I saw Twilight, the movie, last night at midnight with a law school friend. The theater was full of teenage girls, as expected. The movie, however, was different from what I had been expecting.
I went into the movie with low expectations. It had gotten weak early reviews, and I know how badly fantasy books get butchered when they’re made into movies (Eragon, anyone?).
Surprisingly, it wasn’t terrible. Was it cheesy? Absolutely. But on the budget they had, and with the audience they expected, this was about as good of a job as they could have done.
Good Points: Edward and Bella were relatively similar in looks/personality to the characters in the books. I’m not sure if they actually filmed in Washington, but the scenery was gorgeous. The supporting cast was great. They weren’t big name actors, but they did a good job with their roles. Some of the best moments were the awkward father-daughter conversations between Bella and her dad. I laughed out loud several times at hilarious lines/looks (not sure if these were intentional). The vampire family was well-cast. On a superficial note, the vampires were made to look really cool, driving fast cars, a killer house, and cool outfits. At one point Edward is rocking some Ray Ban Wayfarers. Finally, the director did a perfect job portraying high schoolers who actually look like high schoolers. On shows like Gossip Girl, everyone looks like they’re 24. These high schoolers dressed, talked and acted like legitimate high schoolers. I mentioned this while I was watching the movie, and then read it on the AV Club’s review this morning.
Cons: Edward would stare at Bella and it would get really close up on his eyes. This just came across as creepy. Speaking of Edward and Bella, every time they had a conversation, it was like they were either stoned, or the two most awkward people on the planet. To show that they were “falling in love,” the movie relied on sweeping camera shots of them talking accompanied by dramatic music. This was schmaltzy. The vampire family all had on waaaay too much pancake makeup. Oh, and the one vampire brother, Jasper, looked like a combination of Johnny Depp and Kramer from Seinfeld. Every time the camera showed him, he looked bewildered.
Overall: if you’ve read the books, it’s worth seeing. If you’re not into the books, avoid it.
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