Wonderful plot for a film, but this version missed the mark.

Rating: 4/10 (22 November 2008)

It's really a shame because this movie had SO much potential, it surfaced with an already dedicated fan-base, the actors cast were promising, and the plot line was unique. Such a combination of potential is a rarity, making the shortcomings of the film all the more disappointing.
The love between Edward and Bella was far too rushed, to the point it was unrealistic, immediately leaving the audience detached from their romance, and unfortunately ruining the dynamics for the rest of the entire film. This was especially disappointing because Twilight is supposed to be a LOVE STORY. The author has even said her inspiration to write the book came from the play Romeo and Juliet, obviously the romantic aspect is a huge reason for why it has been so successful, and the films failure to properly convey the romance partially explains why it's such a flop in comparison. Crucial character developments from the book were completely omitted in the film, and the melodramatic music and poor quality "blue tinted" lighting instilled a creepy and suspenseful feel, not a romantic one.
The actors should almost be embarrassed for having the title on their film resumes. I feel bad for knocking Kristen Stuart for her pitiful performance, because the Bella Swan in the book seems she would be an incredibly difficult character to convey, but Stuart's delivery was much worse than one would have expected, every single line of hers sounded contrived, and her performance removed much of the film's potential. She was perfect looking for the role, and that's pretty much it. As for Robert Pattinson, while his role was awkward and rushed, he deserves to be commended for his wonderful performance, there's not much one can do when he's given an awful script.
All in all, the film was rushed, and literally laughable, the audience giggled in awkward embarrassment during the emotionally tense scenes, partially because of the contrived emotion in the lines the actors had to rehearse, and partially for having spent money on such a god awful film.
I highly recommend Twilight, the book, to anyone and everyone, but the film is only worth seeing for those of us who have already read the novel, and even then I wouldn't completely recommend it. I would look forward to enjoying a cinematic version of Twilight, the book truly deserves it's own film, and it would translate nicely, but this particular cinematic translation of the book did not hit the mark.