The Twilight Movie Review!!!

11/27/08

Yesterday I had a movie date with the Twi-virgins. My two amazing friends who have never read the books yet, but have a teensy idea of what the movie Twilight is all about. Thanks again for celebrating my birthday with me! Sayang hindi manlang tayo nakapag-chikahan longer. But hey, aminin niyo, na-enjoy niyo yung explanation ko nung reaction ni Edward sa “scent” ni Bella! *rofl*

If you happen to be one of them Twi-virgins, or a Twilighter who is yet to see the film, and hates spoilers, by all means stop reading this entry now. You have been warned. Here’s my effort of a movie review.

Here’s a rundown of scenes/things I loved about the movie (listed as I recall)

1. The pacing. One thing I was unhappy with, reading Twilight was the dreadfuly (although understandable) slow pace. The movie was paced so well, you’ll actually loose sense of time (and end up surprised that you actually saw a two-hour movie). It was far from boring, and with this a round of applause is deserved! They could’ve extended it to three hours, and I’m sure the audience wouldn’t even know!
2. Vampire Baseball. Critics say that  this scene was cheesy. Others were disappointed with it. I therefore came expecting exactly that. Now, I dare say: THEY WERE WRONG. Despite the minor “quirks”, I DO NOT CARE. This for me is one of the best scenes in the move (if not the best).
3. Victoria. Though she did not get that much exposure in the film, I love how she was portrayed. She was exactly how she was created in the book. Go girl!!! I am so looking forward to seeing her in the next two movies!!!
4. The humor. You know how some movies make an effort to inject humor in a scene or two and fail? Count this movie out of that list because it delivered well. Scenes that were meant to be funny actually are funny. People responded at the right moments…which is on all counts great. This made the film a lot more “realistic”, and a lot more fun.
5. Charlie. Ah, the caring father I barely even cared about as I read the book is suddenly a significant figure. I love how Charlie was protrayed in the movie. The film version of him gave more than justice to the character…I am lost for words with it. He was perfect.
6. High School. This one was better than the book. I found the movie version of Forks High to be more in touch with reality. Enough said, as more of the “Home of the Spartans” are mentioned on the next item.
7. Bella’s friends. Okay, so they weren’t “complete” in the movie, but hey…their essence and more was ever there. I really appreciate how the they were polished for the big screen, and I like every single one of them. Sure, film Jessica is a LOT less “evil” than the book version, but how can I complain? They were all great!
8. Eargasm! I said once (on my other blog) that the soundtrack was quite disappointing. I was wrong. I now completely appreciate the soundtrack…loving almost every track! The music/songs were mixed and placed at the perfect moments…I am more than satisfied. One word: PERFECT!!!
9. End Credits. I know, this might be the least significant part of the movie, but I stayed anyway. I love the end credits. It’s refreshing to see the credits treated in a very simple, straightforward, and well…pretty (for the lack of a better word) way. Its simplicity made it more than beautiful. It’s refreshing, because most end credits now are all sparkly with CG and endlessly crazy animation. This one was a breath of fresh air.
10. Villains. The book introduced the nomads later on in the novel. In the movie, they were introduced a few scenes early. Hurrah for that, baby! It made the movie a lot “exciting”, I guess. And it established them perfectly, that they ARE dangerous.
11. Justice to the Lullaby. The OST did not give much justice to the lullaby as the movie did. I hated what I was hearing on my player, but totally swooned with the pure piano piece in the movie. Every music lover must hear it!

As with all movies, are the quirks. Here’s a list of what I hated in the movie, listed again, as I recall them. Let the bashing begin!

1. Closeup much? I would understand the ECU’s (Extreme Close Ups) if used in moderation. But come on!!!! Most of the Bella-Edward conversation scenes were shot in ecu that more than half the screen is filled with Pattinson and Stewart’s faces. Hardsell? Without a doubt.
2. Dizzy up the crowd. The swooping is okay…but only to a certain extent! Hardwicke’s camera swoops honestly made me mildly nauseated. I felt that half her swoops were unneccessary. So much for art, yes?
3. Kids and their hormones. This is exactly how Bella was. I felt that the movie gave little justice to the character. On the bright side, I appreciated Bella more…in the book. In the movie, she was less than special. What happened to the Bella that made Edward break all the rules for love? Suddenly, Bella was just another pretty girl. Ordinary. She’s not supposed to be like that. The selfless, caring damsel in distress was suddenly gone. Her quiet strength was not even consistent. *sob*
4. What struggle? Edward’s inner struggle may not be as ever present in Twilight than it is in the unpublished Midnight Sun, but there was a struggle nonetheless. The movie downplayed it too much, I was disappointed. Sure, he struggled…but it was barely there. It made itself known in one scene, I think (?), or two…which was when he confided everything to Bella. But pre-confession, there was barely a struggle. The second one (which I now recall) was post-fight scene…which was a bit comical.
5. One major thing I hated was that the movie stripped the story of the minute yet significant details. Thos little things that made the characters, and the series as a whole such a universally embraced thing. Suddenly the story looked more like two cute high schoolers falling for each other…which is so not the case.
6. Looks could kill. Stare much, Edward? The Port Angeles “knight in shining volvo” scene was mildly disappointing. I wish they just stuck to the book in this scene.
7. Major inconsistency! If you haven’t seen the film yet, or need a refresher, it’s this scene:

   

Going neutral on these. These are the scenes that might’ve been done better, but aren’t disastrous as it is. Therefore…

1. The big fight. Considering that this was the first scene they shot, it’s not bad, but I do feel that it lacks intensity.
2. Shining shimmering skin. The cheesy-ness is forgiven…blaming the budget.
3. Captain Cheese! I do agree that the film is quite cheesy…with the staring contest and all, but hey, that’s how they decided to state “and they fell in love”.

Well! I guess it wasn’t so bad. I was upset the moment I walked out of the theater yesterday, realizing that my small list of expectations were barely met. Overall, I don’t mind the changes that the writer made on the movie. I just hope that with New Moon, they not only stay true to the basic elements of the story, but also sqeeze in the essence of the major characters. The movie left a lot of questions and misconceptions to non-readers. I hope they minimize that on the next flick as well.

Thus, I neither push you, dear reader to view this movie, nor do I discourage you. This is probably one of those flicks that are very subjective. It’s all about how you’d watch it, and how you’d take it in. Thus, the verdict: worth spending the long weekend to. In fact, I’ll be watching this again this weekend. Maybe watching it from a different frame of mind (and theater) would make a difference.

 

Also, can I just share? I literally uttered “And your hair is so fwoopy” in the movie house yesterday as if on cue, after Bella goes “Your skin is so cold”. *rofl* That movie review was priceless. Now, anyone interested in the DVD?

Birthday Blog

11/26/08

Due to shelly’s sales pitch a month ago, and reading projectvanity, I am finally convinced to create a standalone blog. 

 

I normally blog at multiply, since it just seems more convenient to have everything in one place. But I dunno…having a domain this cute just seems too hard to resist.

 

Why “babbleyavie”? I though of it this morning on my way to work. It’s pretty much self explanatory: Yavie’s random babbling. Plus, I find babbleyavie such a cute name.

 

Today’s my birthday!!!!! Allow me to share my presents (at least what I have at the moment…hint hint?)

 

 

Pardon the blurry photos, I was using my (un)reliable cameraphone.

 

Tonight, I’ll be viewing Twilight (finally) with my two BFFs, Rech and Rhojannie! Finally! I’ve been waiting forthis movie for weeks! Finally, I’ll be seeing the movie tonight!!!! Carlisle is HOT-ness!