After what felt like an eternity-long wait (we feel your pain, Edward), we finally got to sink our teeth into the highly anticipated Twilight movie this weekend. So it’s about time we have a spoilerific discussion of one of the biggest films of the fall.
I’ve seen the vamp flick twice so far — once at a press screening and later during the midnight release — and I’m surprised by what a difference the audience can make. During the first show, with a crowd mostly made up of journalists and a few lucky fans who nabbed spare seats, the mood was fairly sedate. Sure, there were a few woots and hand claps when Robert Pattison first appeared on screen, but that was about it. I left the theater pretty jazzed about what I had just seen. But after attending Thursday’s midnight showing, where gaggles of girls giggled throughout the entire film — frequently during parts that weren’t intended to be funny — I felt slightly less enthused. Perhaps I’m easily influenced, or perhaps the movie doesn’t hold up to a second viewing, but after twirl No. 2 with Twilight, the movie seemed cheesier than I had remembered. That said, I do like the movie overall. But what about you? I’ll start our rehash with a few of my specific likes and dislikes, after the jump.
LIKES:
Fairly faithful adaptation — It’s no easytask winnowing a 500-page novel into a two-hour movie, but I thinkscreenwriter Melissa Rosenberg did a good job. All of the pivotalscenes are there — Port Angeles, the meadow, the baseball game — andalthough certain events happen out of sequence (like Bella meetingJacob during her first day in Forks), I don’t think it damages theintegrity of the story.
The supporting cast — Billy Burke’s portrayal of Bella’suptight police-chief father garnered the most laughs from me. Subtle,yet funny, like the scene where he’s cleaning his shotgun. AnnaKendrick, who plays Jessica, and Michael Welch, who portrays Mike, are also standouts. The duo add some much-needed comic relief to theotherwise somber script. (But I would have liked to hear more from theCullens. Poor Jasper and Emmett have, like, two lines each.)
The beer — Okay, this is totally silly, and I’m probably theonly one to notice or care, but Charlie always has a Rainier beer inhis hand. As a native Washingtonian whose grandpa was a big Rainierbeer fan, this kinda makes me happy.
Miscellaneous likes — Edward looking like he’s going tobarf when he first catches Bella’s scent (very human response), themortar board wall installation, the Cullens’ house (love me somepicture windows), the baseball scene
DISLIKES:
The special effects — Granted the filmhad a smallish $37 million budget, but seriously, the "dazzling in thesun" Edward is totally messed up. My colleague Jean likens the effectto an overly generous slathering of shimmer body lotion, while Ithink it looks more like a billowy veil from a bedazzled bellydancer’s costume.
The overacting — Especially during my second viewing, Ireally felt like I was watching many of the actors give a performance,not embody a character. Kristen Stewart’s sputtering, especially during the hospital scene, really started to grate on me by the end.
All right, Twilighters, that’s my two cents. It’s your turn to haveat it. What did you like/dislike? Which of your favorite scenes wereleft out? Did Robert Pattinson’s hair have you swooning? And are youcraving a(n inevitable) sequel…or not?
More Twilight:
‘Twilight’: The EW Review
‘Twilight’ trivia challenge!
Robert Pattinson talks ‘Twilight’
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Wow, I felt pretty much the same way. The heavy breathing of Kristen Stewart wore me down a bit, and the ending in the hospital bed was a just a little too much psychotic and not enough emotional pain. Loved the dads- both human and vampires. I think Im just too old for the movie when I get excited by the hot dilfs!
The effects were cheesy and it bothered me how they kept cutting to each of their faces for dramatic effect. Still, I was impressed enough with the movie to see it again and still like it. Certain scenes were done so well that I found myself really engaged in the movie even though I knew how it ended. Overall, Im happy.
I may as well say I’ve never gotten around to reading the books but found this a good film overall. Some of the dialouge was hoky and yeah, that sunlight effect wasn’t that big (honestly took me a couple of minutes to realize his skin was glittering). But did like the cast who gave it their all, especially the supporting lady vampires, hope they get more in the sequal. So while not a big book fan, I liked how it was and does make me want to finally pick up those books at last.
I totally agree, it had it flaws for sure. Overall, I thought it was a wonderful movie. I thought all the actors did an amazing job. I will be thrilled to see New Moon get a much beter budget!
I totally agree, it had it flaws for sure. Overall, I thought it was a wonderful movie. I thought all the actors did an amazing job. I will be thrilled to see New Moon get a much beter budget!
I loved the movie
Though I didn’t like some of the pacing and a few of the effects, it was awesome!
Overacting! It was all stiff and stumbly and dramatic. And Edward should not have looked like he was about to vomit when he saw Bella… he was supposed to be tortured by the “aroma” of her blood! Hello?
Jasper– did he have a stick up his rear in the book, too, or did I miss that? I get that he’s in pain, but he looked like a retarded frog half the movie!
