twilight movie critique
Nov. 22nd, 2008 08:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sepiastarsOverall, I have to say, I give it a 6 out of 10. I admit I was a little disappointed. Here's what I thought:
1) I knew I was interested in the soundtrack because Paramore had 2 songs on it. But I wasn't going to buy the CD until Patty recommended it as something I would like. And she was SO RIGHT. They made such awesome choices about what songs to use, that I couldn't wait to see the movie to find out how they would use them.
And then, when I heard where they put them... well, to be fair, I thought the Black Ghosts song was perfect for when Bella is leaving Arizona. But after that, I got mad. They have the most awesome Muse song ever, and they put it over the baseball scene? I had pictured it when Edward and Bella are walking into the school with his arm slung over her shoulder, his James Dean Ray Bans and a smug grin, or something like that. But the baseball scene? No ma'am. I was not happy. The Collective Soul song kinda threw me to begin with, and I think it was definately a strange choice for the van scene, as it strikes me as a triumphant sounding song, and Bella isn't feeling triumphant at all. If anything, she's scared shitless. She's afraid that either her mind was playing tricks on her and she imagined something insane, or she's afraid that she's RIGHT, and really saw what she thinks she saw. That's scary. It's creepy. It isn't triumphant.
2) From the moment we first saw Robert, his acting grated on my nerves. I won't say that he's just a poor actor. I blame Catherine Hardwicke. Because I know he must have done something less over-the-top on at least one take, and yet she selected the obnoxious expressions and campy line delivery takes for the final edit.
Although everyone's been trashing both Rob and Kristen since casting was announced, I really had faith in them. I thought both of them looked perfect. And I do really think Kristen did an awesome job with the script she was given. And Rob... well, maybe with a higher budget we can get him some acting lessons before New Moon starts shooting.
3) That leads me into the script. Oh, the script. I have read many reviews stating how great the script was, how true it was to the novel... Whatever. It pared the novel down to the absolute barest bones and stripped them clean. There wasn't any meat left. All the scenes were too short and so completely devoid of emotion that I didn't buy the relationships at all - not Edward and Bella, not any of the vampires, not even the kids at school (we barely met anyone!).
My primary issue with the book was that it was too internal as far as Bella went. I felt like we had way more information that we needed (when she's brushing her teeth, what she decides to cook for Charlie, what color her pajamas are, blah blah blah), and also since we were inside her head so much, as much as I love the Bella/Edward relationship, I got a little sick of hearing her go on and one about how wonderful and fabulous Edward was. He's perfect. We get it.
But on that same note, the movie was way too external. I didn't feel anything either of them was feeling. There were so many things we knew in the novel that we never could have known in the film. I mean, if Catherine was going to use voice-over, she should have at least let us get a little more inside Bella's head!
4) Bella in general. I loved the way Kristen played her. But she's supposed to be clumsy. There's a reason she's clumsy. She and Edward both have a dichotomy - Bella is physically weak and fragile and constantly tripping over herself, but mentally/emotionally she's strong and capable and self-assured. She completely trusts both Edward and herself. Also her clumsiness makes the whole falling-down-the-stairs-and-through-a-window story believable. Otherwise, it's just silly. Edward is her perfect counterpart - physically, he's strong. Invincible, even. But mentally/emotionally, he's scared, he doesn't trust himself, he doesn't trust Bella to pick him over her family. We sort of got this dichotomy in Edward, but Bella's mental strength and physical weakness got lost. She seemed pretty average.
5) The vampires. Number one, not enough face time for any of them (how many lines did any of them have?). Number two, WAY too made up (they look like that and no one notices? Really?). Number three, and this one really gets me: CARLISLE WOULD NEVER BURST THROUGH A DOOR LIKE THAT. He's the most low-key of all of them, except maybe Esme. He doesn't want to draw attention to himself, and has spent hundreds of years perfecting being invisible. And he was so made up he was creepy-looking. Carlisle is supposed to look handsome but gentle. Being gentle his most central characteristic. He should not look creepy in the least.
