Twilight (film series)

TWILIGHT (12)
D: Catherine Hardwicke
Summit/Temple Hill/Maverick/DMG (Wyck Godfrey, Greg Mooradian & Mark Morgan)
US 2008
121 mins

Fantasy/Romance

W: Melissa Rosenberg [based on the novel by Stephenie Meyer]
DP: Elliot Davis
Ed: Nancy Richardson
Mus: Carter Burwell

Kristen Stewart (Bella Swan), Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen), Billy Burke (Charlie Swan), Peter Falcinelli (Carlisle Cullen), Kellan Lutz (Emmett Cullen), Ashley Greene (Alice Cullen), Nikki Reed (Rosalie Hale), Anna Kendrick (Jessica Stanley), Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black)

Before my opinion on this movie is torn to shreds by its huge fanbase (why?????) let me just say, if you're not in the target demographic for Twilight, you won't enjoy it. I gave it a watch simply to make up my own opinion instead of making assumptions and I thought it was tacky shit. Sue me.     
The enjoyment factor of this movie depends heavily on whether or not you've read the Stephanie Meyer novels. If you haven't, you're pretty much screwed because you won't have a clue what's going on as the only information which is put across is through the poor use of voiceover narration. 
I haven't read the books because they appeal more to teenage girls rather than thirtysomething heterosexual males like myself, so I can only review this film based on it's cinematic merit. It doesn't look good.
I attempted to watch this three times and fell asleep during the first two attempts because it's just so boring and disingenuous. 
Before I get hate mail from girls on my Facebook page, I'll explain further...
This isn't an adaptation for the screen, it's merely an accompaniment for the successful novels. There is no great build up of characterisation or back story, the characters just exist because they do. And their actions happen because they do.  In a nutshell, Bella Swan (Stewart) falls in lust with the CREEPIEST guy in her new school, Edward Cullen (Pattinson), who's basically a stalker but it's okay because he's really an age old glittery vampire. He saves her from getting squished by a token black guy's terrible driving and getting attacked by three guys who have 'vile, repulsive thoughts' about her (Pasty-faced Eddie can read everyone's thoughts except Bella's, presumably because she's incredibly vacuous with absolutely no personality).
He then gives her a 100mph piggy back up a mountain so he can shit all over centuries of vampire folklore.
The acting is about the same quality as you'd witness in GCSE Drama Class, the dialogue is delivered as though it was read in a script, memorised and spoken, rather than flowing naturally. Not that the dialogue is anything to write home about.
Kristin Stewart goes through the entire movie with only two expressions, the first being a vacuous pensive look, supposedly to evoke the feeling of dramatic tension, and the second being a masterclass in "eyebrow scowling". In fact, her acting is so terrible, she can't even put ketchup on a portion of chips without hamming (seriously, it's true).
Robert Pattinson is actually very good at perfecting Derek Zoolander's pout, but I doubt that's what he was going for.  Seriously kids, Edward Cullen is an absolute douche, and if anyone in real life shared his character traits, he's be branded a psycho, not a protagonist.
If I haven't touched on it earlier, the chemistry between these two characters exists because it does.
As for the production values: The direction is poor, provoking a thought that Catherine Hardwicke should have seen a few vampire films prior to directing one. Everything else is amateur, from the misty-wreathed mountain cinematography to the pasty makeup and low-budget CGI effects (particularly the 'action' sequences where you can still make out the wires flying the cast around the set). The suicidal editing and sound mixing are also an amateurish low (you can hear dialogue when actors mouths aren't moving, and vice versa).
I actually think this amongst the worst movies ever made and I couldn't bear to put myself through another 4 movies. Fans of the books, teenage girls and people with no concept of what a proper romance movie should contain will probably love it. I thought it was 2 hours of absolute shit.
2/10

Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart in Twilight
Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart in Twilight

TWILIGHT: NEW MOON (12)
D: Chris Weitz
Summit/Temple Hill (Wyck Godfrey & Karen Rosenfelt)
US 2009
130 mins

Fantasy/Romance

W: Melissa Rosenberg [based on the novel by Stephenie Meyer]
DP: Javier Aguirresarobe 
Ed: Peter Lambert
Mus: Alexandre Desplat

Kristen Stewart (Bella Swan), Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen), Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black), Ashley Greene (Alice Cullen), Billy Burke (Charlie Swan), Peter Facinelli (Carlisle Cullen), Nikki Reed (Rosalie Hale), Kellan Lutz (Emmett Cullen), Jackson Rathbone (Jasper Hale), Rachel Lafevre (Victoria Sutherland), Anna Kendrick (Jessica Stanley), Michael Sheen (Aro), Dakota Fanning (Jane)

Kristen Stewart is back as vacuous, disingenuous and ungrateful little girl Bella Swan in this sequel to a movie I didn't really like in the first instance. 

This one has "Romeo & Juliet" references throughout, probably so author Stephanie Meyer can add plagiarism to her résumé following the romanticisation and bastardisation of vampires in the first book/movie.

After being abandoned by her bloodsucking lover R-Patz, K-Stew is hounded (literally) by creepy werewolf Taylor Swift (or Lautner, whatever) and there's some love triangle bullshit with a beastly twist.

