I don’t even know where to begin.
First off, I guess I’ll say that I didn’t leave it a secret that I wasn’t the largest fan of Robert Pattinson being cast as Edward Cullen. That being said, at the end of the film, I feel that he was perfect for the role.
He is also one of the only things I liked about the movie.
I had fought hard to get this movie as an assignment, but here I sit at 2:50 in the morning, thanking the stars that my editor did not concede. When I see movies for work, I am a trillion times more critical than when I see a movie as an observer.
I think this movie is the exception.
To say I hated the majority of it, would be putting it mildly.
I was fortunate enough to see this movie with people who read the book. (I was also fortunate enough to wait in the craziest of all lines with 2300+ other people, but that’s a story for another day.) I point this out, about other readers of the book, merely to say that I am far from the only person who was completely annoyed and disappointed.
I also saw the movie with someone who’d never read the book, and suffice it to say she had no idea what was going on, most of the time. The best analogy I can concur is that of a family vacation… Imagine you go on the most amazing vacation of your life. Truly incredible. As you sit, pouring over your vacation scrapbook, all of these amazing memories are evoked. Nostalgia sets in and you “revisit” that place in your memory. Your friend, however, who sits looking at your photos too- they are merely looking at photos. There is no memory reunion for them. There are no emotional happy times to recall, and nothing to fill in the in between times- between photos. that is sort of what this movie is like: A scrapbook of a story. We’ve read the book, so we understand why certain things happen.
Then there’s the deal about the certain things.
Certain things like the accident with Tyler’s van. (and don’t get me started with Tyler and the casting of every ethnicity imaginable. I’m not at all racial, but honestly are we to believe that the Forks high school is some secret meeting place for all of the UN teens? no.) Anyway, I digress… Back to the Tyler van incident. In the book, the accident happens due to icy roads, in the morning. (a morning that, anyone whose read the book would remember, found Bella walking out of her house to find that Charlie had put chains on her tires. )Instead, in the movie, the accident happens AFTER school, and Charlie never put chains on her tires- instead he bought her new tires. Seemingly insignificant little changes- they annoyed the crap out of me because EVERYTHING WAS LIKE THAT! EVERYTHING… They seriously left no moment completely unaltered.
And, because I’m cranky and disappointed- allow me to take a moment to address Stephanie Meyer personally: You should be ashamed of the size your head has grown to be. Not only did you cease production of a book that would have been so incredibly received by your VERY ENORMOUS fan base- but you then proceeded to help turn your movie into a butchered “idea” that is a little like your book, but without any character development or replication at all. As if these things aren’t enough, woman, you then go and give yourself a cameo in your movie. Really??? NO ONE CARES! NO ONE CARES!
Most Twilighters will probably like it. It gives a face and a voice to the things we imagined. I will be the first to admit that things will have to be tweaked and altered to fit into the condensed format, but when absolutely every detail (from adding cell phones and changing curtain colors, to rearranging her class schedule and every other scene imaginable) has to change completely, for no reason of any significance- I just feel you pretty much tarnish what was once a cherished story.
That’s all. There is so much more I could say, but I’m tired and just so, so sad. I expected it to be dissapointing, but this far exceeded my fears.
I’m going to bed…
rainydayinmay.com 
My 21yo daughter has read these books, and she says they are crap. But she stills reads them, and I’m sure she’ll be seeing the movie. And probably calling it crap, too. :/
WOW,I had just heard about the book/movie thing last night (for the first time….yes I’m slow…LOL) at work, when 3 co-workers left early (that includes a supervisor…grrr, that’s another story) to catch this movie which opened here at midnight.I’ve been told the books are “addicting”, true?
That bad huh? I figured as much…guess I’ll wait till it hits the Dollar Theater.
