For the Love of Twilight

I didn't wait in line for hours to see a midnight showing, but I did make it out this past Saturday afternoon to see a matinee of the long-awaited "Twilight" movie. When I left the theater, I have to say, I had a feeling of bliss. Despite the teenagers a few rows behind us giggling at inappropriate moments and the loud voicing of "That movie totally sucked" from a few other audience members, I felt totally pleased with seeing one of my favorite books acted out on the big screen. Maybe it's because I went into it with low expectations. Every trailer I watched left me feeling like Kristen Stewart was going to fulfill the part of Bella quite terribly, but she did much better than I thought she would. I was still bothered by some of her unnatural stuttering at times, but other than that, I think she was quite all right. I also just loved seeing my favorite vampire family become real, despite their terrible blonde dye jobs and sometimes overdone pale makeup. Aside from Rosalie, who I felt should have been more goddess-like, I absolutely loved the casting for all of the Cullens, and I can't wait to see more of them in the upcoming movies. Casting also hit high marks with Billy Burke as Charlie and Anna Kendrick as Jessica. In fact, all of the extras really captured the essence of high school, in my opinion.

Then that brings me to Robert Pattinson. Though I have to wonder how a human being can look so friggin' great in a movie and so sleezy in real life, I really loved Edward in the movie. I thought his English accent made his lines come out a little funny in some places, but otherwise, I really believed his emotions and his feelings -- much more so than with Kristen Stewart's portrayal of Bella. I really can't imagine a more perfect Edward.

My only big critique of the movie is regarding the sparkling scene in the meadow. It seems to be the popular consensus that Edward was nowhere near sparkly enough, but maybe that will be improved with a higher budget in the second film.

I would highly recommend seeing Twilight, but I think it will be much more enjoyable if you've read the book, or even the whole series, first. Now I just have to sit back and wait until New Moon comes out!