My Twilight Review (DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW)

I am going to put my pictures from Tuesday night on here at the top so people (Shannon) who don't want to know anything don't accidentally read anything.




I wrote this review yesterday morning for Twilightmoms.com. They had a section where people who had been to a screening could put their thoughts for people who wanted to know. So here it is! There are a few spoilers, but nothing big.

It is going to be absolutely panned by the critics. I am sure of it. (Uh, yeah, I was right). The beginning is really slow. Really. Slow. Like so slow that I was wondering if I was going to be able to sit through it again on Friday with my friends. Rochelle said the same thing in the car. I think this is probably because it takes a while to lay the groundwork for the relationship and the movie and I already KNEW the groundwork so I was thinking, "LET'S GET ON WITH THE GOOD STUFF!!!!!" There were some scenes where the audience laughed and I don't think they were supposed to. Like the very first biology scene where Edward is so conflicted. And the dazzle scene. I agree with whomever said he looked sweaty. That was kind of the over all effect, though it wasn't THAT bad. There are some editing issues that I found, and coincidentally, both were in the scene that we watched be taped when we were invited on the set in April. I don't know if they are noticeable to anyone else, but they jumped out to me. There are some parts that come off as cheesy. And there are some parts where the acting looks not so great. But Rochelle and I couldn't decide if it was bad acting or how the characters are.

I know it sounds like I hated this movie. I really didn't. It was a rough start, but the ending was fabulous. Some of the camera work was fabulous. They did a really good job of keeping to the book. They did a GREAT job with Charlie and Bella's relationship. All the scenes with the Cullens are great. Like others said, I really wish there were more. The baseball scene, the hunt, the fight... all that is fantastic.

I think the movie was produced with two assumptions: You have read the book, and they are going to make a sequel. I don't know how well the movie is going to read to those who haven't read the books. Which is why I think it is going to get dismal reviews. There are enough akward/bad/cheesy/choppy/poorly edited scenes in the movie that will be quickly overlooked by those who can see the big picture and who already love the characters. But not by those who are coming expecting to hate this over hyped film. Some scenes and characters just don't even make sense in the movie if they don't make a sequel. Like Jacob. He is in here SO little and he really is pointless without New Moon.

I am looking forward to seeing this again. All off my presumptions and expectations are gone and I can just enjoy it for what it is. I tend to be hyper critital (part of that darn fine arts degree) and I tried REALLY hard not to be and I think I accomplished that. It was good entertainment and I think I had an objective mind. But I really think it would be impossible to make this movie appeal to every fan. These are characters that we have personified in our minds. The scenes have played out in our imaginations over and over again and of course our imaginations aren't the same as Catherines, or Stephanies, or anyone elses. I think it is the same as the Breaking Dawn. There was SO my hype, and all of us went into it wanting/expecting something. Some got it, others didn't.

So I give it a B/B-. But go see it. I know you all will, anyway. I am keeping my thoughts from all my friends. I want them to be able to go into it and take it as it is, without any of my opinions and thoughts. Like I said, I really liked the last half. If they could have put more of that action and intensity into the first half, cleaned up a few things, and fixed a few parts that came off as funny when they shouldn't have, it would have been a B+/A-.