TWILIGHT REVIEW: Book and Movie
(WHAT THE TWILIGHT MOVIE MAKERS DID RIGHT)
Welcome to my Twilight Review: book and movie. If you don’t know, Twilight, by Stephanie Meyer, is a young adult paranormal fantasy romance adaptation. I know the reviews and blogs and podcasts have been done and over done a million times. However, not many have looked at the books AND films from an adaptation standpoint. Welcome to my semi-controlled, 14-years-too-late, Twilight adaptation blog.
This post will be a general review of the good parts of the adaptation of Twilight (released in 2008) and its corresponding novel.
Side Notes (possible spoiler alerts!)
You’ve been warned: there are spoilers in this Twilight review! If you are part of the 1% of humans who haven’t read or watched Twilight yet and still want too, then stopped reading. If you are part of the 1% who doesn’t want to read or watch it but for some reason needs to write a report or win a trivia game, then please, carry on.
Twilight Review - Book and Movie Adaptation Pros:
- Character portrayals were fairly accurate
- Important scenes from the book were well-adapted
- It had a moody vibe, as all paranormal-fantasy-romance stories should
Part 1: Actors in the Movie
Twilight (the book) honestly doesn’t have many characters, and the ones that appear are consistent, well described, and add to the story in some way or other. None of the main characters or secondary characters feel unnecessary. Likewise, most of the actors were also perfectly cast for their roles and they portrayed their characters amazingly. The cast was ideal for the adaptation, for the most part.
The actors for Jessica, Charlie, James and the Cullens were PERFECT.
Jessica
Anna Kendrick as Jessica really sold the whole friend/enemy/jealous-and-judgmental-but-im-still-here-for-you vibe that was very clear in the novels. Jessica in the novels was nicer and more welcome than how she was portrayed in the film. Lauren was unfortunately not included in the adaptation. Jessica took on the role of bully-to-the-pretty-new-girl in her stead.
Billy
Billy Burke wasn’t even Billy Burke when he played Charlie. I love him as an actor, but he generally looks and acts in a similar way for many of his other roles. I didn’t know that Charlie was played by Billy until I looked at the casting list to help me write this. Props to his acting range and the make-up department for the mustache.
James
James… It was a little hard for me to picture James as I was reading the novels. I really just had a general male of privilege and audacity figure in mind. Cam Gigandet did such an amazing job playing an immortal psychopath. He really sold it with the uncomfortable stares and creepy head tilts. And the way he delivered the lines with an intensity that all other vampires wished they had.
THE CULLENS
ALL of the actors who played a Cullen clan member are so strong and have such a broad range that they really carried half the story.
– Alice was lovable and weird
– Emmett was friendly and dorky
– Rosalie was bitchy
Ashley Greene and Kellen Lutz went from siblings in “Twilight” to lovers in “A Warriors Heart” and it wasn’t even weird. They are incredibly talented need to be in more films!
– Jackson Rathbone as Jasper really understood his assignment…
Jackson was cool and interesting. He was obviously in pain and wanted to be far from all people and really only stuck by Alice. I don’t think there was a single scene where he wasn’t by her side or staring at her. It really sold Jasper’s character of being in love with Alice and being drawn to her positive emotions.
Fun Fact: Jackson Rathbone was one of four final choices for the role of Edward. I think he was perfect as Jasper though.
Twilight (the book) honestly doesn’t have many characters, and the ones that appear are consistent, well described, and add to the story in some way or other. None of the main characters or secondary characters feel unnecessary. Likewise, most of the actors were also perfectly cast for their roles and they portrayed their characters amazingly. The cast was ideal for the adaptation, for the most part.
The actors for Jessica, Charlie, James and the Cullens were PERFECT.
Part 2: Scenes in the Movie
How much did you hate the forest scene when Edward was like “Im fast (runs around the trees), im strong (throws a tree branch), your blood smells yummy…blah blah blah”. P.S that was obviously not what he said and don’t pretend like you don’t know exactly which part I’m referring too.
Although I personally didn’t like that scene in the novel or the film, it was a vital part of the story. Edward told Bella EXACTLY what he is and everything that he is capable of. Bella made the decision to ignore all basic human survival instincts to stay with him.
Bellas Internal Monologue:
If you’ve read the Twilight books, you know that it gets WORDY, and most of the story moves forward only in Bellas thoughts.
Her internal monologues really accentuated how introverted and introspective Bella is. If this had been another story or a different director, the thoughts about Edward would have presented themselves as a conversation with a best friend. Bellas thoughts about her near death experiences would have been a therapy session. Her internal conflict about morality…. well, would have been nonexistent if she weren’t so introspective.
Internal monologues are not a popular choice for filmmakers. However, was a necessity that was adapted very well in the films.
Part 3: Moody Vibes in the Movie
Do you have a moody aesthetic board on Pinterest …? Don’t lie, I know you do. Don’t be ashamed, the early-mid 2000s made all of us fall in love with the dark, occasionally floral, moody vibe. Between scene bands like Paramore, celebrities like Avril Lavigne, trends like Y2K, and Twilight, we really had no chance of being drawn to a normal aesthetic.
Twilights monster mashup and toxic romances in the novel gave the film directors a lot of creative liberties as far as mood and scenes go. The blue filter was an odd choice but you can’t deny that it really brought out the characters pale skins. Also, it emphasized the dreariness of the northwest. Twilight’s cinematography was similar to other paranormal movies of the same decade: Blood and Chocolate (2007), Vampire Diaries (2009), Fallen (2016), and more.
All these films, based on fantasy-monster Young Adult novels, were filmed mostly in the dark. Even when it was supposed to be sunny, there was still dark elements like archaic architecture and intense acting that supported the moody aesthetic.
Twilights monster mashup and toxic romances in the novel gave the film directors a lot of creative liberties as far as mood and scenes go. The blue filter was an odd choice but you can’t deny that it really brought out the characters pale skins. Also, it emphasized the dreariness of the northwest. Twilight’s cinematography was similar to other paranormal movies of the same decade: Blood and Chocolate (2007), Vampire Diaries (2009), Fallen (2016), and more.
All these films, based on fantasy-monster Young Adult novels, were filmed mostly in the dark. Even when it was supposed to be sunny, there was still dark elements like archaic architecture and intense acting that supported the moody aesthetic.
We didn’t know we wanted it at the time, but now we cannot live without it.
Twilight book and movie review. A young adult paranormal fantasy romance adaptation.
THE ULTIMATE TWILIGHT LOVER GIFTS
Whether you like it or not, Twilight will always be trending. These are my top picks for gifts to give to Twi-hards!
