'Twilight'

I'll admit it- I saw 'Twilight' last night. It wasn't because I'm a die hard fan and had to go on opening day. It was because my friend, Holly, and I decided to go together and last night was the only night that worked before Christmas craziness ensues.

I always know that movies will never as good as the book (although 'Lord of the Rings' came pretty close). So my expectations were low going into the movie. From the previews I'd seen, I had already decided I didn't like the girl who played Bella. She seemed like she had no emotion, and in my mind Bella is a very overly-dramatic character.

I was a bit surprised when I ended up liking Bella and not liking Edward. In the books, Edward is composed, poised, graceful, and has unbelievable self control. The Edward in the movie did not. He always seemed like he was trying not to attack Bella every time he was around her, he looked super pasty white (more white than I thought necessary), and I have to admit that I laughed out loud when they showed the very first time Edward smelled Bella in Biology class. He seriously looked green and like he was going to heave all over the table and even held his hand over his mouth which just added to it. It was seriously ridiculous to me. I guess when I read the book Edward seemed more like he was really, really angry and upset than super nauseous that first time in Biology so I wasn't expecting that. I had heard that Rob Pattinson didn't read the book to prepare for his role. If that's true, it was a big mistake. How else can you learn the character you're supposed to portray if you don't know who they are? I'm hoping if and when they do make the sequels that Rob Pattinson figures out how to play Edward the way Edward is supposed to be portrayed (in my mind) or else the next movies will be just like the first one.

Overall the movie was good. The action scenes were good and the music was ok. The longest scenes were the action scenes, which made them the best part of the film, but I think they could've written it differently since the main focus of this book was on the relationship between Edward and Bella and you didn't really get to experience that in the movie.

One thing I did like was the Bella in the movie was less whiny, dramatic, and selfish than the Bella in the book. That was a nice change, and I ended up thinking Kristen Stewart did a good job as Bella. I also thought all the other characters were fairly well cast. I think my favorite characters were Mike, Charlie, and Renee. Also the movie didn't delve much into the talents the vampires had or their backgrounds, which I was disappointed with. The screenwriters will have to play catch up in the second movie since they left so much of the vampire history out of the first one. I think anyone who hadn't read the books would be a little confused as the movie did move very quickly, leaving out important parts to the story (and some of my favorite parts like the meadow scene).

Ok- enough ranting for now. I've read a few reviews and most everyone gives this movie 5 stars. I don't really agree with that- maybe 3.5 stars on my list. I think I will see it again just to get a better take on it. I was in a theater with tons of teenage girls who talked and screamed through the whole movie, so it would be nice to watch it without that and with the knowledge of what to expect. After talking to a few people, I think I like it better now, a few days later, than I did the night I saw it.

I'd love to hear everyone else's take on the movie, so please post your thoughts.