6) SPARKLING. Okay, sparkling in the book is pretty hokey too. But The special effects were not good (glitter lotion?). And did he really have to open his shirt? And did they really have to pan up his stomach twice? And WHAT was with the sound effects? No ma'am. Just, no ma'am.
7) I missed all the car scenes. All the talking and questions and answers. I know that would have been really dull on film... but I missed them.
8) SOMETHING I LOVED: The scene where he rescues her from the potential rapists in Port Angeles. I was afraid they were going to mess this scene up, but it was better than the book. Until Rob started talking, that is. Oh well.
9) OHMYGODCAMERAANGLESANDSHOTDISTANCE. I understand what they were going for with the weird camera angles. But that's supposed to be subtle. You aren't supposed to notice it. And I noticed it so much I wanted to tilt my head to straighten it out. And the whole movie was close-ups and medium-wide shots. I felt like I was standing way too close to everyone, and I wanted to take a few steps back!
10) Timeline. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the book take place over almost a whole school year? And again, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't they cram the whole movie into the month before prom? Why would they do something ridiculous like that? We're supposed to believe they're in love, for God's sake!
11) The field trip scene was a waste of like, 3 minutes that they could have used on one of the important scenes they cut out. It did nothing to move the plot and yet took up space that should have been occupied by a scene that did.
12) The Cullens' house was not supposed to be all Frank Lloyd Wright. It was supposed to look traditional from the outside, yes? Edward's room looked about right to me though, if smaller than I imagined.
13) Restaurant scene (in Port Angeles) - way too short, it made it completely useless. And what was with the waitress' hair?
14) SUPER-ANNOYED that Tyler didn't get his chance to ask Bella to the dance and prom, because it screwed up the Port Angeles rescue scene. She's supposed to calm Edward down by telling him she's going to run over Tyler, and since she can't say that... absolutely nothing happens. Except that Rob's acting is bad.
15) So WTF happened to Alice's precognition? There was a whole chunk of novel where Bella's trying to escape from Jasper and Alice because Alice can see what she's doing, and yet in the movie, Bella's just standing in the lobby, peeking around the corner, sneaking right past them. ALICE WOULD HAVE SEEN THAT. Huge plothole. And no mention of Jasper's ability at all? We're going to need that later.
16) Even the scene where Bella storms out on Charlie was just flat. It's supposed to be really emotional, and there were all these... pauses. It's supposed to be shouting and crying and tears, and it was just raised voices. I didn't feel a thing.
17) The ballet studio scene. I thought James was wonderful. He was really creepy, when I expected him to just be as cheesy as everyone else. I was impressed with him. The fight scene, though, was kind of boring, yes?
18) Victoria, James and Laurent: I actually did like that they appeared much earlier in the film than they did in the book. We needed some conflict, and the fact that it was building a little was helpful to move the plot. Particularly for viewers who hadn't read the book - I imagine it was intended to create some confusion as to whether or not the Cullens were dangerous.
19) The arm-sucking scene. Jeez, could they have made it longer (or more uncomfortable)? Okay, okay, it's suspenseful. Will he have the strength to stop himself? Well, you don't have to read the book to know he will. His expression was just... laughable. Again, I blame Catherine.
20) The prom scene. I liked it. I really liked the Iron & Wine song (good job Kristen), and I thought the acting was better, and the scene was nicely lit, although we were too close-up for most of it. The only real complaint I have about it was that we didn't get to see Alice dressing Bella up. That would have been a perfect place to insert more Cullens and Catherine didn't take it (or cut it, whichever).
In Summary: I think a 6 out of 10 is kind of generous. But I truly believe that if they fire Catherine Hardwicke and whoever the hell wrote the frigging script, New Moon will really have the potential to kick Twilight's ass (press release today confirming Summit's decision to make New Moon!). The budget will probably be 3 times what they had for Twilight, and assuming they can get a new writer, a new director, and some acting lessons for Rob, I have high hopes.
I didn't dislike the movie... I was just disappointed. They could have done much, much better. I will probably see it again, though, and I will definately buy the DVD. Because I'm the sort of sucker they count on ;).
