Excellent entertainment. Good artistically.

Rating: 8/10 (29 November 2008)

The entire audience was enthralled with the movie--and it wasn't just young women. During the last scenes there was absolute silence. And that is rare. I greatly preferred the movie to the book. The purpose of a movie is entertainment and I give that a 10
Artistically, however, the movie so uneven that I'd give it a 6. Carlisle's make-up to age him is obvious in one scene. Edward's hairstyle is weird and distracting to the point that I found myself staring at it and not following the movie now and then. The dialogue is honest and simple,which is appropriate for this movie but it could have been better.
The main problem I have is that three of the important Cullen family are two-dimensional while lesser characters are well-rounded. Rosalie is a witch and Jasper is the great stone face and that's all they are. I don't even remember what Emmett looks like. This is poor writing and a missed opportunity. You can round out characters without telling the mysteries of their lives.
Acting was also uneven. Bella was acted all right but nothing special. While all of the acting was acceptable,these are the characters to watch: Jacob, Alice, Charlie Swan, and the three traditional vampires, each one well done. Rob's creation of Edward is outstanding, as I expected. He also did something that few actors have the knack for: taking an ordinary line and speaking it in a way that you remember it. If his interpretation of the "hero...bad guy" line was intentional, Rob is one of those few.
Go see it for the entertainment alone and you'll love it.