Twilight: Not as bad as people have been saying...

Rating: 7/10 (2 December 2008)

To preface this review, I read all four Twilight books this past summer after hearing about the series through several friends. At first, I was hesitant toward reading the series, envisioning all Twilight fans as being Gothic Hot Topic enthusiasts or Anne Rice worshippers. To my surprise, I became hooked on the Twilight series and thoroughly enjoy rereading the books to this day.
With that said, I eagerly anticipated the release of Twilight, despite how cheesy the trailers depicted the film, through Kristen Stewart's monotone voice and Robert Pattinson's incredibly pale skin; in turn, I had skeptical opinions on how the translation from book to film would turn out.
To my surprise, Twilight, in fact, translated well into a movie, considering that the film had a low-budget and a mediocre script. Likewise, I think that Robert Pattinson's portrayal of Edward Cullen the first half of the film was somewhat awkward, particularly his tone of voice and his approach towards Bella; for instance, the scene in which he questions Bella in the school hallway about her mother moving to Jacksonville and then walking away from Bella differed from the Twilight novel Edward; I had always envisioned Edward to detest Bella at first, but never be shy of her. As the film progressed, Pattinson's acting improved, and illustrated the mystery and darkness surrounding Edward's character.
Another significant part of Twilight the book that screenwriter Melissa Rosenburg could have improved on for Twilight the movie was Edward and Bella's love. It seemed as if their relationship was rushed, especially compared to the novel; rather than a romance, the movie made it seem as if Edward and Bella were nothing more than a typical high school couple. I wish that Rosenburg would have delved deeper into their relationship, seeing that the basis of Edward and Bella's romance is the driving force for the whole series.
Overall, I thought that Twilight was an enthralling film for its projected audiencethe classic tale of forbidden love and wanting what one cannot have. I believe that the Twilight series has potential to become a successful movie series and that the next film, New Moon, will work wonders with a bigger budget and a more action-based story.