Jacob– Hello?! Where was he!? He had like, three lines. It was stupid…
Plot development– There was none. One moment, they were at some made-up field trip, the next they were in love. It was so quick it was unbelievable. I mean, I understand that there are time restraints, but, still.
Their voices– Bella & Edward, both of them. Edward sounded like he kept forgetting his lines, and was recovering from some wicked laryngitis. Bella was too afraid and nervous, and, yes, stumbly.
Still, though. It was pretty good. Movies are never as good as books though, so my expectations were unrealistic
I’m a 21-year-old, at college in a college town, and most of the audience in my theater was the college-aged crowd. We all giggled throughout. We laughed at parts that weren’t funny, but that was just because whatever was happening we understood and were just sooooo excited to see it in the film. I had to remind myself continually not to scream and laugh during the whole thing, in just disbelief that i was finally seeing the movie after months and months and months. gah i am still giddy from seeing the midnight showing. GAH!!!!!
I went to a midnight showing on Friday and loved it but I did feel like the relationship was rushed but I didn’t really mind b/c I’ve read all the books so I just filled in what was missing. I saw it again today (saturday) and I have to say I thought it was even better the second time around. It’s not perfect or oscar worthy but for what it is, it’s fantastic to see one of my two favorite book series (HP being the other) brought to life. And I’m so excited about New Moon. I am 100% Team Edward but I hope they don’t add any scenes of Rob in the middle of the movie b/c that will really take away from his return in the end. I’m also excited about New Moon b/c the faster we get that done the faster we get to Eclipse and maybe Breaking Dawn (tied for first as my favorite). Overall great movie, and I have to disagree.I think it gets better with multiple screenings.
P.S. As for the mixed reviews for the movie, considering the received mixed reviews, they were exactly what I expected.
I loved the movie! A few things did bother me though but they have nothing to do with the adaptation…I thought the cast and crew did an amazing job with the source material and budget they were working with.
Great job!
1. There is no mention of “Twilight” the name of the freaking book/movie. I wish they added in the line where Edward mentions that it’s the easiest part of day for them to be together. But, I’ll get over this, seeing as 99% of people who love this movie know this fact already.
2. Edwards reaction to Bella in Biology – I don’t know – I laughed both times I watched this scene and I don’t want to laugh here. I think the music didn’t help here either.
3. Bella’s reaction to Edward in the hospital as he’s telling her she should move to Jacksonville. I love the sputtering in every other scene…but this was too much.
I’ll overlook it all though because I appreciated the love and passion that went into making this movie more than anything else.
I thought the movie was poorly acted with silly special effects. I found the movie very campy. I’m in my late twenties, past the Twilight demographic, but I can’t help but wonder if everybody’s allegiance to the books is the only reason the movie is earning any praise. I didn’t see the chemistry between Stewart and Pattinson (unless heavy breathing and staring at each other counts?). The makeup looked more geisha than vampire. My theater laughed throughout as well … and not at scenes that were supposed to be funny. It makes me kinda sad this movie is getting so much press, and so much attention, when better movies (on lesser budgets) are made. The obsession women have with Edward is getting all kinds of creepy too. I think Rob Pattinson is a doll … but my word. Am I the only one who thinks this is all getting out of control? And now we get three more? Ugh. The first three books were okay. Breaking Dawn was disturbing. I’m embarrassed I paid into this franchise.
I’m not a fan of the series — I couldn’t get through Twilight, it’s so bad — but my two best friends are fans and convinced me to go to the midnight showing for the laughs. And it didn’t disappoint. Bella’s dad was easily the best character — the most realistic and most sympathetic.
The crowd was pretty respectful, which was more than I expected. I was imagining screams at every line that would be deafening enough to cover the dialogue. But yeah, the crowd laughed A LOT at things that weren’t meant to be funny (Edward’s blatant awkward/creeper/stalkerish-ness, for example), but since that’s why I went along, I didn’t mind.
Okay, one thing that really bugged me: The hair. I know, it sounds stupid but honestly, the vamps (especially Edward and his dad) just have this really bad hair that makes them look totally ridiculous. It’s hard to buy Edward’s dramatic chops when you’re staring at that gelled mess on his head.
I am a 45 year old mother of a 17 year old teenage daughter and I read all four books! My own Mother, 72 years old also read and loved every one of them! I saw the movie today with my mom and we were not dissappointed at all! we were just as excited as every teen in the theater! I even found myself screaming for Edward also! Bella could use more softness and love in her voice…she sounded like she was reading her lines! But in all, I thought the whole movie was great concidering the budget! I am going to see it again, and I can’t wait for the release of New Moon! Thank you for allowing me to be a teen again and for creating great novels for us to read! I never thought I would ever see the day that I would be in love with a vampire!!
