Twilight: The Movie

I had to keep in mind that the movie, like the book, is aimed at teenage girls. So I tried not to be annoyed when it felt cheesy, melodramatic, even campy. I left the theater hating it. It felt too much like a TV movie. But by the time I got home, I felt better about it.

It was fun to compare my imagination to the visuals in the movie. I enjoyed hearing the song referred to in the book - Clare De Lune by Debussy. The name of it sounded familiar when I read it in the book. When they played it in the movie, I recognized it as the closing music to Ocean's 11. Overall, the soundtrack was decent, but the music felt too loud during a few scenes. It made me think, "Is this part of a montage?" It was distracting. But I loved that they used a Muse song.

Kristen Stewart, who plays Bella, reminded me a lot of the actress who played Jake Gyllenhal's love interest in Donnie Darko. Not only do they look alike, but her acting reminded me of that character too.

Edward wasn't quite as dreamy as I hoped. But it's hard to live up to the portrayal in the book, so I'll take it. But his make-up was bad. He looked absurd in some scenes. He rescues Bella countless times, and is both inhumanly strong and delicately gentle, polite and threatening. Robert Pattinson tried hard to convey the subtle shifts in emotion that Edward frequently experiences. For the most part, he did okay (exception being the scene where they first sit together in the biology lab).

I expected the other boys at school to be at least cute but they were normal looking people. And I don't mean Hollywood normal people. The boy who plays Jacob Black was cute. Looks like he'll have grown into a hottie by the next movie.

The sexual suspense between Edward and Bella felt more like a metaphor for abstinence that it does in the book. That irked me. When Bella's presence tempts him and they again acknowledge that part of him wants to kill her, I found myself rolling my eyes. But the movie also gives them a bit of a steamier kiss scene than the book - I was happy for that.

When they were being flirty high schoolers with each other onscreen, it occurred to me he's really 100 years old. Surely he would have matured beyond the mentality of a 16-year-old girl? This was less of an issue in the book (thankfully, because how could I explain that age gap away?).

Finally, the movie ended with prom, which was the icing on the cringe cake. I felt embarrassed to be sitting alone at a teen movie, surrounded by packs of teen girls. I rushed out as soon as the credits began.