Student Film Reviews

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1. Byron Potau 11.24.08 / 3am

   I enjoyed this review very much. I had no intention of seeing this film as I could see it would be bad, but it sounds even worse than I thought! Comparing it to Youtube? Yikes!
2. Joel Devries 11.24.08 / 7pm

   I am similar in the fact that I usually find something positive in a film so the fact that you felt so poorly about this movie is enough to stop me from seeing in theaters for sure. Its terrible to hear that they ruined this book series that so many people seemed to love. I heard they are already on board for a sequel. I guess a positive is that the sequel cant be any worse… right?
3. Tia Summers 03.06.09 / 8pm

   I was so disappointed in this film. Usually I am easily entertained, but this movie did not entertain me whatsoever. I was actually debating about seeing this film, simply because I really enjoyed the book and I did not want the film to ruin the story I had imagined in my mind. I was surprised at how many important parts the director left out and how many holes there seemed to be in the plot. The film seemed rushed and it was not made to its potential. If I had never read the novel I would have had no idea what was going on, which is important when making a film directly from a book. Most of the effects were interesting but they seemed so mundane and ordinary at the same time. For example the way Edward shined was interesting but the way they made him run really fast was kind of lame. And the film seemed really short – probably because the filmmakers left out so many parts. I don’t even agree with the actors they chose to play the parts. Unfortunately I heard the filmmakers are all ready to make a sequal, but I do not have any motivation to see it.
4. Alina Beltran 03.19.09 / 10pm

   I am in complete agreement with the author of this review. Once again I am extremely disappointed by the film adaptation of a bestselling book. I had heard about the series of books from a friend who insisted that I read them all. I was then excited when I heard that the movie was coming out. I figured that I would watch the movie first and then dive into the books. I watched the movie and enjoyed it. Granted I was with a very loud friend and slightly under the influence we both enjoyed it. After watching it I convinced myself that it wasn’t that good and decided to watch it again alone. Only then after watching it again without any outside distractions (except the other people in the theater) did I see that the entire movie had a television soap opera feel to it, where the acting was shallow and often over exaggerated. All in all it was a good attempt at converting a best selling novel to the big screen, but nevertheless did not succeed well at all.
5. Alexis Warman 03.20.09 / 9pm

   I completely agree with your review. I myself am a big twilight fan and I have read the four books more than three times each. Like you mentioned, the pictures we create in our minds are a thousand times better than the film itself. The dialogue of the film is completely out of place and it those not capture the real idea of the novel. The settings and passages are all distorted and the story is not followed as the book.
   The visuals of the film are like for a “Youtube” clip. The colors and used do not really grasp the idea and the effects used are pointless. There are parts in the movie that do not even go with what is happening. One of my biggest disappointments was the scene in the meadow, which is how Stephanie Meyer’s started the entire book. This scene in the movie is performed in a grass filed with Edwards and Bella laying side by side, where in the book it does not happen exactly like that.
   I like you, had high hopes for this film, but I hope the new director will really capture the story behind the novel when he makes the sequel for twilight, New Moon.
6. Michelle Smith 03.23.09 / 3pm

   I have heard both good and bad things about Twilight. As for me, I enjoyed the film to a certain extent. I do not agree with this review completely, but I do not completely disagree either. I believe that the film lacked a great deal of simple details that made the book what it was. Having not read the book before seeing the movie made it difficult to follow some of the scenes, and also made it very confusing as to why a majority of the audience was laughing for no apparent reason. While watching the film with my younger sister, she had to constantly fill me in on what was happening, or was supposed be happening, according to the book. While I do feel that this quality in the film makes it quite awful, overall I did not hate it.
7. Lisa Blondell 04.10.09 / 6pm

   I can very much relate to this reviewer. I have read the book and also had very high hopes for the film, but it fell short. I did, however, get some entertainment out of the film. Still, my overall reaction was a little disappointment. I thought the casting director did a good job choosing Kristen Stewart and Rob Pattinson, but their love for each other was not as convincing in the film as it was in the book. While reading the book, I fell in love with Edward’s character, but the film did not convince me of his charming ways. In my opinion, Catherine Hardwicke created an extremely inadequate representation of the book.
8. Violet Campbell 04.13.09 / 2pm

