Interesting ideas but poorly executed

Rating: 5/10 (23 November 2008)

Judging by the commentary and discussion of the movie I've seen so far, I think it's important to say that I have NOT read the books, though I've heard good things. Therefore I can only judge by its actual merits as a film.
I thought the movie was lackluster, to say the least. The story made sense, though it was incredibly rushed. There were several cringe-worthy lines, possibly because they were not properly delivered or were not in context with the book. ("You're my own personal brand of heroine").
The movie was marketed to appear much more action-oriented that it actually is. That is an understandable attempt to sell tickets, and is not the fault of the artists involved in the film. But when that situation happens, there are going to be disappointed viewers and negative reviews.
In the end, Twilight seems like more of a made-for-TV movie than a theatrical release. There were too many characters, and none with any real depth. An intriguing character would be introduced, and never to be heard from again. These are common problems in films made from very detailed and enthralling books. As a person who never read Twilight, I can still tell that the movie tries to do too much in too little time, resulting in a shallow film that, while based on interesting concepts, leaves the viewer with no real connection.