the book are cheesy in the film. Meyer's herself stated that she is not a great writer... but a great story teller. It's not really rocket science... low budget, cheesy parts not playing well on film, actors who didn't really get how big the book was going to be, ect ect... All in all I love the books, forgive the editing nightmares.... I love the actors in the movie and forgave all the blemishes. That's kind of what you do when you like something. No one expected it to really be harry potter worthy, and I appreciate that the reviewer took all of that into consideration. It threw everyone for a loop to be a blockbuster and I think summit will be more prepared for the next movie. I just liked seeing edward and bella on film and thought they were cast well. They are the only ones that matter anyway. Although, Jasper did freak me out a little, but I really like that actor so I think he just didn't get any lines... and didn't know how to play the part. I will be excited to see what they bring out in the next one.

November 25, 2008 11:34 PM

Heather

I have to say I totally agree with the review. Yes, the movie was completely cheesy, but that's what was so great. I'm so tired of movies being taken so seriously. Like, give me some cheese and a fun story and I'm happy. I had a hard time keping the smile off my face, mostly because I know what was happening (I LOVED the books) and thought it was fun to watch how they portrayed it in the movie. I was pleasantly surprised with how closely they managed to keep to the book. I hate going to a movie-based-on-novel and finding out they've changed it completely and it's no longer even the same story.
Twilight ended up being exactly what I hoped - a fluffy movie that stayed true to the story told in the book.
As for Jasper, I think the problem was that the movie just didn't have time to really go into him. Even in the books he's a very subtle character - very little speaking, everything about him is in description. How do you portray that? I'm looking forward to seeing how they do with New Moon. I expect something better, seeing as they will expect a similar response from the fans and therefore will likely give it a bigger budget.

November 28, 2008 4:00 PM

ashley

The other thing about Jasper is that he was the newest vampire. He had to keep his walls up or risk becoming an animal. I agree it is subtle and not so easy to show on screen. Maybe next time they can flesh that out.

November 29, 2008 5:16 PM

Allison

This is the best review I've seen so far. Most have been from people who haven't read the books (which is fine usually, but a lot of the enjoyment i got from the movie was little subtle bits from the book), people who have pride because we live where some of it was filmed (look at the mercury review and you'll get a hint as to what a screening was like in portland), and really intense fans who can see no wrong in it or find everything wrong.
The scenes with the vampire family as a whole were definately the best. I really loved the scene where they are making food for Bella. ("Is she even Italian?" "Her name is Bella?") But it was really cheesy. Whenever someone asked me how the film was my immediate reply is "Ridiculious".

November 30, 2008 4:37 PM

novi

I could live with all the cheese if I thought it was funny, but I was extremely bored throughout the whole thing. Whatever personality Edward had in the book (almost none) was totally gone in the film. Bella should also have been more dynamic, then maybe I wouldn't have fallen asleep.

November 30, 2008 5:24 PM

Yvaughn

Great review! I just saw the film late last night, and I loved it. BUT, I tried to come at it like a fangrl (if 30 years older) and thus loved it on a wholly emotional level. I'd finally read the book last week, to see what the fuss was about, and wanted to see how the film translated the 1st person emo melodrama (and I don't say that as an insult; there's a place for emo melodramas in our world, alongside artistic brilliance). All in all, the screenwriter, director, and especially the actors did an excellent job and, in fact, made the whole experience more real than the book, with it's limited pov and delayed bad-guy introduction, had not. I may not love Bella, but KS played her to form, with even a bit more spine than in the book (pepper spray? Cool!) I loved RP's Edward just as I should have, and in fact saw more layers in the performance than I got out of reading the chuckles and murmured-should-I-even-have-heard-it comments from the novel. Again, this is not to diss the novel! People who hate the idea of the novel really shouldn't love the movie. But those who like the basic, Jane Eyre Meets Dracula Meets the OC concept, should enjoy the movie for the reasons the review stated.

November 30, 2008 8:47 PM

Serene

I saw the movie and I was disappointed. I think the production company spent as little money as possible and as the release day neared they realized that there was a huge dedicated fan base that would see the movie no matter what. I loved the books, and I was one of those people who was ready to see the movie on its opening night the day I heard was being filmed.

Summit Entertainment, please treat this next potential block buster like it deserves to earn $100 million in it’s opening weeks: more character development, better action scenes, and if it takes more than two hours to tell a good story then do it! If you are not sure of how to make a great movie out of a good fantasy story then just watch Dark Night, Xmen, or dare I even mention Harry Potter.

December 13, 2008 9:14 AM

coolpeoplesuck

I think if I hadn't read the book the movie would have been boring.

Seeing as I'd read the books and disliked 99% of them I went into the movie looking at it as a comedy.

Easily the best parody of a vampire romance ever made! I agree, the best parts in the movie are the parts Meyer didn't write.

December 26, 2008 1:18 AM

Seph

I have to say, I absolutely loathed the books for all that it did to the image of vampires and, frankly, the movie WASN'T much better. I can only judge the first half, though. (I didn't walk out of the theater, I fell asleep, no joke). I totally agree with krazykaycee about how Carlisle looked. He would've been a tad more attractive if his clothes, skin and hair weren't all the same colour. And aside from him and Alice, none of the Cullens were particularly "dazzling."
And yeah, people have been all "Well, if you hate the books, why did you go see the movie?" One: I thought it might be a little bit redeeming of the crappiness of Meyer's work of (unintentional) horror. Two: I have an awesome English teacher who let me do a presentation of a history of vampire films. But that's completely irrelevant to what I'm saying, haha.
I think I pissed off several fans with my inappropriate laughter at all the supposedly touching and dramatic parts... They were just horrific if taken seriously. All in all, I thought it was just plain BAD. Absolute Mary Sue, teenage girl fantasy fluff.
(Did anyone else think the effects with the sparkling sucked and looked like sweat???)

March 27, 2009 3:30 PM

Sareh

I thought it was campy. Pure and simple. In 5 years, it will be termed a joke.

July 24, 2009 12:32 PM

Sheree

I thought it was ok. The main problem I had with the movie is that it tried to come across as much more serious than it was supposed to be. I've read the books, I understand that this supposed to be some grand dramatic love for them, but they've tried to make it so brooding and basically tried to be taken so seriously that the characters aren't even the same people. I mean despite the "epic" love and near death experiences, the first of these books was fairly light-hearted and humorous because Bella's such a quirky, self-deprecating, admittedly completely obsessed person in her head. This Bella, hell her and Edward are practically identical personality wise, and even he's not right. Its the exact same thing but its completely different.

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