   I can definitely agree with this review. My hopes for Twilight being a great movie were ruined within the first half hour of the film. I may have been biased because I didn’t care for the book either, but I too thought the dialogue was laughable. I would not recommend it or see it again.
9. Ale Lotstrom 04.13.09 / 6pm

   I had no high expectations at all prior to watching this film, and I must truly say that I didn’t feel bad about that after I had seen it. I have not read the book, which I’ve heard great things about, so I was not disappointed after watching the film about the failure of the film in comparison to the book that I understood from the review. It is poorly made: the editing and cinematography are generally very confusing and the lighting is very irritating and uncomfortable, it almost gave me a headache, which I rarely sense during a film. Despite all this, I must say that surprisingly the film has a somewhat decent musical score.
10. Krystle Bloom 04.14.09 / 10am

    I completely agree with this review; the film was a horrible depiction of the book. Although I thought the acting was horrible in this movie, I really enjoyed the storyline, so right after I finished watching the movie I went out and bought the book. Needless to say, I had all four books read in about a month, maybe less. I got completely hooked on the books and then when Twilight came out on DVD, I was excited to watch it again, but once again I was disappointed. I am hoping they do something differently when they make the next film, because everything about the performances was mediocre. I agree with this critic: stick to the books.
11. Sarah Gustavsson 07.14.09 / 2am

    I haven’t read the books so I can’t compare the film with the book. In my opinion it is a great film and I liked it but I don’t think I will re-watch it. It is a great film but I don’t really understand all the publicity it has got because it is not that good. People and media have talked about Twilight as with Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings but I don’t think they are in the same category at all. It is worth to watch but it is not the best film of the year or anything. Maybe I should read the books to better understand why people like this story so much.
12. Elaine Galang 07.16.09 / 8pm

    Twilight the film has been one of the biggest disappoints in my life. Like the reviewer, I am a huge fan of the books. With so much hype and anticipation going into the film, one could say that fans of the book are being harsh on the film. That is simply not the case. In agreement with Conlin, the biggest problem with the film was the screenplay. Rosenberg’s poorly adapted screenplay left the audience laughing, crying, and screaming at all the wrong moments. The beginning of the film went at too fast a pace that by the time the two main characters get together, you are left confused at why a young girl would fall so desperately in love with a vampire after five minutes. The two leads failed to live up to any small acting standards, leaving the film to have no foundation to stand on. (As a short personal observation, Stewart needs to take a voice and speech class to alleviate her stuttering problem.)
13. Kevin Cox 11.09.09 / 4pm

    As a huge supporter and lover of twilight I really enjoyed that this book was made into a movie. However, I have to say even though I enjoyed the movie, it was far below my standard of what I would have like for this movie to be. The cast selection I believe was decent( even though I dont like Taylor Lautner due to the fact he was in my grade in high school). I do think there could have been more/better special effects and I would have enjoyed the characters not to be ghostly white. I believe all my problems will be fixed in the sequel New Moon. Overall I would give this a B.
14. Melissa Marques 03.18.10 / 8pm

    Twilight is a movie that has been talked about often since before it came out. A lot of good talk about it as well as not-so good talk. I finally watched it last week for the time and I do believe that it was a very good movie. The storyline is great and the actors acted so good as they seemed to be mysterious and creepy. I have not read the books so this may have a lot to do with why i thought the movie was so good. A lot of people expect the movie to be exactly like the book however that rarley ever happens so readers should be aware that there will be change however this doesnt mean that people should be against the movie they should just like it in a different way. I cant wait to watch the second and third twilights now.
15. Melanie Salvoni 03.22.10 / 9am

    I would agree with this review. After reading the book I highly anticipated this films debut, but I was not excited or thrilled after I left the theatre, I was rather disappointed. I thought the acting was cheesy and a little over dramatic at times. It was definitely not what I expected it to be. It made me hesitant to even go see New Moon because Twilight had been so poor.
16. Cassandra Guzman 06.27.10 / 9am

    I was late on the whole twilight thing; I had heard about the books and had many friends that were obsessed with them! I watched the movie before watching the book and personally loved it. Of course when producers try and make a bestselling book into a film, the books are always a lot better. I eventually read the books and realized the producer of the film left a lot of things out and changed certain things in the film. It would have taken an amazingly talented producer to really include the whole book into their film, the best thing a producer can do is add as much into a movie from a book as possible without having to make the movie really long. I thought the producer did a good job with the graphics in this film, and the way he was able to choose the actors that best fit the descriptions in the book.
17. Lijie Zhang 11.09.11 / 9pm

