Nowhere near the book.

Rating: 6/10 (5 May 2011)

First of all, I love these books. I honestly loved the story of Bella and Edward, although it is geared more towards preteens and teens. I fell in love with the characters and couldn't put these books down until all the way through Breaking Dawn. Needless to say I was STOKED to see the movie.
This movie was OK, for me. I find that the more I watch it as the years have passed the less I like it. I honestly think it was the lack of direction the actors had and maybe the author wasn't involved enough in the process. It followed the book but in such a strange fashion. The filming was bad, almost like an Indy film. I was pretty disappointed and wish wholeheartedly that it could be redone with a new director and larger budget. It was the BEST book of the series, so it had pretty large shoes to fill. For me, it fell short.
I found Kristen Stewart awkward as the role of Bella. In the book Bella is so shy and naive and really has that sense of a vulnerable teenage girl. You can completely relate to Bella in the books especially when you think back on your first high school boyfriend. But, Kristen Stewart portrayed her as hard and moody and this just wasn't her role. I think she is a wonderful actress, for instance I was in love with her in The Runaways. GREAT role for her......sweet little Bella, not so much.
Robert Pattinson, on the other hand, is a fox and does a great job at portraying a creepy, mischievous vampire. The kissing scene was terrible and probably uncomfortable to act out. He wants to, she wants to, he doesn't, she does, then boom he's against the wall. It didn't capture the essence of that moment in the book!!!!
The tree climbing scene was a disaster, almost embarrassing to watch.
Anna Kendrick, Billy Burke and Michael Welch were HIGHlarious! Loved them. Truly got the characters roles to a T.
All in all, the movie wasn't where it should have been considering the level of popularity of the book. Word to the next people taking on a popular book and making it a movie: please, interview readers and fans of these books. We love our books and get really upset if you don't live up to expectations! And budget accordingly.
Stephanie Meyer rocks!!!! Love her story of how she started the series.