I have to admit that I was glad to find out you weren’t that impressed. I am not going to be able to go see the movie and was feeling very left out. I knew if you LOVED it I would have to find a way to go, but since you weren’t all that into it I feel releived to know I don’t have to rush out to see it!Phew!
laura, they aren’t quality writing… Not in the least… But, at least in re: to the first three books, the story is incredibly involving. When you take a story that is so impacting BECAUSE of the characters (and not the writing) and then ruin the characters in the movie… BAD… :(
Nikke & KL, Major sad times… I tried so hard to keep my expectations down, and as I grumbled and said "That's NOT what happened" over and over, I reminded myself to cut it a break… the one thing going for it, like i said, is at moments its very much like a scrapbook so you do feel nostalgically drawn. And Robert Pattinson was surprisingly really great…
“at least in re: to the first three books, the story is incredibly involving.” Oh, I don’t doubt it! As I said, she keeps reading them, and I’m sure she’s planning to see the movie, if she hasn’t already. :)
This is exactly why I never spend money on movies with a bunch of hype. No movie can ever be as good as all the marketing claims. It just sets us up for a big let-down, IMHO
now i HAVE to see it.i never understood why the change little silly things for NO APPARENT REASON. i understand about having to cut subplots for time and stuff. but it sounds like whoever wrote it just read the back cover and went with it without actually reading the whole book.oh well. i wasn’t expecting it to be as good as the book. never is!!
Misty, where are your movie critiques printed?I have read the first two books and enjoyed them, but was left bewildered at all the comparisons to Harry Potter. They aren’t even in the same sphere.
Thanks for saving me $11.00!
I totally agree with you Misty. From the previews, I expected it to be bad and it didn’t disappoint. It wasn’t the changes from the book that bothered me it was the BAD ACTING!! I felt like they were trying to make an independent artsy looking movie when people were expecting a blockbuster. It just felt awkward. Honestly, I loved Edward so much in the book and built him up to be soooo perfect in my mind, that I don’t think anyone could possibly live up to the Edward that I’ve imagined.
Yikes! Now I’m scared to go!
kelli~ you are totally right, NO ONE could live up to him… HOWEVER- I did think RP did as well as he could have. you are so right about the artsy thing though! SOOOO right… Even so, I’m posting about Twilight again. *sigh*
I’m no movie critic and I respect your opinion. I loved it though. True there were many tiny details that were changed, but nothing like in the Harry Potter movies where they COMPLETELY changed what characters did what and totally glossed over REALLY important exchanges between characters that are vital to the story line. I found the Twilight movie to be incredibly well-cast (although I totally agree with the casting of the various ethnicities in the students – WTF?) and it evoked a great deal of the same type of tension I experienced when reading the book.
Teehee. I think the antithesis of this post is sitting on my blog today:)And the gist of it is, I see what you’re saying, and I loved it anyway. The details from the book? I don’t know. I expect a lot of changes when I see a movie. There were certainly some editing issues, but things like the accident happening in the afternoon just didn’t bother me. And I don’t remember details like what color the curtains should have been because I was reading the books for fast!I also don’t know as much as about the stuff regarding Meyer. Didn’t know she stopped writing a book – was it another sequel? Didn’t even know she had a cameo.I think what you said about the writing of the book is quite true. It was so interesting to me to be reading something I acknowledged was not that well-written, and yet I loved it still. Guess I feel the same way about the movie:)
Beth~ and that was why i saw it again. I am a detail obsessor… and so that totally ruined it for me. Once i was past that, I was able to see it again for what it was- and I liked it a lot. :)
Misty…This was my favorite post! No, not really. But i want you to know, after seeing this movie I obsessed about it all weekend. Even dreamed about it. I picked out plot holes, I questioned 17 year old romance, I revisited misty mountains. I still think the writing is crap. And I don’t know why people love it. I don’t know why usually moral slightly prudish people who would NEVER pick up any sort of paranormal story, think these vampire stories are the best ever. Sure, she does a few twists on the vampire, but other than sparkling in the sun…it isn’t really that innovative, especially if, like me, you have read any of the paranormal books that have come out in the last ten years. It is the fickleness of the consuming public that gets me, I guess.