Pretty Decent

Rating: 6/10 (16 March 2017)

When I first saw Twilight I was around eleven or twelve, and I loved it and didn't see what everyone else has problems with. Now that I'm 19, I'm a lot less in love with it however I still find it enjoyable despite it's issues.
For starters the cinematography is one of my favorite aspects of this film. The way it depicts each location is very well thought through, I especially like how there is this grayish blue tint to everything up in Washington state.
The fashion is also nicely done. The teenagers aren't dressed too trashy and more like how actual teenagers back in the late 2000s dressed. The more high class Cullens aren't dipped head to toe in obvious glam, but more understated while still looking more on the wealthy side. The nomads are dressed in a way that makes sense. A mixture of stuff that looks like it was taken from both poor and rich people; their outfits are very "a piece from here and a piece from there" which works given their status as not powerful but still frightening. The makeup is also not too heavy but not too light. The visual aspects of the film are all pretty great. It's a good looking movie.
Another good thing is that the scripts isn't bad, it's not an exceptionally great script but it's decent given that, as someone whose read all the books, the dialogue in the books was semi-awkward (nothing compared to it's adult-centered failure "Fifty Shades of Grey") and that's toned down a bit in the film even though the deliveries can get either so HAM it's hilarious or so bland that you have to wonder are the actors even interested.
Speaking of the actor's, that's what's all over the place. Kristen Stewart's acting in this film is notorious for her glazed over expressions, excessive breathing, and overuse of a monotone voice. In the books, Bella wasn't the most charismatic person however she did have personality. Kristen Stewart doesn't do a great job of portraying her more. I feel like if she had better direction or researched further then she could have been a lot better and more well received.
Another actor is Robert Pattinson. He shined a lot as Cedric Diggery in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" but here, he's almost as awkward as Kristen Stewart. He's better at conveying emotions here but that's about the only difference. In the books Edward was a bit on the bland side but not to this extreme. Again, I feel as if the director tried their hardest to make the two leads as unremarkable as possible.
The other actor's vary. Anna Kendrick is HAMist of HAMs at some points but it has that Hermione in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" effect. It's delightful in that goofy way. Christian Serratos portrays Jessica as a fine side character, Justin Chon as Eric is good comedic relief, Michael Welch as Mike works with what he's got as the person whose affections for Bella goes unnoticed, Gregory Boyce as Tyler is also pretty fun. The Cullens all work pretty well and their acting is a lot more put together than most. The best is probably Peter Facinelli as Carlisle and Nikki Reed as Rosalie. Carlisle like Charlie is a funny, and calm yet worried father but he's a lot more collected and less hang-wired than Charlie. Rosalie is Edward's very worried "adopted" older sister who holds resentment to Bella for reasons I won't say because of spoilers. Alice is a wonderful lighthearted character and Ashley Greene does well with the character.
The actors as the Nomads were pretty fantastic. James is actually scary I legit still find Victoria pretty threatening. Edi Gathegi does a great job as the calm but feared Laurant.
Props to Billy Burke whose excellent as Charlie Swan and does a good job at being both a funny and calm yet worried father.
One thing I find is most overlooked in all Twilight movies is the music, the score and soundtrack are both great and do good jobs setting the moods for the movie. I highly recommend a checking out. Every song from the opening song to the closing song- they're all stellar and perfect on their own.
But the major issue with Twilight are the acting of the two leads and the fact that the romance is so jaded. You really don't understand what Bella sees in Edward other than the fact that he's a well, vampire. That's pretty much it. That don't share any real connection beyond something that most people would consider at a platonic level. It's just not that well progressed and would need a lot more work put into it beyond "You're human, I'm a vampire, our love is forbidden but I don't care because you're so mysterious." That doesn't equate to love and for a lot of people, this spoiled the movie and the main reason why Twilight has a lot of anti-fans. It's not just with the films, in the books it's also not that well drawn and overall just falls flat as a romance.
The target audience for them film, while it is PG-13, is mostly for people between 11-15 and it works. It's visually pleasing and still able to get by those who have a very impressionable and idealistic views on love and most between 11-15 do have impressionable and idealistic views on love. It also works for the parents to an extent because it's one of those PG-13 films that you wont feel bad for showing an eleven or twelve year old if you're really hung on ratings.
So overall, while I enjoy "Twilight" I doc it marks just for the fact that the romance is a big part of the story but not explored beyond the surface.