Cheesy, but watchable

Rating: 6/10 (13 November 2014)

For a cheesy teen romance, this wasn't too bad. The style isn't too overbearing, nor is it too spectacular, but at least there wasn't an air of pretension about it. However, the style is definitely what the movie has going for it, because the story is rather ordinary and doesn't take too many risks. It can go without saying that most of the acting is wooden and that the leads don't have too much chemistry in the traditional sense, but the teenage awkwardness that is very much a part of the story lends it a sort-of authenticity that it never really is a chore to watch. It's unexceptional, but serviceable. Digging deeper into the plot, it is rather hard to accept that a teenager, presumably without a firm grasp on true love, would fall so hard for somebody she just met, but again, it passes by on the viewer without much event. There's also something inherently creepy in a lot of the implications of their relationship. Edward is a forever-17-year-old who is romantically involved with Bella, who really is her age (16 or 17, maybe?). I could enumerate some more plot oddities, like how Bella figures out who Edward is through internet research, but all of the complaints one could make can be attributed to one thing, which is the single biggest flaw here: the source material. Stephenie Meyer has such an immature view on love, sexuality and relationships and one that is also old-fashioned to a fault. Bella's greatest aspiration is to have a man, and they have to wait to consummate their relationship. The characters are also not written that well either. Bella is simultaneously dumb (by her own admission), yet is somehow perceptive enough to get a good psychological read on someone. Every character quirk doesn't seem to be natural, and instead is just necessary for the plot. That being said, the movie is somewhat interesting to watch for how much of a train-wreck the script is. And for readers of the books, probably mostly just teenage girls and their moms, the movie works just fine as a fantasy. One thing I did think was done well was the subtle hinting at the vampire-werewolf tension to come. Another thing I think wasn't done so well was the special effects, which weren't too believable. That, however, is a minor quibble when compared to the enormous problems inherent to the book which this is based on. Still, I was never bored watching this and, even though I didn't particularly get into it the way a fan of the books would have, it was relatively un-offensive and (dare I say) I enjoyed it a little bit. It's not a good movie, per se, but it did have a certain charm to it.