1) I knew I was interested in the soundtrack because Paramore had 2 songs on it. But I wasn't going to buy the CD until Patty recommended it as something I would like. And she was SO RIGHT. They made such awesome choices about what songs to use, that I couldn't wait to see the movie to find out how they would use them.
And then, when I heard where they put them... well, to be fair, I thought the Black Ghosts song was perfect for when Bella is leaving Arizona. But after that, I got mad. They have the most awesome Muse song ever, and they put it over the baseball scene? I had pictured it when Edward and Bella are walking into the school with his arm slung over her shoulder, his James Dean Ray Bans and a smug grin, or something like that. But the baseball scene? No ma'am. I was not happy. The Collective Soul song kinda threw me to begin with, and I think it was definately a strange choice for the van scene, as it strikes me as a triumphant sounding song, and Bella isn't feeling triumphant at all. If anything, she's scared shitless. She's afraid that either her mind was playing tricks on her and she imagined something insane, or she's afraid that she's RIGHT, and really saw what she thinks she saw. That's scary. It's creepy. It isn't triumphant.
2) From the moment we first saw Robert, his acting grated on my nerves. I won't say that he's just a poor actor. I blame Catherine Hardwicke. Because I know he must have done something less over-the-top on at least one take, and yet she selected the obnoxious expressions and campy line delivery takes for the final edit.
Although everyone's been trashing both Rob and Kristen since casting was announced, I really had faith in them. I thought both of them looked perfect. And I do really think Kristen did an awesome job with the script she was given. And Rob... well, maybe with a higher budget we can get him some acting lessons before New Moon starts shooting.
3) That leads me into the script. Oh, the script. I have read many reviews stating how great the script was, how true it was to the novel... Whatever. It pared the novel down to the absolute barest bones and stripped them clean. There wasn't any meat left. All the scenes were too short and so completely devoid of emotion that I didn't buy the relationships at all - not Edward and Bella, not any of the vampires, not even the kids at school (we barely met anyone!).
My primary issue with the book was that it was too internal as far as Bella went. I felt like we had way more information that we needed (when she's brushing her teeth, what she decides to cook for Charlie, what color her pajamas are, blah blah blah), and also since we were inside her head so much, as much as I love the Bella/Edward relationship, I got a little sick of hearing her go on and one about how wonderful and fabulous Edward was. He's perfect. We get it.
But on that same note, the movie was way too external. I didn't feel anything either of them was feeling. There were so many things we knew in the novel that we never could have known in the film. I mean, if Catherine was going to use voice-over, she should have at least let us get a little more inside Bella's head!
4) Bella in general. I loved the way Kristen played her. But she's supposed to be clumsy. There's a reason she's clumsy. She and Edward both have a dichotomy - Bella is physically weak and fragile and constantly tripping over herself, but mentally/emotionally she's strong and capable and self-assured. She completely trusts both Edward and herself. Also her clumsiness makes the whole falling-down-the-stairs-and-through-a-window story believable. Otherwise, it's just silly. Edward is her perfect counterpart - physically, he's strong. Invincible, even. But mentally/emotionally, he's scared, he doesn't trust himself, he doesn't trust Bella to pick him over her family. We sort of got this dichotomy in Edward, but Bella's mental strength and physical weakness got lost. She seemed pretty average.
5) The vampires. Number one, not enough face time for any of them (how many lines did any of them have?). Number two, WAY too made up (they look like that and no one notices? Really?). Number three, and this one really gets me: CARLISLE WOULD NEVER BURST THROUGH A DOOR LIKE THAT. He's the most low-key of all of them, except maybe Esme. He doesn't want to draw attention to himself, and has spent hundreds of years perfecting being invisible. And he was so made up he was creepy-looking. Carlisle is supposed to look handsome but gentle. Being gentle his most central characteristic. He should not look creepy in the least.
6) SPARKLING. Okay, sparkling in the book is pretty hokey too. But The special effects were not good (glitter lotion?). And did he really have to open his shirt? And did they really have to pan up his stomach twice? And WHAT was with the sound effects? No ma'am. Just, no ma'am.
7) I missed all the car scenes. All the talking and questions and answers. I know that would have been really dull on film... but I missed them.
