Review: Twilight the Movie

Warning: Mild spoilers ahead.

I went to see the movie at 12:01am on Thursday (technically Friday) with a theater full of screaming teenagers. I am pretty sure that my two friends (who had not read the series) and I were the oldest group of gals there NOT accompanying their daughters. I decided not to write my review of the movie until seeing it a second time with my sister in-law on Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. That choice was based in the fact that my love of the books and my high expectations made it nearly impossible not to be disappointed. I thought maybe giving it a second chance, I might better be able to watch it objectively as a movie adaptation. It would not be the first time this has happened. Unfortunately, it failed to be the case for Twilight.

I really thought with all the scenes, interviews and articles I read and saw that I knew what to expect from the movie. I knew most of what would remain true to the book and what would be omitted, added or changed. That said, the movie simply failed to develop the intensity of the relationship between the main characters. As someone going to see the movie who may not have the read the books, I cannot imagine how they could not find themselves lost, confused or at the very least asking themselves whether the two main characters had actually fallen in love. The movie was choppy, the actors were directed to overdo many of the scenes and the special effects were nothing short of cheesy (especially for a scene that had no redeeming value and was not even in the book to begin with). So frustrating!

What was surprising were that my favorite scenes - the ones they got right were the ones with action. I loved watching vampire baseball (which can only be played during a thunderstorm of course) and the final fight scene in the dance studio. I also thought the soundtrack and score (which I was initially lukewarm about) were well woven throughout the movie. And Jacob. My Jacob. An actor that has been raked over the coals for not being right for the part truly shined in his few short moments, something that I think along with a bigger budget (and my dream of a new director, which I realize is not going to happen) gives the sequel a chance to be heads and tails above the artistic creation that was Twilight. Not to mention that the second book, New Moon is my personal favorite so if they screw that one up, I am going to be much more upset.

So what do I do now? Read the books YET AGAIN and revel in the magic that is Stephanie Meyer's words and my imagination, where every scene is for me at least, perfect.