131 of 144 people found the following review helpful:
Twilight the movie, an outsiders perspective
I had never read the Twilight books when I went to see the movie. I vaguely remember the hype of Breaking Dawn's release, but it didn't mean anything to me. I saw the queues for the opening of the film and it meant nothing to me, apart from about 3000 people in Dublin being stupid enough to queue for hours in the rain to see a film.
204 of 232 people found the following review helpful:
Brilliant and disappointing, both at the same time.
Yes, of course if you've read the books you should definitely go see the movie. And yes, you will probably enjoy it. BUT, that said, as a book-to-movie adaptation, of course it could also be better.
Personally, I always wonder where they find the screenwriters who're crazy enough to take on a job like this. No matter what you do, no matter how faithful you...
I had never read the Twilight books when I went to see the movie. I vaguely remember the hype of Breaking Dawn's release, but it didn't mean anything to me. I saw the queues for the opening of the film and it meant nothing to me, apart from about 3000 people in Dublin being stupid enough to queue for hours in the rain to see a film.
I love vampires and werewolves though, so, at a loose end one weekend, I convinced my boyfriend that it wasnt a horror, and there was nothing else to do. we laughed for about the first hour. it was very funny. But by the middle of the tree top scene I was hooked. we both were.
I rushed home and ordered all four books that night. I read the series straight through twice, and dragged my mom to see the film with me. (I'm in my mid 20's, she's considerably older....)I sat, completely unmoving the whole way through the move. it was like I was greeting old friends. once I knew the story, all of the humour went out of the film, and it became totally engrossing. my mom thought so too.
lots of little things were changed, obviously. the book is better. obviously. I didnt like Stewert (?) as Bella. she played her as too self assured, too graceful. it wasnt Bella for me. But Pattinson brought Edward to life in a way that was so different. I actually liked him more after seeing the film that in the books.
Kellan Lutz is missing the dimples and curls but hes still the same adorable, deep as a puddle Emmet we all love.
the film is more of a companion to the book, it makes the scenery solid. I thought that was actually a plus of the movie, I knew what the characters looked like, I was a little fuzzy on what their neighbourhood was like. the film filled that in. when midnight Sun is published the three will stand together to give a 360 view of Bella and the Cullens world.
WIll I buy the DVD? yes. WIll I watch it a million times, of course. but I'll read the books one million and one ;)
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Yes, of course if you've read the books you should definitely go see the movie. And yes, you will probably enjoy it. BUT, that said, as a book-to-movie adaptation, of course it could also be better.
Personally, I always wonder where they find the screenwriters who're crazy enough to take on a job like this. No matter what you do, no matter how faithful you are to the book, or conversely how much you change it, very, very rarely is a film version ever better than the novel that stemmed it. Twilight is no exception.
Certainly, it has it's good points. The casting, for one, I think is exceptional: while I had some qualms before I saw it, I loved all the actors, and wouldn't change a single one. They have their moments, of course, but for a young cast they're really rather impressive, particularly Robert Pattinson: I'm disappointed Catherine Hardwicke wouldn't let him play the part as 'dark' as he wanted to.
And that, I think, is where most of the problems with this film lie: with Hardwicke, its director, and Melisssa Rosenberg, it's screenwriter. For starters, I can't help but question Rosenberg's credentials. She's written a lot for TV, but only one other screenplay to date (that being 'Step Up', of all things) and sure, everyone's got to start somewhere... but with one of the biggest films of the year? Maybe not.
I can't fathom many of the changes Rosenberg made. Adding in scenes like the extra scenes with the 'bad' vampires, thus shifting the films emphasis from the 'love story' to the 'action' or 'horror' factor, or like the entirely pointless Biology trip (the conversation that took place there could easily have happened in its original setting), and shifting the order of scenes... the entire Port Angeles scene was thrown out of sync by the fact that Bella did not find out Edward was a vampire until after. And then when she planned to confront him, she went off into the forest with him, not knowing he was 'vegetarian'! In the book, I never thought of Bella as crazy... in the film, I can't help but question it. I simply do not understand the need to change things like that, which would have been so much better if left as they originally were.
