Not worth the $12. (**SPOILER ALERT**)

Rating: 5/10 (1 December 2008)

Where to start? The stark disappointments for leads? The "this has to be a joke" cinematography? The overall bland and uninteresting quality of the film as a whole? I mean, when I saw Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in the promo pics and the few relatively dialogue-less trailers for the movie, I was satisfied. They both got the look down (despite my personal distaste for Pattinson and his unruly physical appearance in real life), that was for sure. However that was really the extent of it. Though Pattinson was passable, Stewart was the big disappointment. Here she is, playing the lead heroine of the movie - someone who, no matter what the level of accuracy in relation to the book, is a fundamentally genuine, sweet, semi-naive and kind of socially awkward character. I didn't expect the movie to be exactly like the books or that it would follow every detail in them; I understand the limitations and difficulty of transitioning books into movies. And honestly, I thought the script was immaculately written for the big screen. There, I was impressed. HOWEVER, don't cast a girl who fails to grasp the essence of the character she is supposed to play and portray it convincingly. I'd rather have a girl who didn't quite resemble Bella as well physically, but who could embody the character sufficiently, over the opposite. Stewart's incredible awkwardness throughout the film that, though sometimes fitting with the character (in very few moments), was just overdone. She walked a very fine line between shy/awkward and awkward/bitchy. And never in the whole Twilight series (and a part that undeniably should have translated in the film) would you EVER think Bella is bitchy.
More oftentimes than not, in situations with movies like these the supporting cast seem to outshine the leads in terms of characterization and performance. The only exception was James, who totally didn't step up to the game. Which was a big bemusing to me after seeing Cam Gigandet's performance in "Never Back Down" He never provoked a single hair to rise in alarm. He just didn't scream 'Death Threat! Death Threat! DANGER!!!' to me. I was never worried after he showed up in the movie. They should have chosen someone who could really pull off being a supremely evil and sadistic villain. Another disappointment to add to the list. (As a semi-related-but-not-really side note: Bella's friend, Jessica, was ridiculously HILARIOUS. A fabulous comedic relief character. I just loved her! Wasn't exactly like the book, but who cares? She was just adorable!)
Now, one of my favourite characters in the Twilight series ... Jacob Black. I wasn't sure, when I saw Taylor Lautner cast as the wonderfully passionate "werewolf", if he could step up to the part. He really didn't look anything like Jacob to me. But I was pleasantly surprised. No, he's not identical to the Jacob I envision when I read the books, but who cares? That's never going to happen anyway. He did do a great job building the character with what little screen time he had, managing to slip in his little crush on Bella and that ice-cold glare at Edward at the end in like the total 15 minutes he was probably on the screen for. I look forward to seeing how he develops the character should the movie continue into a series.
But off of the casting and what REALLY bugged me about the movie. The filming itself failed to do any justice to the fabulously-written script. I really REALLY strongly believe if you're going to do a 360 shot around characters, you need a really really REALLY good reason to do it, and you can only do it once (sans flashbacks, maybe). That being said, the horribly executed, overdramatized 360 shot that I noticed in particular during the woods scene was just pointless and unprofessional. Not only that, they did waaay too many over-30-degree shots (for those who are unaware, what I'm referring to is when you make cuts in the same scene and the angle of the following cut is more than 30 degrees away from the original angle. Take my word for it, there's a reason it's a rule in media arts not to do it - it looks messy and awkward, not unlike the 360 shots.) Overall, the cinematography itself looked like a low-budget emo band's music video. Also, can I quickly mention, the soundtrack was so ... bad. Like actually. The only song I like from the movie soundtrack is Paramore's 'Decode' and that one didn't even come on in the film. The songs were random and completely unfitting and took away from the scenes and movie in general.
Overall, I give it like a 5 out of 10 stars. I was unentertained throughout most of the movie, and the only reason I finished it was the hope that there would be a turning moment where I'd go "Oh. Well that was worth it." And as a fan, I just needed to see the whole thing. Disappointment, the repetitive word I keep returning too, is the sum of it. Worst of all, the excess cheese they put into some scenes (like where Edward 'exposes' himself to Bella in the sunlight and then they lie in the meadow and stare at each other - gag me NOW.) never for a second convinced me that this was an eternal, true, binding, timeless love ... it felt like two actors feebly attempting to play it out that way. And that's just the worst thing for a movie to ever allow.