    I am a fan of Twilight, so absolutely I like the serious of Twilight. I enjoy in the love story between “cruel” Edwards and “vulnerable” Bella.The plot is not mediocre. I think that Robert Pattinson uses his handsome face perfectly shows how a vampire deeply love his girlfriend. His acting expresses exactly a vampire’s frosty appearance and kind inside. Although it is not common for him to show his mood, whenever he is angry or super romantic, and his emotion is always very strong. Meanwhile, Kristen Stewart also expresses Bella in an excellent way.What’s more, the visual effect is fantastic: the angle, the light, the color are all great and do a good job. I am completely confused why the writer of this review thinks this serious of movie is not satisfying. May be I need to read the book, and then I can judge whether or not the writer’s opinion is right. However, before I read the book, I still disagree with the writer.
18. Zhang Huanyi 11.09.11 / 10pm

    I disagree with this film review. Despite I had not read the novel before I saw the film, I was attract by the classic vampire topic plot. The Mise-en-Scene, sound and cinematography were used fantastically. I don’t think this film will be such popular if it is as bad as this film review maintained. I think the Mise-en-scene used in the first half part of the film, which in a blue tone, formed the cold, scary feeling, especially when Bella discover the secret of Edward. When they go to the forest, the surrounding environment as well as Bella’s blue coat makes the plot excited. Also, the background music using was brilliant. When they are playing the baseball, the “Supermassive Black Hole” accompanying perfectly indicates their unbelievable vampire skill and pushes the whole film into an exciting top. Additionally, on the top of the mountain, when Edward tells Bella his identity, the camera uses the low shot, which in a low position, to show Edward’s supernatural ability. Consequently, even though I read the book after I saw this film, and I found lot of differences between film and novel, the fantastic impression of the film is also unforgettable.
19. Amanda Pace 04.03.13 / 2pm

    twiight was an amazing film. At first you are on the edge of your seat not knowing what edwards mind set is on beca and what beca feels on edward. I read the novel and thought the film was very exciting and interesting. The mise-en-scene was used in the first part of the film and formed a scary vibe in the film, especially when bella finds out that edward is a vampire. You are on edge not knowing if beca will except edward for who he is. The music set a perfect mood and made you feel m,ore connected to the film. The camera shots added a lot to the film low and high shots added charted and made the film more exciting.
20. Manpreet Toor 07.06.13 / 7pm

    Twilight was one of my favorite books and I was very excited for the release of the movie. However, after watching the movie, I was no longer very passionate about the book. The movie turned out to be completely different compared to the way I had imagined it. There was just something about this film that did not truly delight me. I was truly disappointed that the film was not depicted as greatly as it could of been. Maybe if there were better special effects and more suspense and attraction in the film, it could have been better. However, I believe the lack of attraction and love between Bella and Edward in this film disappointed me the most. In my opinion, it was exemplified more in the book than it was in the film.
21. Brittney Orr 03.01.14 / 11am

    I agree and disagree with the film review. Although the picture I developed in my head was very different than the actual film, I didn’t think the film was horrible even though a lot of things were left out. During the film I saw that the short picture like segments went well with interpreting how Edward saw things because all of his senses are heightened and he has a different perception on things.In which we are not used too and so it is different but I wouldn’t compare it to a youtube video. I personally liked all of the different camera angles along with the music because it gave the film much more intensity and made Edward and his different physical abilities that more drastic. I pay attention to the little details and I believe that the film left many of those little details out which negatively impacted the film.
22. AlexandraAbbott 10.09.14 / 7pm

    I completely agree with this review. I was so excited to see the premiere because I too was a follower of the books but don’t think I had ever been so disappointed with a book to movie transition. You are spot on by stating that by rereading the film would create a better movie. I believe the lack of acting and falling in “love” with each other kept the audience from feeling any attachment whatsoever. The only decent thing I found from the film was the music which was trying to cover the lack of emotion in the movie.
23. Nancy Ochoa 02.21.17 / 9pm