Then there's the fact that both Rosenberg and Hardwicke seem greatly preoccupied with showing of the 'scenery' of the the American Northwest. Great, so there are lots of trees. We don't need to see Bella and Edward running off into the woods and climbing trees (besides the point that Edward would never let Bella do that anyway because he'd be too scared of Bella falling out of one), because its supposed to be from Bella's perspective... and Bella doesn't like the great out doors and Forks, in her opinion is far too 'green'. So, skip the theatrics, and give us the love story.
But, err... what love story? If you have not read the books, you could call Bella and Edward's romance entire non-sensical. They've barely talked to each other, and suddenly they're saying 'I'm only afraid of losing you' or 'you're my life now'. Although, never once do they say 'I love you'. And isn't that what it's really supposed to be about? The ultimate love story. Sadly, it's not.
But,all that said, i will see the film again, and I will be buying it on DVD because the essence of Stephenie Meyers work is still there. The plot is still good, the characters still similiar (though Bella is more annoying), and Kristen Stewart and Rob Pattinson do have good chemistry, they're just not given enough chance to prove it.
I really hope they do better with examining the love story in 'New Moon'... but seeing as there's less of it, I really doubt it.
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Realistically, this is aimed at teenage girls: it's all but liberally sprayed with strawberryvanilla-scented Impulse. (Available in all good retailers soon. Probably.)
But, it has to be said, it's still jolly likeable. It's beautifully shot (the baseball scene in particular is very impressive... who knew baseball could be sexy?) and terribly green and lush and moody. The romance between Edward and Bella is very sweet (although, having grown up with Buffy and Angel, on the Romeo and Juliet Scale of Tragic Love, this doesn't come close) but the chemistry isn't really there, and there isn't enough time spent on their falling in love to make it feasible. On the other hand, it's a film about vampires so, ya know...
Maybe someone needs to have read the books in order to appreciate the nuances, so this review is aimed primarily at the people who haven't ever (and in all likelihood, will never) read the originals.
The film has a glut of teenage lovelies, both male and female... they explain it away wonderfully when they say that vampires appear beautiful to humans; makes them better predators. And better looking merchandise.
The script is clunky more than once, and the whole thing is terribly cynical, but I would love to be a teenage girl watching this. My friends and I would withdraw into our own Twilight world where we would write poetry and be misunderstood; where all that existed was Edward and Jasper (my fave :squeal:) and their unending love for us... ach, but I'm almost double that, and my friends are no fun.
Despite its problems, this is an entertaining film. Adults may wonder what all the fuss is about somewhat, but if you take it for what it is, it's very fun indeed. Its premise is actually a little darker than I initially expected: he falls for the smell of her blood after managing not to kill her over it. Who *wouldn't* reciprocate?
The entire thing needn't have happened had she just used the strawberryvanilla. Let that be a lesson to us all. Deodorant doesn't just smell nice... it saves lives.
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I have to admit I am judging this movie from an outsider's perspective as I have never read the books and to be completely honest, I'm not planning to either.
Positives of this teenage attempt of a 'vampire movie' would definitely be charming Rob Pattinson, the final fight scene and some of the almost poetic moments of Edward and Bella gazing into each other's eyes in the forest.
Negatives, however outweigh these heavily, just to mention the absolutely laughable performance by Kristen Stewart, weak plot, unconvincing characters and even the development of a story and most certainly the uneven dynamism of the whole movie which drags for three quarters and then tries to inject some action towards the end which in fact totally kills it (the mentioned fight scene was as a singular caption nice to watch but that's about it).
I do tend to enjoy some of the fantasy movies aimed at younger audiences like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings so I went to see this with quite an open mind, with excitement even. Sadly, this is not only the worst vampire movie I've seen for quite some time, it must be one of the worst 'teenage' movies as well. As a big fan of vampires and supernatural creatures, I find it degrades the whole concept of fantasy and makes it look 'cheesy' and almost painful to watch.
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Having read the book (which is fine if a bit meh), and being a fan of fluffy romance films, I decided to give this film a try. When the vampires aren't leaping around forests like flying squirrels, they are tame and boring. They all look and act like they're made of wax, especially Carlisle. The 'deep' and 'meaningful' lines they come out with, particularly Edward to Bella are twee and cheesier than dairylea. This is coupled with the fact that the two leads have no chemistry and don't convey realism or even personalities to their characters. It isn't even the kind of film thats so bad, its actually good. Disbelieve the hype and steer clear of this one if you're older than 12.
