Not quite satisfied

Rating: 6/10 (25 June 2009)

I will start off by saying that I am a HUGE Twilight book fan. I went to see this movie with an open mind and I'll say that I didn't mind the fact that they changed the plot a bit. In fact I could see why some of the changes were better suited for a movie-version. I was however quite disappointed with a few things. First, the movie didn't seem to have much flow. It was edited in a way that made the movie feel like disconnected scenes stuck side by side. Much of the dialogue was extremely awkward, they could've taken the conversations straight from the book and gotten a much better result. Also, I find Kristen Stuart didn't do a very good job as an actress. The way she talks seems too awkward and unnatural and often made me doubt how pure their love was. Bella is supposed to be insightful, smart, mature and likable not a robotic completely disconnected person. Apparently, Kristen's age (she was 17 at the time) made filming a bit of a kerfuffle as she could only work a certain amount of hours a day. A proper solution to this could've been getting a qualified actress over 18, but hey, we could also waste endless amounts of money on rebuilding parts of set in the middle of the woods to save time, as they chose to do. :O
After seeing the movie, I bought a book explaining the making of the movie. It seems to me that the makers of the movie spent WAY too much time, effort and money working on backstories that in the end made no difference for the viewers and far too little time on the actual screenplay and editing. It also seems like they didn't read the book well enough (if at all) because in this book they mention getting "brilliant ideas" that are actually in the book to begin with. (example: the unbelievable idea that Edward has no bed). I also find that they do things that are out of character. (Like Edward taking Bella high up into the trees and letting her climb on her own, although I forgave that as it was one of the more pleasing scenes of the film). I also wish Edward had spoken more old-fashioned English. It gives him a certain charm that I found was lacking in the film.
One part of the movie was so pathetic it made me cringe: When Bella confronts Edward about him being a vampire and he suddenly says something like "You need to see me for what I truly am" and whisks her up the mountain to show himself sparkling. It was ridiculous. It's just another example of how the makers misunderstood the book (or failed to interpret)
Other than Bella, the casting was pretty good. I was a little surprised when I saw Jacob, he seemed a bit too pretty for the part but I feel he'll grow on me. Robert Pattinson did a great job and essentially made this movie. I just hope that the next one is better written and that Kristen has had time to develop as an actress and learn another facial expression and tone (as she seems to only have one of each). Hopefully the crew has made enough backstories to last the next movie 'cos it would be nice if there was some budget left for editing.
One thought as I go, I noticed that they always had the vampires biting their victims necks. I had never really envisioned it like that. I found it a bit cliché as it's never mentioned in the books. To each his own I guess.