Negligible

Rating: 3/10 (8 May 2009)

It wasn't the worst movie I've ever watched, but below average is definitely what I'd give it. I've read the first two books, and I almost resent how teenage girls usually come to mind whenever one thinks of Twilight fan; I'm a girl of 16 yet I scorn the book and the film.
I had waited a long time to see the film; after reading the book, I just wanted to know that someone did a better job at it than SMeyer. I'm not disappointed, really. It really does it for me that I don't have to hear Bella adulate Edward 24/7. Enough about the book/film business, I'm going to focus on the film now.
There are some good shots, although the whole movie seems more or less grey. If that's their intended effect, then I have nothing to say to that. The acting, especially that of Stewart, is impossibly horrible. Her first lines, which, I suppose, were supposed to sound insightful and reflective, was monotonous and flat (as are the rest of her lines in the movie). It might be due to the fact that I just saw the Shining again and witnessed the performance of my favourite actor, Nicholson, but all I thought about when I watched it was how mediocre an actress Kristen Stewart is. I actually thought the supporting actors and actresses (Nikki Reed, Peter Facinelli and Michael Welch, for example) gave a more convincing performance.
The lines were cheesy and at times lame, but could have been pulled off with a little more emotion from both parties (Pattinson and Stewart). Most memorable was the scene where Edward talks to Bella for the first time in Biology, where he talks about raining. When Bella asks if he's talking to her about the weather, the least Stewart could do is act a little more incredulous, but no, it's monotone; her usual. Some scenes, to me at least, are just embarrassing to watch; and some things from the book I wish they'd left out. The first scene Edward appears, to me, was just cartoonish. Jessica was describing how gorgeous he is, yet all I saw was a very awkward grin of his that suggested anything but gorgeous. Another cartoonish segment was the part where he sparkles in the sun (complete with jingling, which was, the most comical above all), after which Bella says "You're beautiful". That's the part I wish they'd left out, because to me at least, it's the most childish part of the book. Among other bad lines are the part where Bella says (again, with something like monotone), "you're impossibly fast...". Who actually speaks like that in real life? It's been a while since I've read Twilight, and because it's not very memorable, I don't remember all the lines from the book, but I sincerely hope this is lifted from SMeyer, because otherwise it speaks of horrible script writing.
The romance between Bella and Edward is extremely unrealistic; after barely getting to know him (at most a month, I think), she wants to spend all of eternity with him, even leaving behind her humanity to achieve that. She has friends; she has family, yet she'd trade it all to be with a controlling and intrusive boyfriend (he watches her sleep. now that's something), who, as far as I can discern, needs therapy regarding his mood swings (even Bella acknowledges his emotional versatility). The most enjoyable part of the movie, sadly, is not the romance, but their fiasco with James. During the last part of the movie, I'd forgotten it was a romance at all (because their sad rendition of star-crossed lovers is just not memorable); James was what kept me on my seat and I could moderately enjoy that segment of the movie.
Overall (with five being average)? Lead Acting: 4/10 (Pattinson was slightly better, but not enough to salvage that of Stewart) Plot: 2/10 Character Development and Depth: I'd give it a zero. Dialogue: 3/10 Re-Watch: Not worth it, but I'm glad I watched it.