Just After Twilight...

As I might have mentioned earlier, I love Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight. It is possibly my favorite book. I have many reasons for this, but notably, it is one book that any sane person, once they have started reading, simply cannot put down. And I have tested this theory. Even the most steadfast “I won’t read it” friends of mine always give in, and always finish the book and demand New Moon. So needless to say, I was one of the die-hards who could hardly wait to experience the film adaptation of this book.
Book to film transitions are always rocky and never whole. Considering the audiobook of Twilight is 12 hours long and entirely in first person, I accepted the fact that the more omniscient point of view of the film medium, along with a time limitation (though I for one would have been fine with a 3 hour movie as opposed to a 2-hour movie. Harry Potter did this, and survived just fine) I expected some things to be cut and left out, and new things to be added.
The addition of Emmett’s humorous lines, and Charlie’s gun-cocking protective-father-ness was welcomed with laughter and a great respect for the screenwriter, who, I will admit, besides the reckless and stupid addition to flying through the treetops (vampires CANNOT fly!!!!!!) and the half-hearted attempt to give the nomadic vamps a pointlessly added storyline, kept as true to the book as “humanly” possible.
As I have not seen the 12 plus deleted scenes that we’ve already been told will be on the DVD, I am not sure to blame what was carelessly left out on the screenwriter, or the editors who cut them out. There were many important elements that were left out, that folks who have not read the books (sad but true, I went to the film with a girl who had not read any of them) will be left confused about. I’m not sure if the following is a spoiler, but just in case, I will warn you, watch the movie first! My non-twilighter movie companion had these questions: Who are all those people and why do they live together? And what was with the venom thing? My question is why did the film not include at least a little of Edward’s explanation to Bella about why these vampires have come together as a family? At least Edward and Esme are explained, but Jasper and Alice’s extraordinary circumstances are left out. In fact, the entire storyline of James’s hunt for the human Alice, resulting in her being changed into a vampire for her safety and protection from him, was left out. I think it’s important because it is what drives James most: his need for revenge on the Cullen family. As he says in the book, he is driven by his desire to make things even. Alice was taken from him, and so he will take from Alice and her beloved family. For the second concern, the film skipped over Alice's explanation that the venom in the bite of a vampire, meant to painfully disarm a victim, is also what changes a human into a vampire. When Bella is screaming "it burns!" and Edward must suck out the venom, no one who hadn't read the book had a clue why. It is mentioned at prom later, but it fell on deaf ears by then.
The other things that everyone I watched the film with noticed are: it is never explained that Bella’s Lullaby is just that. It is noted on the soundtrack, yes, but it would have taken 2 whole lines to have Edward explain that the song hes playing on the piano was written for her. The scenes in the beginning are choppy and rushed, and it is hard for me to believe that Edward and Bella love each other at one point. He is so angry (much more than in the book) and she is so stoic (where is the swooning? Where is the being dazzled look? She looked like an absolute rigid statue in the forest when she announces she knows what he is!!! Where’s the love, Kristen Stewart?) that this very important, pivotal scene (which should have been in a meadow, fyi) is just not right.
So now that I’ve torn it to pieces, I will let you know, about 5 seconds after I left the theater I was DYING to see it again. It was extraordinary, beautiful, and mesmerizing to watch Robert Pattinson transform himself into the outrageously deep, thoughtful, and mysterious Edward Cullen. His portrayal is uncanny. Also, Ashley Greene’s Alice is pitch-perfect (no pun intended, as even her balletic baseball movements were perfectly executed). My only complaint casting-wise is Jessica. In the book, she is not a ho. In the movie, she is a ho. Nuff said.
Otherwise the casting is perfect (well, except Rosalie, but with Nikki Reed’s close relationship with director Catherine Hardwicke, what did you expect?) The dialogue was wonderful (only one or two of my favorite lines from the book were left out), the cars and the town of Forks were represented with uncanny precision, and though the Cullen’s house was not what I imagined, it was great just the same.
One last note on additions that were unexpected but much loved was Bella's imagining of Edward feeding on her. With the lipstick? And the awesome sofa? Gorgeous.
I know that in someone else’s hands, this movie could have been a disaster. But I heartily congratulate everyone who made it possible to be as true to the written work as it could. Those folks made us Twilighters right happy. I laughed, I gasped, I sighed, I teared up, I jumped and stifled a few screams, and altogether was thrilled by this film. I’d say a cute little Twilighter bunny has come out of this hat, complete with a t-shirt that says “Stupid Lamb.”