8) SOMETHING I LOVED: The scene where he rescues her from the potential rapists in Port Angeles. I was afraid they were going to mess this scene up, but it was better than the book. Until Rob started talking, that is. Oh well.
9) OHMYGODCAMERAANGLESANDSHOTDISTANCE. I understand what they were going for with the weird camera angles. But that's supposed to be subtle. You aren't supposed to notice it. And I noticed it so much I wanted to tilt my head to straighten it out. And the whole movie was close-ups and medium-wide shots. I felt like I was standing way too close to everyone, and I wanted to take a few steps back!
10) Timeline. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the book take place over almost a whole school year? And again, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't they cram the whole movie into the month before prom? Why would they do something ridiculous like that? We're supposed to believe they're in love, for God's sake!
11) The field trip scene was a waste of like, 3 minutes that they could have used on one of the important scenes they cut out. It did nothing to move the plot and yet took up space that should have been occupied by a scene that did.
12) The Cullens' house was not supposed to be all Frank Lloyd Wright. It was supposed to look traditional from the outside, yes? Edward's room looked about right to me though, if smaller than I imagined.
13) Restaurant scene (in Port Angeles) - way too short, it made it completely useless. And what was with the waitress' hair?
14) SUPER-ANNOYED that Tyler didn't get his chance to ask Bella to the dance and prom, because it screwed up the Port Angeles rescue scene. She's supposed to calm Edward down by telling him she's going to run over Tyler, and since she can't say that... absolutely nothing happens. Except that Rob's acting is bad.
15) So WTF happened to Alice's precognition? There was a whole chunk of novel where Bella's trying to escape from Jasper and Alice because Alice can see what she's doing, and yet in the movie, Bella's just standing in the lobby, peeking around the corner, sneaking right past them. ALICE WOULD HAVE SEEN THAT. Huge plothole. And no mention of Jasper's ability at all? We're going to need that later.
16) Even the scene where Bella storms out on Charlie was just flat. It's supposed to be really emotional, and there were all these... pauses. It's supposed to be shouting and crying and tears, and it was just raised voices. I didn't feel a thing.
17) The ballet studio scene. I thought James was wonderful. He was really creepy, when I expected him to just be as cheesy as everyone else. I was impressed with him. The fight scene, though, was kind of boring, yes?
18) Victoria, James and Laurent: I actually did like that they appeared much earlier in the film than they did in the book. We needed some conflict, and the fact that it was building a little was helpful to move the plot. Particularly for viewers who hadn't read the book - I imagine it was intended to create some confusion as to whether or not the Cullens were dangerous.
19) The arm-sucking scene. Jeez, could they have made it longer (or more uncomfortable)? Okay, okay, it's suspenseful. Will he have the strength to stop himself? Well, you don't have to read the book to know he will. His expression was just... laughable. Again, I blame Catherine.
20) The prom scene. I liked it. I really liked the Iron & Wine song (good job Kristen), and I thought the acting was better, and the scene was nicely lit, although we were too close-up for most of it. The only real complaint I have about it was that we didn't get to see Alice dressing Bella up. That would have been a perfect place to insert more Cullens and Catherine didn't take it (or cut it, whichever).
In Summary: I think a 6 out of 10 is kind of generous. But I truly believe that if they fire Catherine Hardwicke and whoever the hell wrote the frigging script, New Moon will really have the potential to kick Twilight's ass (press release today confirming Summit's decision to make New Moon!). The budget will probably be 3 times what they had for Twilight, and assuming they can get a new writer, a new director, and some acting lessons for Rob, I have high hopes.
I didn't dislike the movie... I was just disappointed. They could have done much, much better. I will probably see it again, though, and I will definately buy the DVD. Because I'm the sort of sucker they count on ;).
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-12-04 01:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-12-05 12:35 am (UTC)I actually downloaded it and watched it again, and I liked it better. I guess I was looking at it with a less critical eye, not as worried about what they did to the story, and it was a lot more enjoyable :)
no subject
Date: 2008-12-05 03:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-12-05 04:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-12-05 04:45 am (UTC)