Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 61
 Best movie in over a year February 25, 2009
S.J.
30 out of 35 found this review helpful
I went to see this the weekend it first came out on the recommendation of some people who had read the books - definately the best movie I have seen in a very long time! I love pretty much all vampire movies, but essentially this is a love story and it loses none of it's integrity from either genre in translation to film. The chemistry between Bella and Edward is fantastic and that's central to the film - it's rare to see that, and essentially given that their epic love is supposed to compare to Rome Juliett I'm so glad they got the casting right. The movie's also not shot in the typical smoothe Hollywood fashion, instead it's much more vivid with interesting camera angles that completely draw you in. The scenary in the film is also absolutely amazing and gives the film a real vitality - it's almost worth seeing for that alone regardless of the story.
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br /The film got me so addicted I decided to read the books to find out if they were better (inevitably they were as you get the extra detail), and then I went back to see the movie with a different friend which was an interesting comparison. Actually the essence of the books is captured really well - as I said the chemistry between Bella and Edward was vital. As to the rest of the casting, having read the books I absolutely couldn't fault it (which is rare). The movie makes perfect sense without reading the books, so it can definately stand alone. In order to translate a book to film, inevitably some really good scenes from the book have to be cut, and the changed script in places did help to convey some of the additional information that you need to understand the context. However, on second viewing (after reading the books) I was left a bit baffled as to why they changed the some of the scenes and story order completely unnecessarily (e.g. the change to a field trip, going to Port Angeles before Bella works out fully what Edward is). Also, whilst I get they were probably playing up the 'vampire movie' angle, the books didn't need to focus on the 'other' vampires hunting and I would have preferred the movie not to spend so much time on those additions, but to instead tried to convey the sense of time passing a bit more - the book is set out over an entire academic year where as the movie tells us 'a month' (via Mike's prom referenc), which is worth remembering if you are wondering why Bella and Edward go from frosty to talking about forever quite so quickly in the film! The extra scene that I did, however, absolutely love was when Edward took Bella up into the trees - great effects, absolutely amazing scenary and you got a real sense of the romance between them - I really missed it when I read the book!
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br /As I say, an absolutely brilliant move, well worth seeing. It's one of the very few movies I've every paid to see twice and would be willing to pay full price for the DVD.
Dark and brooding March 7, 2009
Barney McGrew (UK)
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
Strangely, this highly talked about and eagerly anticipated vampire tale was critically acclaimed prior to release but seems to have suffered a backlash since it appeared in cinemas in early 2009.
br /Based on the first in a series of books by Stephenie Meyer, it is squarely aimed at the teenage market and centres on a family of vampires who have subsumed their instinctual urges to drink the blood of humans and have learned to survive on that of animals instead. In Twilight, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) returns with her moody cop father to the small town of Forks on the coast of Washington State where he grew up; finding herself trapped in a backwater and unwilling to make friends, she is quickly drawn to Edward Cullen, one of the vampires, and the pair embark upon a dangerous liaison. The problems begin when a gang of `real' vampires appear in the town and begin killing its inhabitants. The two groups of bloodsuckers manage to co-exist until the discovery that the family are harbouring a human, this leads to the final third which becomes a more recognisable battle to the death between the vampires, Edward, and his human girlfriend.
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br /The film itself is stylish and moody; I liked the concept of vampires struggling to control their natural cravings and I thought the performances were all at least competent. Stewart seems set to star in the inevitable sequel, I think this is a great because she seemed to me to be perfectly cast as the socially awkward, sensitive and gawky heroine, Bella. Robert Pattinson (Cedric Diggory from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) is also well cast as the 100 year old war veteran trapped in the body of a seventeen year old boy, and the rural settings are both lush and visually appealing. I will certainly be going to see the next instalment at the cinema and definitely recommend this as a substantial yet accessible cinematic offering.
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excellent January 26, 2009
Gem
8 out of 11 found this review helpful
i went to see this on release date never having read the books and found it to be one of the best films i've seen recently. after seeing it i got the books for xmas and so far have read twilight which goes into alot more depth than the film and is just as gd :) books to film are never going to be exact copy because of the different writing processes but i think this is a fantastic close adaptation of the book and the cast are the best for the parts they play. definately recommened to anyone who likes a romantic, edgy, vampire, dangerous story of love :)
Well worth watching May 24, 2009
Book Worm (UK)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Without spoiling it for those who haven't seen the film yet, would like to suggest that you ignore all comments in relation to lack of vampirism in this film and watch it as you would with any other girls' film. It's a love story and I don't understand all these people who keep complaining that it doesn't stick to even most basic principles of vampirism. It's a bit like those who complain about lack of accurate facts in relation to Pearl Harbor.
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br /This film, just like Pearl Harbor, is a love story and I don't believe it claims to be anything more than that. If this was supposed to be a film about vampires, then, perhaps, indeed, it is awful but it looked to me as if vampires weren't really why this was made.
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br /Lovely music, some nice scenery and two gorgeous leads... what else do you need for a love story?
Twilight, based on the twilight saga books by Stephenie Meyer August 31, 2009
Mrs. D. Currie (Scotland UK)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Really enjoyed this film. Only discovered it recently though I understand its become a 'world wide phenomenon' especially among teenagers. You can watch this film without having read any of the books as I did but for me personally, the books (of which there are 4) are so much more exciting.
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br /That said, I would still recommend this film even if, like me, you are no teenager!!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 61
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