So I finally saw Twilight, the movie. After devouring all four books in a matter of weeks (only because I drug the last one out as long as I could stand), I was anxiously awaiting the movie. I guess I know how those crazy Harry Potter fans feel now. I had a friend who used to take a sick day from work whenever a new HP book would come out. I just didn't get it. Now, I totally do. So, on to the movie...Of course it was disappointing. I have yet to see a movie that is as good as the book it is based off of. With that obvious stated, I'll continue on to the movie itself. Here's my take:
The Actors:
- I like/almost love Bella
- Edward is ok... not exactly what I was thinking, but then again, I can't think of a better replacement. So Rob Patterson as Edward gets a hesitant thumbs up from me.
- An much as I LOVED Carlisle and Esmee in the books, I was NOT a fan of Carlisle's horrible bottle blonde dye job. Esmee is cute enough, though... and they had good chemistry together, which almost makes up for the questionable styling.
- Jasper just looked stupid thru the whole movie
- Alice was probably the closest to what I imagined in my head... I really liked here. But I still think they should have cast Rachel Leigh Cook to play Alice.
- Emmett was much more of a screw ball in the movie than I'd imagined from the books, but it kinda works
- The jury's still out on Rosalie.... she's cute and snobby enough, so we'll see how she does in the forthcoming movies.
- James was great, for the small part he played and I really liked Laurent. Victoria was pretty decent and she was really the only one who's styling I liked.
The Acting:
- For the most part, Edward WAY over did it. As a somewhat seasoned actor, I have no doubt that this was more due to the directing that to his skill as an actor. I read the other day that the next movie will have a new actor. That might help.
- Bella was pretty good, though a lot more fidgety and unsure and hurried than I thought she should have been.
- Everyone else was pretty much in the same boat... I felt like they were kinda amateur and poorly directed.
- I found myself laughing a couple of times in places that were not meant to be funny. Case in point: the crux of the movie when Edward is sucking James' deadly venom from Bella's veins... I seriously laughed out loud at the look on his face.
- I'm nervous about Jacob... if they don't get that boy some serious acting lessons, movie Two will SUCK.... since its all about him.
The Screenplay:
- This was horrible! I know its not easy to work a 500 page book into a 2 hour movie... but the scene where they're in the woods was ridiculous... in a 3 minute time span, Bella acknowledged Edward was a vampire, Edward told her she was his "personal brand of heroin" and said the famous lines "So the Lion fell in love with the lamb." That was so ridiculous!
- There needs to be loads more in way of character development... why does Jasper look so retarded all the time? What's up with the painful faces Edward is making all the time? Why is Carlisle so fatherly to everyone? What's the deal with Jasper and Alice? Emmett and Rosalie? How does Rosalie feel towards Bella? I could go on and on.
The Setting:
LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED IT... some day, Sean and I want to take a train up north and go to Forks and First Beach and those places. It was gorgeous and the videography of it all was great, too.
Bottom Line:
I liked the movie and will go see the next one merely because I am a die-hard fan of the books and Stephanie Meyers. However, if I were in charge of the copyright and making the movie, here's what I would do: fire the director (already done- well, as they say in LA... she has prior commitments that will prevent her from working on the next film), the stylist, and the casting director (even though you can't really change who's been cast already-- I'm curious as to who will play the upcoming Volturi). Get acting coaches for the whole cast and get Hollywood's best screenwriter to re-write what has already been written... maybe even go back to the first book and do some of the character development that the first movie failed to do. Keep the overall "feel" of the movie somewhat the same, the same setting, etc. I will definitely see the second movie and will probably buy the box set when/if it ever comes out. The next books have great potential in them, so I just hope to see a little more quality and depth in them than was in the frist one. I really don't think that the team behind this movie thought it would be the big hit that it was... and it showed in the movie. But, now that they know how deep and wide the fan base is, hopefully they will invest more time and effort into the second (and third and fourth) films.
He's Better Than Edward:
Oh, yeah... and my whole point in all of this? My husband is a million times better than Edward. He took me to the movie, but before that, he actually read the book because he knew it meant so much to me. He endured the screaming, swooning teenage girls beside us in the theatre and even bought me a $9 pretzel combo for my palette's
pleasure during the movie. You need more? Last night when I woke up at 4 am unable to breathe because of my stupid allergies (cats), he went out today and bought
this huge HEPA filter. I *heart* him. Yes, he is my favorite. And he's better than Edward.