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I have to admit i'm one of those hardcore twilight fans but if you read the books and are disappointed with the movie at all, all i can say is watch it again!! First time i saw it in the cinema i spent the whole time comparing it to the book and ended up going away feeling let down as was inevitable but as days went by i found myself craving to watch it! So second time round it was much better and i appreciated it much more! Also i loved the action sequences and thought the baseball scene and tree scenes were amazing! Check out the soundtrack too, muse are a timeless band and look into the score, i've never heard such beautiful haunting music. The special features look awesome as well so can't wait to check that out! So remember, watch watch watch!
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Just a brilliant and unique film.
Yes the book was different, but not better, but all books are different, take Harry Potter, brilliant books and brilliant films.
Much is missed from the books in the films but thats film makking. Jaws the book is boring and slow, the film and brilliant music makes jaws a classic.
So is Twilight a classic, I think so, its something we will see shown on TV at Christmas by the BBC for a few years and then Channel 4 for 30 years.
It nice to see we are still getting some great books written by some very good authors.
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hhhmmmm...what can i say..i had never heard about this movie before, until one day, my brother called me, and while we were discussing our news, he mentioned a 'cool movie with vampires'(i was ''studying'' in another country, so going to the movies wasn't really the no1 on my 'must do' list).Of course, he hadn't seen that yet, just the trailer, so, when i got back home for the christmas vacation,everybody wanted to go and see twilight. And so we did..At first, i thought it was about biting and killing and splashing blood everywhere, so i was in the mood required!!But after half an hour or so, that i realized that it was mostly about love and forbiden romance and that stuff, i wasn't quite emotionaly and psychologicaly ready!I started whining to my friends, saying:''where is the blood and all that things that you promised me!?'' i wasn't really saying that because i'm an emotionally dead 22 year old girl, but only because the male members of our company would make fun of me for believing and feeling and hoping!!
The truth is that after 2 days, i went to the movies again to see twilight and pay as much attention was required!only girls of course!And after that i bought all the books and read them in one week!
The reality is that the books create a whole new world!The writter makes you laugh, love, ache, anguish, be one with the characters, every single time!You become part of the story and sometimes, when you've been in similar cases in your own life, you can even feel the strength of her words inside you!And that my friends, is called talent..
As far as the movie is concerned, i think it's natural not to be able to put everything in a movie.However the case, a book is always better because it gives you the opportunity to create the story with your imagination!Plus, you have the satisfaction that you know something more about the story from all the others that have just seen the movie but haven't read the books!!
Till today, i've seen the movie about 8 times and everytime i notice something new!We all know that all these things are not real and maybe a bit too much, but we also need a kind of a role model in our lives...or something... I can't wait for the dvd, cos i really hope for extra material in it!Edward is just never enough!!Now he's in every girl's dream!The prince on the white horse is sooooooo dead!!!
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I will start by saying that I am far from the "typical" agegroup for the Twilight series (be it book or film) being 37 and married. But do you know what? I LOVED it!!!!! I had seen the books on shelves for months before hand and never once been tempted to pick them up, until the movie came out and I thought I should maybe read the book first. Well, I loved it and I subsequently loved the film too.
It is essentially a love story between Bella and Edward. OK, so I may have left school 20 years ago but I still remember those days of secretly watching the boy of my dreams across the classroom, the wonderful blossoming of secret crushes.
For lovers of the book, I do think that the film did it justice and was sympathetically made. Definitely worth watching and re-watching. The chemistry between the two lead parts is undeniable and some of the scenes are amazing - the baseball scene was one of my favourties in the book and it transfered really well onto screen too.
All in all, a wonderful, feel-good film.
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As I say, this film is dangeroulsy addictive. Although it has a few faults(the nomad killing scenes) some scenes are actually done better than the book. Its a great film for any female, and being 22 myself i don't just mean any teenage girl. This movie has the perfect man and its very likely that after watching it you will become an obsessed Robert Pattinson stalker and even feel the need to suddenly order Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. So before you choose to watch this movie, be prepared...
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