Overall, I would say that the movie was one that I would see once, perhaps twice, if a friend wanted me to go again, but it wasn't a favorite.

Rating: 4/10 (29 January 2009)

I first heard about the Twilight series last year, around Christmas, from my friends who were absolutely in love with it. I asked for the books for Christmas, read them all within two days, and then discarded them. I thought they were alright, but they weren't fantastic, in my opinion; I only read the books to get a feel for what my friends had been raving about. It seemed like overnight the series became a hit, and I couldn't go anywhere without seeing a book or hearing 'Cullen' mentioned.
When I heard that they were making a movie, I was excited to see how they were going to adapt such a unique storyline. While I might not have loved the series as much as everyone else, it certainly was something that could have the potential to be a great film. My expectations lowered dramatically as I heard who had been cast for Edward - Robert Pattinson. I feel that he's alright for parts where he's not a main character (As when he was Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), plus his accent was going to be hard to disguise, in my opinion.
I was right. He's definitely no Hugh Laurie, and his accent is obvious throughout the film - I felt as though he were trying to channel a bad boy, with the constant mumbling and low voice. I was reminded of Jess Mariano from Gilmore Girls whenever he spoke, although Milo Ventimiglia pulled off the entire thing better than Robert Pattinson could. I cringed whenever he was on screen, being one of the few girls in the world who isn't constantly drooling over him. I felt as though all of the shots were used to showcase just how handsome he is, when all I could focus on was how much make-up he was wearing (Was it just me, or was he wearing more lipstick than Kristin Stewart?).
Kristin Stewart was likable for me. I'd never thought of Bella as this fragile little girl who constantly needed saving by her hero, Edward. My impression of her was that she was a strong, confident young woman who knew what was going on. While Stewart's delivery might have been a bit awkward at times, such as during the hospital scene, I overall thought she hit the mark on what Bella should have been portrayed as.
The other actors were spot-on for me. Kellan Lutz as Emmett made the entire movie for me; the only thing that bothered me was that his scene that was portrayed in almost all of the ads for Twilight ("She's not one of us, Edward!") was cut. Nikki Reed as Rosalie was perfect casting, in my opinion, since she can really pull off the vibe that was felt throughout the books towards Bella and Edward's general situation. I felt that Ashley Greene could have been a bit more perkier in portraying Alice, but she wasn't terrible. I did laugh at Jackson Rathbone's facial expressions whenever he was on screen as Jasper, but overall, he made me like the character, one which I had always been a bit leery of. Peter Facinelli and Elizabeth Reaser were perfect as Carlise and Esme; I had no problems there.
The rest of the supporting cast was okay for me. I had a few problems, such as how they weren't as described in the books (Mike was too tall and athletic and handsome, there was no Ben Cheney, just a combination of him and Eric Yorkie, and Angela was hardly five foot five, let alone over six feet). The 'bad guy,' James, portrayed by Cam Gigadent, wasn't my favorite. I had thought that perhaps he would be as scary as in the books, given my fondness for Cam Gigadent, but he was a disappointment. Rachel Lefevre as Victoria utterly thrilled me, and Edi Gathegi as Laurent was an interesting addition. Billy Burke as Charlie made me smile, although the mustache was possibly one of the most hideous and distracting things in the entire movie.
Finally, I thought Taylor Lautner was the perfect person to play Jacob Black. The wig was a bit much, but Taylor Lautner pulled Bella's other love interest off perfectly, and it made me love Jacob just a little bit more. I give him kudos for being so dedicated to the role that he's bulked up since Twilight wrapped.
Most of the scenes were choppy and irritating to the eye, and I and my friends found ourselves laughing more than once at the expressions on Robert Pattinson's face.The scene were he was supposed to be glittering in the meadow was absolutely terrible, and looked so cheap and gaudy that it was like someone had thrown a bucket of glitter on him. The shots of the forest in Forks were done artfully, and I liked those, but the close-ups to people's faces and other things were too much for me. Catherine Hardwicke tried in this movie, but she ultimately failed, since this was one of the few movies where I've had a desire to walk out in the middle of it.
Overall, I would say that the movie was one that I would see once, perhaps twice, if a friend wanted me to go again, but it wasn't a favorite. The thing that was most bothersome was Robert Pattinson, and I feel that if someone else had been cast in Edward's position, the movie would have been a lot more watchable.