I enjoyed the movie, though not half as much as the squealing teenagers around me. I didn’t even mind the hokey special effects. I’m looking forward to the sequel with increased budget, but I hope they don’t overdo it. And I hope they stay fairly faithful to the books.
I’m the type of person who reads critics thoughts & usually agree, so after hearing about mixed reviews I thought for sure my expectations would meet with disappointment. I was wrong. Rob was amazing as Edward & while I believe Kristen is one of the best young actresses around her Bella lacked…Bella. No clumsiness & not enough character depth. Like, I didn’t feel her falling in love w/ Edward at all. Someone who really surprised me in the movie was Jacob! I am so Team Edward but I cannot wait for New Moon. I adored Jake in this movie & can’t wait to see him shine in the sequel. He was a standout in this movie. But my favorite aspect of this movie was the beginning scene(which really made me feel like I was watching a “big” movie..of course after a few bloopers I realized I was watching a small-budget one) and, most of all, the baseball scene! Terrific! Wasn’t Alice a great pitcher? I needed more Cullens(although I still wish they had cast someone else as Rosalie! Overall I liked it.
The movie over-all was good, but the acting in some scenes was very poor. Throughout the whole movie i felt as if the actors were speaking in monotone. Yeah, the special effects could have been better in some scenes. I think Robert Pattinson did a good job of playing the character Edward, but i don’t think Kristin Stewart did that well of a job playing the role of Bella. Other than that, the moive was pretty good
Just so you know, I print every single EW article about twillight, and then I burn them in a big fire while chanting around it. That’s all.
http://www.unfrancaisahollywood.com
Saw it at Midnight and again the next afternoon. I too laughed a lot the first time and agree with Charlee it was due to the excitement of knowing the whole story and the excitement of seeing it the first time. Wasn’t so giggly the 2nd time. Was on the fence–I like it but a couple of things bugged me–the rushed relationship–the fact that Jacob didn’t share the ww legends (might be a problem for NM)–and mostly the hokey effects. THe sparkle was fine, but in one scene the makeup was chalky the next transluscent. I like it much better the second time and plan on seeing it one more time at least. Soundtrack was awesome and Rob’s music was perfectly placed and added so much to the scenes. Muse and Baseball? Priceless!
Seen the movie Friday night and I recall LMAO and looking over at a friend and saying ohhh I don’t think this is supposed to be funny..I enjoyed the teenage girls reactions, but Rob totally over acted the “burning when he smelled her” and OMG the dazzling skin!! totally cooler in my imagination was terrible in the movie!! I wasnt thrilled with the film and hoping for a HIGHER budget for the follow-ups..but all in all I did laugh..Jasper cracked me up, his lack of words and over the top stiffness and facial expressions where priceless..
I agree that Bella’s sputtering during the hospital scene at the end of the movie was a bit unnatural…however, that was the only part that i thought the acting could really be improved, the rest of the movie was pretty good. The story line should have been developped more…i feel like if i hadn’t read the book i wouldn’t have been able to understand a lot of what was happening in the movie, especially the whole jacob/werewolf aspect. but overall i enjoyed the movie (but book is better!)
I enjoyed it. For the amount of money and time they were allotted it was enjoyable.
These were my critiques:
Robert did overreact with the scent of Bella.
I felt that Bella needed to react as how his scent tantalized her. There was several moments where I believe she was acting that way, but if you never read the books you were wondering if she was ok, or epileptic.
The meadow was cheesy and I was disappointed with it.
Their relationship was rushed. It was like: I don’t like you, I want to be friends, I think I love you. I do love you, don’t leave me, ever. okay. They needed 30 more minutes to develop the relationship.
Robert did a good job and should have been given free verse with his script.
Kristen was ok, but i didn’t like her acting, it bothered me. The next movie should be interesting.
The Cullens needed more lines. Jasper was too rigid, Alice needed more lines, as well as Emmett.
I liked how they incorporated the enemies
I can’t wait for Eclipse, that was my favorite book.
I thought it was pretty okay. There was definitely a lot of overacting, and Robert sounded like he was speaking broken English the whole time, while he’s supposed to be insanely eloquent, but he’s English so I forgave that. I found a lot of it really awkward and soooo dark! Edward and Bella were not that brooding, they actually acted like they liked each other in the books… Not so much in the movie. I’m really excited for New Moon though, because I thought Taylor Lautner was the perfect Jacob. They can’t find anyone else better, there are totally ways to make him look bigger. I think by the second movie they might get better, they just need to figure it out.
Me and my friends went to go see the movie on friday night and we are so in love with it now. I’ve read all the books numerous times and am a fanatic. I did have a few comments about the movie though. I love it was great and I think Rob Pattinson did an excellent job, but I would have liked to see his character develop a little more. I thought it was really rushed, I understand the time limits, but I agree that it was like one minute they were hating each other, and the next they were in love. I really wish more from the book had been incorporated in the movie.
