Has Potential, But Still Needs Work

Rating: 5/10 (22 November 2008)

I came into the theater not only as a Twilight fan, but as a skeptical movie watcher. I had fairly low expectations for the movie, not because of its faithfulness to the book, which was almost spot on, but because its value as good cinematic work. What I was expecting was a poorly scripted, cheesy movie with actors that didn't deliver. Fortunately, for the most part, the movie a satisfactory. But only for the most part.
It was a cute movie. I laughed a lot, especially when Billy Burke and Michael Welch appeared on the screen. They were, in my opinion some of the best actors in the movie. Robert Pattinson nailed the looks and mannerisms of Edward Cullen, although he sometimes left me behind in acting. I'll give her this, Catherine Hardwicke is pretty good at awkward. It certainly lightened up the movie when it could have been nothing more than a droll, teen love story.
I was disappointed in the script. Given, it must have been incredibly difficult to transpose the book onto screen, but there was so much more the screenwriter could have done do make the script more believable. Both Pattinson and Stewart must have had a hard time working with those lines, although I was much more pleased with Pattinson than I was with Stewart. She simply did not seem to be totally into her role. I was left dry with her portrayal, although I believe it had more to do with the script than the actress herself.
But, over all, I saw hope. Even if this wasn't a perfect movie, I saw the potential for better sequels, which everyone knows are coming. I believe it will be easier, as the next two books are better written than the first. But the effort has to be made to improve by everyone involved with the movie, or else the audience will simply give up.