A visually stunning, yet careless adaptation of the book

Rating: Null/10 (25 December 2017)

I'll start by pointing out the obvious: The choice to hire Melissa Rosenberg for screenwriter of this saga was total fail. She bears no true sense of style when attempting to capture key moments between Edward and Bella. She doesn't seem to understand the true depth of their relationship. Her handling of their scenes is SO incredibly weak that it ultimately means the actors - Rob and Kristen - are left up to the task of re-establishing the connection between the characters. Moreover, she doesn't seem much interested in the Cullen family as a whole. Where was the airport scene that reunited them towards the end? Its absence made the voting scene seem like a major WTF? moment. Why was The Truth chapter scanned over as if it meant nothing? Edward's decision to leave and his suffering without Bella made total and complete sense at this point in the book, whereas in the movie, it's barely touched upon. Honestly, why did Melissa choose to tackle this story if she completely takes it for granted???
Taylor Lautner only shines in the earlier scenes. When his character is forced to transform beyond the boyish stage into a vicious werewolf, his amateur acting skills fail him. This guy can't pull off a look or line of intensity without making you cringe for him. And to top it off, JACOB IS A CARBON-COPY OF EDWARD. Read between the lines to see how much he reflects him: Sees girl, spends time with girl, wants girl, can't have girl, struggling with inner demons around girl, can't lose control with girl... Catch my drift??? There's nothing original about Jacob Black. Sure, he's more easy-going and carefree. But he hasn't had to live through what Edward has. He hasn't found his soulmate in Bella like Edward has.
The movie's biggest weaknesses? Script doesn't serve justice to the book. ~ Perhaps more voiceovers would have helped this, who knows. And from a marketing point of view, allowing the story to be a simple overkill of "will teen girl end up with vampire or werewolf?" makes it seem cheap and takes away from what made Twilight a hit in the first place.