I also felt like Kristen Stewart spent more time acting that actually ‘being’ Bella. I felt as though she tried a little too much. She was still a great character though.
All in all everyone I know, including myself, loves the movie. I plan on seeing it many times more. I would have just like to see a little more background and more of the book.
I thought they did a really good job considering time restraints and budget they had to deal with. I thought it was well-acted throughout with the exception of the sputtering in the hospital scene which was a little too much. I thought visually it was appealing (especially the scene in woods; but minus some of the special effects), and I thought the essence of the book was there. I also thought the humans were better in the movie than they were in the book. Mike and Jessica were hilarious, as was Charlie. All in all, I loved it. The positives far out-weighed the negatives for me!
The movie over all was very good. I hope Catherine Hardwicke and Co are reading these as well as Summit Ent.
What was missing or disliked.
Maybe I am an old hag at 33 but I really hated the young actors portraying Bella’s friends! The all looked like they were still 13. As well as acted that way. In the book at least they were a smidge more mature. I could have gladly done without them in the movie! I felt like I lost too much critical time with Bella and Edward and the Cullens!
So please keep Mike,Jessica,Eric,Tyler,Angela to a non-existant minimum in “New Moon”.
I so missed the amazing conversations that Edward and Bella had in the book. I understand it had to be more condensed for the movie,but in the book you can read just how intelligent and perceptive both characters are,in this we really just get a glimpse.
The meadow scene…some vital touching and intamacy was missing. In the book it was subtle but beautiful!
One thing I found really distracting was the rather poor vampire makeup. In certain scenes, the Cullens looked like they’d been slathered in buckets of pancake makeup (Edward and Carlisle in particular) — and other times, like the final scene, Edward looked about as pale as Bella. Since they will hopefully have a much more generous budget for New Moon after this stellar opening, I think the makeup department needs to go watch Interview with the Vampire. I just saw it again recently and in addition to being really impressed with how well it has stood up to the test of time, the vampire makeup was perfect — distinctive enough to give them the essential look of otherness without looking like they used a prepackaged Halloween kit. Otherwise, not a bad start to the franchise and I’m looking forward to seeing more of the Cullens in the movies to come.
Yeah, Rob totally overreacted when Edward first meets Bella. He’s supposed to glare at her and stiffen up, not act like his head is going to explode. Also, Kristen did overreact during the hospital scene, but she was supposed to. That’s exactly what Bella would do. But it shouldn’t have gone on for that long. She was babbling for 20 seconds before Edward stopped her. He should’ve cut her off sooner. And the sparkling really got on my nerves. It looked so fake, and the shimmering sound in the background was completely unnecessary. And I wasn’t happy about parts being cut down (i.e. Alice, Jasper, Emmett, etc.) But those were the only things I didn’t like. The humor was great. I couldn’t stop laughing. All of the added humor with Bella’s mom was hysterical. And also, they did do a really good job with staying true to the book. A lot of lines were taken word-for-word from the novel. And most of the actors did their parts really well. Overall, I was really happy with it. B+ or A-
I came into the movie theater not expecting much from twilight the movie, already being a fan of the book I was skeptical that it would be portrayed in a fitting way. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the movie-despite the poor special effects, plot variations, Jasper’s lack of lines, and of course extreme sappy moments. My two biggest criticisms of the movie would have to be the minimum amount of chemistry, witty banter, questions and dialog between Bella and Edward, and of course the corniness and completely ridiculous and unrealistic scenes that occasionally happened between Bella and Edward and sent the entire theater into snickers. I really enjoyed this movie but I was not 100% satisfied.
to continue where I left off-
The Blood Typing scene…crucial!
I hope Summit gets a MUCH larger budget for effects. The “Dazzling” was very nice,subtle!
The running needs work!
What I loved: The cast,minus the school teens(UGH)! All the cast of the Cullens,brillent!
MORE ALICE!!!! Everyone loves Alice!
Rosalie,appropriately bitchy! Great job!
Esme was more front and center! Loved it!
Carlisle-Perfect!
Loved Emmett and Jasper!
Robert Pattinson-I am sorry I ever doubted you.You are amazing! You Brought Edward to life.Thank you! Never doubt the British!!!!!
Kristen Stewart-never had any doubts! She is amazing!
Taylor Lautner-so cute! He IS Jacob! Can’t wait to see more from him!
The biggest surprise: Charlie Swan!!
Billy Burke was amazing! He made Charlie funny.Charlie was more vocal and present in the movie! I so enjoyed him!
Victoria,James and Laurent wonderful!
The Kissing scene…W-O-W! One of the best makeout scenes ever!!!! I think that even beat “Titanic”!
Crap!I forgot about the makeup-I agree! Better makeup for the next movie! God what that stuff must have done to they’re pores!