After months of feverishly checking fan-sites for new trailers, scouring magazine racks for stories about the cast, and scratching the name “Edward” onto the cover of every notebook, Twilight fans finally got what they’ve been waiting for, but not quite in the way they expected.

Twilight, based on the popular novels by Stephanie Meyer, centers around the life of Isabella (Bella) Swan, a 17 year-old girl moving from Phoenix, Arizona to Forks, Washington to live with her father. It is in Forks that Bella (Kristen Stewart) meets the seraphic, nearly perfect hunk-sicle Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson)––who just happens to be a vampire.

The two are besotted with each other almost instantly and, after a period of pining for one another and arguing about the dangers of their relationship, the pair begin a romance more intense and passionate than any normal high school fling.

Though the film deserves much credit for rarely straying from the book’s plot, director Catherine Hardwick’s adaptation still seems to fall short at points. What makes the book so appealing to women––and some men––is the build-up of the Bella/Edward relationship.

However, the film seems to spend time developing Bella’s relationship with her father rather than devoting time to creating the much-needed sexual tension between the two lovers.

In fact, many of the book’s most pivotal scenes (the restaurant in Port Angeles and the meadow) are given far less time than they deserve and are crammed with information not originally found in them.
What also made the film disappointing was the acting. Although Robert Pattinson’s interpretation of Edward Cullen was spot-on, many of the other actors, instead of over-acting, seemed to be under-acting, being almost devoid of any feeling throughout the film.

Twilight was laden with overly intense music coming in at random times, awkward extreme close-ups of the characters’ eyes, and cheap-looking special effects. The cameraman seemed to be obsessed with circling the characters for no apparent reason, making the film cheesy and so overly-dramatic that it was comical at times.

Despite its shortcomings, Twilight is still entertaining. Edward Cullen is the epitome of the perfect man, and just being able to shamelessly stare at him makes up for the film’s weaknesses. Though the book is by far better than the film, Twilight still delivers enough emotional satisfaction to make it worthwhile.