It's all porn for teenage girls. If you're not in the target audience for these movies, it's all pathetically laughable, poorly acted crap where two creepy guys fight for the love of a teenage girl without a personality.

2/10
 
Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart in Twilight: New Moon
Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart in Twilight: New Moon

TWILIGHT: ECLIPSE (12)
D: David Slade
Summit/Temple Hill (Wyck Godfrey & Karen Rosenfelt)
US 2010
123 mins

Fantasy/Romance

W: Melissa Rosenberg [based on the novel by Stephenie Meyer]
DP: Javier Aguirresarobe
Ed: Nancy Richardson & Art Jones
Mus: Howard Shore

Kristen Stewart (Bella Swan), Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen), Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black), Elizabeth Reaser (Esme Cullen), Ashley Greene (Alice Cullen), Bryce Dallas Howard (Victoria Sutherland), Billy Burke (Charlie Swan), Dakota Fanning (Jane)

The continuation of THE WORST SAGA IN CINEMA HISTORY continues with the 3rd in the series of Twilight.  I'm not a twelve year old girl, I've not read the books, I can only review these movies from my own perspective and not the niche demographic they're aimed at. 

As I've already stated, I've not read the books, but they seem like Stephanie Meyer just makes them up as she goes along.  It's just more bastardization of vampire/lycanthrope legend for girls too young to read proper literature. 

The first two films were cheaply made with poor production values and terrible special effects to fully exploit the cult success of the books. A ploy that worked since the first two movies grossed millions of dollars.                  

There is no reason for the third movie to look so cheap, as if it were thrown together over a weekend by a bunch of kids.

Personally, I am bewildered as to why any two people/creatures (whatever) would be involved in a love triangle over Bella. She's the most boring, passionless cocktease in the history of cinema. 

2/10

Twilight: Eclipse
Twilight: Eclipse

TWILIGHT: BREAKING DAWN, part 1 (12)
D: Bill Condon
Summit/Temple Hill (Wyck Godfrey, Karen Rosenfelt & Stephenie Meyer]
US 2011
117 mins

Fantasy/Romance

W: Melissa Rosenberg [based on the novel by Stephenie Meyer]
DP: Guillermo Navarro
Ed: Virginia Katz
Mus: Carter Burwell

Kristen Stewart (Bella Swan), Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen), Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black), Peter Facinelli (Carlisle Cullen), Elizabeth Reaser (Esme Cullen), Kellan Lutz (Emmett Cullen), Nikki Reed (Rosalie Hale), Jackson Rathbone (Jasper Hale), Ashley Greene (Alice Cullen)

So... The last in the series of these BAD movies is split into two parts, presumably to extort more money from its fanbase and no other reason whatsoever. I don't buy the statement that it's because the book is longer than the others and therefore they had more to cram in. This is a cinematic adaptation, of which screenwriters are paid to truncate unnecessary scenes, dialogue and exposition to make a snappier narrative. 

I really don't understand the appeal of these films (or the books), they're just lazily written man-hating diatribes by a loathsome woman author who has no connection with reality whatsoever.

The first three movies were seemingly about a girls choice between necrophilia and bestiality, it's no surprise that this movie has to throw some paedophilia into the mix. 

The wussiest vampire in the history of cinema and literature marries his cardboard lover Bella, they have sex, play chess, have sex again, play chess, have sex, play chess and break beds. She gives birth to a CGI baby and shirtless man-wolf Taylor Lautner instantly falls in love with it. Honestly.

Utter bollocks!!

1/10

Twilight: Breaking Dawn part 1
Twilight: Breaking Dawn part 1

TWILIGHT: BREAKING DAWN, part 2 (12)
D: Bill Condon
Summit/Temple Hill (Wyck Godfrey, Karen Rosenfelt & Stephenie Meyer]
US 2012
115 mins

Fantasy/Romance

W: Melissa Rosenberg [based on the novel by Stephenie Meyer]
DP: Guillermo Navarro
Ed: Virginia Katz
Mus: Carter Burwell

Kristen Stewart (Bella Swan), Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen), Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black), Peter Facinelli (Carlisle Cullen), Elizabeth Reaser (Esme Cullen), Kellan Lutz (Emmett Cullen), Nikki Reed (Rosalie Hale), Jackson Rathbone (Jasper Hale), Ashley Greene (Alice Cullen), Michael Sheen (Aro)

And so ends the worst series of movies I've ever seen, I'm just glad to get it all over and done with so I can pretend they don't exist and watch some proper vampire movies like Dracula, Near Dark & The Lost Boys.

First of all, I can't believe two guys would spend 4 movies fighting over a girl who is so uninteresting, emotionless & frumpily unattractive, but what this climatic episode to the saga does is simply OUTRAGEOUS!

All the build up from the previous four movies ends with Taylor Swift (whatever) suddenly being cool with Bella being transformed into a creature of the night (whatever) because he's destined to get jiggy with her daughter- who's not even one-year-old yet.                  

The werewolf-vampire battle to end all battles also turns out to be a damp squib, since it doesn't even happen, despite being the main selling point of this movie.

I'm not a teenage girl, I've not read the books, I can only review the movies from a cinematic point of view and I can quite honestly say that they are all amongst the worst movies ever made.

1/10

Twilight: Breaking Dawn part 2
Twilight: Breaking Dawn part 2