Twilight (2008)

Rating: 9/10 (22 November 2008)

I have been a Twilight reader for well over a year now and when I heard that they were making a movie adaptation I was a little worried. Knowing how hard it would be to find the perfect Edward Cullen and Bella Swan I couldn't see any director or film company being able to do Meyer's story justice. I just saw a screening of the film Twilight and walked away a satisfied fan.
When the film opened and the first ten minutes passed the only thought running through my head was "oh no, they've destroyed everything,". Everything went by really fast, it was like the first two chapters on A.D.D and I wasn't having it. It was also very different from the book, and as an avid reader and fan I was ready to walk out.
But please do not fear, it got immensely better. Yes, there were many changes made and Hardwick's indie style was definitely evident but she made it work. I feel she stuck to the book but made the movie her own, it would have been terribly boring if she just took everything word for word, scene for scene. She was spicy and imaginative and I LOVED it.
Robert Pattinson is without a doubt the Edward Cullen, argue that if you must. Not only is he amazingly gorgeous and exactly how I pictured Edward physically he was also able to embody everything else Edward is on the inside. I think Pattinson went the right route when he decided to play up Edward's suicidal personality. Edward absolutely hates himself, sees himself as a monster, and Pattinson was able to deliver. I was in tears during the final fight scene when Carlisle had to pull Edward off James and then when he couldn't stop drinking Bella's blood. Leaping forward to book four it was in those moments when I think we got a glimpse of the "burning man". Pattinson was dark, seductive, and self loathing and I ate that up.
Kristen Stewart, she did okay. After seeing her in interviews I was so worried and disappointed, she seemed too aloof to be able to play Bella. My predictions were somewhat correct. I found Stewart's portrayal lacking in the passion and obsession that dwells in the character of Bella Swan. She played her very strong headed, a real Ms. Independent if you will. There were moments when her facial expressions were just right, like when Edward went in to kiss her for the first time, but other times I just did not feel like this boy had become the centre of her world. I like Kristen, I think she is extremely talented but I could have done with a little less "I can hold my own" and a little more "I am so obsessed with you".
The rest of the cast was wonderful. I wanted to hug Elizabeth Reaser for playing Esme exactly how she should be played and Nikki Reed had the sass needed to play a convincing Rosalie. Emmet was just wonderfully hilarious, a real big brother and Jasper kind of scared me at times. I liked Ashley Greene, her voice was dead on. Don't even get me started on Billy Burke, he was just fabulous and I loved him as Charlie.
Now although I left the theatre already planning my next trip to see it, there were some things that left me feeling a little deprived. For example, like the beginning of the film, the building of Edward and Bella's relationship was so fast paced it was almost hard for me to feel it at times. I wanted to watch it grow and strengthen, like in the book...instead they clumped a bunch of different conversations into one scene and all the sudden Edward is speaking the ever so famous "and so the lion fell in love with the lamb," I kept repeating, not yet, not yet. Robert and Kristen made up for it though with their wonderful on screen chemistry. Another thing that made me feel a little empty was Bella's lullaby. I had heard it before the movie and didn't like it at all, way too fast and not enough passion. In the movie I still felt that way but what made me even more upset was how it was never mentioned, yes he played it for her...but there was no "you inspired this one", no touching moment where Bella cries...for someone who hadn't read the book they wouldn't even know Edward wrote it for her...they'd just be like "oh he plays the piano...cool". Bella's lullaby is a monumental part of the story, it carries on through out all of the books and it should not have been shoved to the side the way it was. I found that a lot of the intimate moments between Bella and Edward were taken out, I mean...Bella doesn't even say "I love you"...never, not once. There were a few times I thought she was going to say it, and then I was disappointed.
So I have managed to make this a novel but I am now coming to an end. When everything is cut up and put out on the table, this was a fantastic adaptation. Yes there were some intimate moments I would have liked to have seen but they weren't deal breakers. I think it was the directing and the casting that made it so wonderful, like I said..Pattinson was perfect. Although there were some changes the movie still stayed true to what the book emulates...wanting and tasting the forbidden fruit. So for those who haven't seen it and are scared to I say to you, just go and see it. It's one of those movies where only you can make the judgment.