So, I’m not a Twilight fan girl. I stubbornly ignored the budding hysteria for the books, writing them off as the new Harry Potter. I’m not a fan of Vampires – even when they sparkle.

But as the films release approached I finally caved, namely because so many of you were demanding features related to the film and cast and I like to know a little about something when I feature it in Portrait. So I caved. I sped through the first book before seeing the film. As an avid reader I know having read the book makes the adaptation so much more fun (even if 90% of the time they’re a disappointment), while reading a book after seeing the film tends to be tedious (the film ruins the magic of the book.) and that brings me to the first point in this review.

Read the book before seeing the movie.

Cramming a five hundred page book into a two hour film is a monumental task and it’s impossible not to lose important details. I think if I’d gone into the film without the book fresh in my mind, I would have hated it. The relationship would have blossomed too fast, the thrill of the mystery would be lost, things would move at an unrealistic pace and I wouldn’t have come to love the characters in the same way. Plus, when the film skipped a point I could fill in Stephenie Meyer’s words in my head.

I definitely prefer Edward in the book. Though nothing against Pattinson’s abilities, the interpretation of the character is a little more self-loathing and lacking in confidence. What happened to the dazzling? Who knows what was at fault for this? Perhaps even the script writer? My favorite Edward scene, randomly, is when he arrives with a spark of super speed and invites Bella to his family’s house. That moment was where the film character seemed most like the book.

I’m a big fan of Catherine Hardwicke’s directing. She’s ranked as a favorite since ‘Lords of Dogtown’. I love the earthy, raw editing in the film. Had it been some flashy, polished Hollywood job it would have lost some of it’s magic. Even the blue tones of the film didn’t end up feeling dreary like I’d imagined.

The performances were strong, setting beautiful and unusual for a Hollywood blockbuster, and I loved the promise of more to come.

As far as the Twilight hysteria goes, I’m sitting on the edge and watching the chaos in amusement, but I have to admit; I’m still enjoying the ride.

4 out of 5 stars.

Review #2 by Jocelyn

So I went tonight to the opening show at 10PM with my roommate. I thought I'd give you guys a fairly vague review without giving too much away...

First of all, I'll say honestly, I really liked it a lot. I won't lie, I'm pretty critical of books-turned-movies (for example, the Harry Potter films, most of which I don't like at all). But I can say this for Catherine Hardwicke, she stayed incredibly true to the book.

Now, that doesn't mean the film doesn't have it's flaws. There a few parts that are over-acted, a few unnecessary montages, but overall the acting was great. I have a new-found respect for Kristen Stewart. It's not an easy part, and she pulled it off well.

The STYLE of the movie is what completely threw me off. In a good way. It is not directed the way that the trailers imply. If any of you have seen Thirteen, directed by Catherine, then you'll have a sense of what her style is. The cutting of the scenes is very raw, very dark, and it goes well with the film.

They also manage to fit in some very key excerpts from the book. Directly. I don't want to tell you how they do this, because it might take away some of the surprise, but it's very well done. I'm glad they managed to keep some of those important lines in.

Now, one of the things that wowed me the most was the soundtrack. Of course I've been listening to it for a few weeks now, but just wait until you see how they fit it into the movie. It's incredible, particularly Robert Pattinson's songs. I thought they were beautiful before, but the way they add to the movie's dynamic is just stunning.

And now for what I'm sure you're all reading for... Robert Pattinson's performance. Now, aside from him being stunningly handsome (that jawline!), I think he does a near perfect portrayal of Edward Cullen. There are a few moments that are iffy - a little dramatic, a little overdone, but that's the script as much as it is his acting. But when he is on, he is on. Because there's no other word for it - he'll dazzle you. And his chemistry with Kristen Stewart? WOW. You don't doubt it for an instant.

So that's about it. A few things particularly worth mentioning:
- His glittering skin? A little awkward, in my opinion.
- You will have a new found love for Charlie - his performance was great.
- The end battle is pretty wicked.

User review by Victoria
I went the day it came out right after school with a bunch of my friends and I honestly was not in to the whole thing at first but after like 5 seconds of it I totally got in to it right away. It was an amazing movie and they really did a wonderful job on it. That was one movie I did not waste my money on. It was nothing like I had expected.

After I saw the movie I went to Walmart and picked up the 1st book in the saga. I was quickly amazed of how descriptive it was. I finished the book in 4 days because I could not stop by eyes from reading!!

Oh course I bought the CD from the movie and all I can say is Wow! The songs they choose was perfect for the movie and Robert Pattinson's song is absolutely INCREDIBLE! He has it ALL, the great looks, acting skills, and a beautiful voice!! They could not have had picked a better person to play Edward and Bella!! All I can say is it was an AMAZING movie probably one of the best this year and next.

User review by Alice
I absolutly loved this movie and Robert Pattinson's performance was just W-O-W.I had my doubts about him at first but I absolutly love/adore him now Over all I give the movie a 10/10

User review by Tori
I went the day it came out right after school with a bunch of my friends and I honestly was not in to the whole thing at first but after like 5 seconds of it I totally got in to it right away. It was an amazing movie and they really did a wonderful job on it. That was one movie I did not waste my money on. It was nothing like I had expected. After I saw the movie I went to Walmart and picked up the 1st book in the saga. I was quickly amazed of how descriptive it was. I finished the book in 4 days because I could not stop by eyes from reading!! Oh course I bought the CD from the movie and all I can say is Wow! The songs they choose was perfect for the movie and Robert Pattinson's song is absolutely INCREDIBLE! He has it ALL, the great looks, acting skills, and a beautiful voice!! They could not have had picked a better person to play Edward and Bella!! All I can say is it was an AMAZING movie probably one of the best this year and next.

User review by Paolo
In my opinion, the movie was not that true to the book, I mean the first thirty minutes were great , but, the next half and hour, everything happened so quickly. Peopla who have not read the books will be lost in the story. I believe they could have done a better job, but I give the movie some credit because of the actors who are great and because of the mood of the film. I have to say I liked Jasper and Alice. Lets hope that the next movie will be better, I know the can do it better.

User review by Maranda
first of all i have to say there are NO SPOILERS in my review. i dont think the movie was nearly as good as the book, but then again, they never are. they dont do a good job describing how truly intimate bella and edward are on a different level. they are intimate without being like ALL over each other. im not saying the acting was bad, it wasnt. the movie was so rushed! of course i can understand why. robert pattinson and kirsten stewart were great. a little weird at some points though, with rob.kind of scary. I dont think the movie producers could have done a better job at picking the cullens. eveyone was just as described in the book. if i didnt read the books, and just saw the movie i wouldve thought that bella and edward are too cose too fast. u dot really know how esitant edward is. overal, the actig was great, the storyline is not well told, but it was okay. the books on the other hand was AWEOSME! i finished it in 1 day! samewith the other 3 books! read the book before u see the mvie, it helps!

User review by Anon
I have both read the first book (I dont even want to go into the other trainwreck of books) and the movie. I guess if you are a fan of the books, it does not stay that much true to the book. They combine this and that. Like I did not like the books due to the poor writting, undeveloped characthers, and other plot holes along the way, I thought I would give this movie a try. WRONG desicion. The acting was laughable, the directing was a joke and pretty much a mess. I don't even know how people like these books. Well I give this movie a -48/10

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