I feel completely baffled by the movie. It wasn't awful but it also did not exceed my expectations. I felt it too angst-y, broody, predictable. Someone's comment I read somewhere summed it up perfectly:
"Vampire likes foolish woman. Foolish woman likes Vampire. Vampire tries to forget, because Vampires don't die, and people do. Vampire gives up and foolish woman finds out vampire is a vampire. Then there's some big fight thing, the vampire that likes the foolish woman wins and the story has a happily ever after."
LOL. This person was actually talking about the book, which I own but haven't read, but it basically sums up the gist of the movie. It makes me even more apprehensive to start reading the book. A number of people I know have read and finished all four books in the "Twilight Saga" and completely loved it, raving on and on about how good they are but I'm just not feeling the same based on what I've seen in the movie. And considering what I've read, apparently the movie is true to story so that's not actually making me want to pick it up any faster.
Anyway, my thoughts on the movie. I felt Rob Pattinson's Edward was too "in-yer-face". Watching him constantly invade Bella's personal space made me feel my personal space was violated. And not in a good way. Granted he's good looking but he totally did not have to be creepy about it. I understand the wishy washyness of alternating between wanting to know Bella and then avoiding her for her own good, back forth back forth, which he portrayed well albeit annoyingly. I guess, for someone who's hundreds of years old, I figured there should be more maturity in Edward's behaviour. Guess not.
And Kristen Stewart. I will admit I have a prejudice against her. After reading a few Hollywood gossip sites and other, more reputable, news sources, her indifferent attitude during the release of the movie irks me. I personally feel, whether rightly or wrongly, that she should put in the time and effort graciously for a movie that has made her a household name, even if she doesn't want to be, as she likes to claim. Why can't she act more involved when promoting the movie? The way it is, she comes off as a completely sullen, insolent child that I feel needs a good hard slap. It is then no wonder that, by extension of the actress, I felt a dislike to Bella on sight. I felt she seemed dead on a whole, personality-wise, apart from when she is with Edward. This could probably be genius acting on Kristen Stewart's part though, if she was going for the "no-one-but-you-makes-me-feel-alive" angle. However, the "dead" thing caused her to come off as if she's waaay too good to be in Forks. And that's why I found it unbelievable that people gravitated towards her as if she was the sun. She seemed to have too much of a prickly disposition to be someone who had that much magnetism.
The rest of the cast was good but forgettable. I felt that there was no real storyline when it came to the werewolves. Actually, if we are truthful, there was no storyline. I was given the impression that there was a conflict of interest between the two factions but aside from one scene towards the end of the movie which barely amounts to something, it was tame. Perhaps it's cause of the treaty they have in place but even so, I expected more tension to be played out, not just a couple of fierce gazes. Also, the whole "transient-vampires-leaving-behind-trail-of-dead-bodies" plot felt rushed. Considering that the movie was 2 hours long, I would have thought the storytelling would be more sharp and concise.
I know of a lot of people who loved the movie. I most likely will give it another view but only after I've read the book. Maybe it'll get a better review the second time round if I have the complete story and can identify more of the plot. I dunno if this movie was made with the focal audience being those who have read the book. However, if it was made as a movie that could stand on its own, whether book was read or not, I think, for me, it failed. I felt it was disjointed and annoying throughout the first half and the ending fight scene cheesy. I wanted to love this movie but unfortunately, I'd be hard pressed to say I liked it. Let's just say I don't hate it.
"Vampire likes foolish woman. Foolish woman likes Vampire. Vampire tries to forget, because Vampires don't die, and people do. Vampire gives up and foolish woman finds out vampire is a vampire. Then there's some big fight thing, the vampire that likes the foolish woman wins and the story has a happily ever after."
LOL. This person was actually talking about the book, which I own but haven't read, but it basically sums up the gist of the movie. It makes me even more apprehensive to start reading the book. A number of people I know have read and finished all four books in the "Twilight Saga" and completely loved it, raving on and on about how good they are but I'm just not feeling the same based on what I've seen in the movie. And considering what I've read, apparently the movie is true to story so that's not actually making me want to pick it up any faster.
Anyway, my thoughts on the movie. I felt Rob Pattinson's Edward was too "in-yer-face". Watching him constantly invade Bella's personal space made me feel my personal space was violated. And not in a good way. Granted he's good looking but he totally did not have to be creepy about it. I understand the wishy washyness of alternating between wanting to know Bella and then avoiding her for her own good, back forth back forth, which he portrayed well albeit annoyingly. I guess, for someone who's hundreds of years old, I figured there should be more maturity in Edward's behaviour. Guess not.
And Kristen Stewart. I will admit I have a prejudice against her. After reading a few Hollywood gossip sites and other, more reputable, news sources, her indifferent attitude during the release of the movie irks me. I personally feel, whether rightly or wrongly, that she should put in the time and effort graciously for a movie that has made her a household name, even if she doesn't want to be, as she likes to claim. Why can't she act more involved when promoting the movie? The way it is, she comes off as a completely sullen, insolent child that I feel needs a good hard slap. It is then no wonder that, by extension of the actress, I felt a dislike to Bella on sight. I felt she seemed dead on a whole, personality-wise, apart from when she is with Edward. This could probably be genius acting on Kristen Stewart's part though, if she was going for the "no-one-but-you-makes-me-feel-alive" angle. However, the "dead" thing caused her to come off as if she's waaay too good to be in Forks. And that's why I found it unbelievable that people gravitated towards her as if she was the sun. She seemed to have too much of a prickly disposition to be someone who had that much magnetism.
The rest of the cast was good but forgettable. I felt that there was no real storyline when it came to the werewolves. Actually, if we are truthful, there was no storyline. I was given the impression that there was a conflict of interest between the two factions but aside from one scene towards the end of the movie which barely amounts to something, it was tame. Perhaps it's cause of the treaty they have in place but even so, I expected more tension to be played out, not just a couple of fierce gazes. Also, the whole "transient-vampires-leaving-behind-trail-of-dead-bodies" plot felt rushed. Considering that the movie was 2 hours long, I would have thought the storytelling would be more sharp and concise.
I know of a lot of people who loved the movie. I most likely will give it another view but only after I've read the book. Maybe it'll get a better review the second time round if I have the complete story and can identify more of the plot. I dunno if this movie was made with the focal audience being those who have read the book. However, if it was made as a movie that could stand on its own, whether book was read or not, I think, for me, it failed. I felt it was disjointed and annoying throughout the first half and the ending fight scene cheesy. I wanted to love this movie but unfortunately, I'd be hard pressed to say I liked it. Let's just say I don't hate it.