    When I started reading the book, I couldn’t stop reading it! My imagination was going wild with deep details and how each character was so unique. For the majority part the main actors met my expectations, all except one. If you guessed Kirsten Stuart, you’re right. I know Bella Swan was supposed to be a loner and awkward but come on. Kirsten Stuart looked half asleep and is naturally awkward to begin with. If I could change anything it would be a couple things. One would be the makeup stylist to have made a smarter choice with the foundation. I’m sure there could of been a way to have the Cullens be pale but not so white that they camouflaged with the walls. Second, anyone else could of been a better Bella Swan.
24. Hannah Stevens 03.16.18 / 5pm

    Watching and waiting for the premiere of each twilight movie was a major part of my early teen years. These movies sparked my interest in vampire movies and TV shows. This review was harsher than I expected and I can agree and disagree with his review. Even though I haven’t read it, I can understand how the movie doesn’t do the book any justice. I also agree with how the dialogue and acting made the love story between Bella and Edward cheesy. I disagree with his review of the ‘awkward’ camera angles and ‘unnecessary’ montages. I feel like the quality of the way that it is filmed is up to par, fits the story, and makes the movie more entertaining.
25. Giselle Estrada 08.01.18 / 12am

    Hello I really enjoyed your review on your film. It seemed like a lot of people had the same thoughts going on through their heads. I was never really into any of these movies and I did end up watching it. I didn’t think much of it. I knew of a lot of people who read the books and were extremely disappointed after watching the film. I felt the one thing I enjoyed was the type of music they used throughout the film. It really set the mood and helped the film itself
26. Tiffany Citarella 10.10.19 / 11am

    The Twilight Saga is one of my all time favorite films! I have always had a fascination for the dark thriller fantasy films, especially the one which have a love story twist. I remember when this movie came out and the following sequels to the first one I would have my boyfriend buy them immediately when they came out to buy from the store. I love and adore this movie so much I even named my daughter Isabella “Bella” after the movie’s main character. I even hear that they are coming up with another sequel which I hope is true. I love this movie!!
27. Sierra Saragosa 07.18.20 / 10pm

    I really enjoyed reading your review! It wasn’t what I was expecting, as I haven’t read a negative review yet. I was surprised when you said you were a fan of the series and went to the midnight premier. (I was there too LOL) I assumed, when reading, that you just hated the series in general. It makes your negative review more meaningful because you know it was a review of the film itself, not the storyline. I agree that the film is disappointing. It would be cool if it was made again, by a whole new crew, and a new cast.
28. Sierra Saragosa 07.19.20 / 8am

    I wanted to add to my comment that the mise-en-scene in this film contributed to the “Youtube” vibe you got. The camera angles, the lighting, the poor acting, the overdoing it on scenery. I think the poor mice-en-scene gave you the fake quality.
29. WillBonner 07.19.20 / 4pm

    Hi Catherine. I really think I learned a lot from your review especially because you did not like this film. I myself have also given some bad reviews on films and it is nice to see someone else agree. I think the right story was there but the acting and directing just wasn’t on par. This is where the mice-en-scene was relevant. But overall I agree with what you had to say.
    Will Bonner
30. Christopher Craven 07.19.20 / 5pm

    Hi William,

    Thank you for your input on “Twilight”. I enjoy reading peoples differing opinions of what is seen to be a very popular movie franchise. You very rarely hear from the opposing side. I have never read the book series but I did watch the first film and I thought it was interesting but it really never got me “hooked” on the whole mise-en-scene. It was a little cloudy, and the acting was alright, not necessarily great. I thought it couldve been better, if Catherine was presented with a more wider variety of choices. Ive actually had the pleasure of working with her on a previously known project and she is a talent so I feel that if she was able to redo this movie with access to more resources, better actors, set design, lighting, I feel that she could make this movie shine.
31. Jennifer Wiljen 03.03.21 / 8am

    I remember my neighbour somehow getting a copy of this film before it was known in Sweden and we had no idea it was such a big deal in the US. I was maybe 13 and was struck by this film. Many years later I got the urge to rewatch them because I remembered them to be “so good”. I shouldn’t have… It ruined my fine memory. I agree with what you wrote in this review and there are many different weird things going on. I also noticed the second time I watched the film how awkward it is, awkward angles, bad acting and the dialogue is terrible. I think the special effects are okay but it isn’t enough to help bring the grade up. Too bad, since I also really liked the books, which I read afterwards so that the movies wouldn’t destroy them for me.
32. Sela Dowell 03.03.21 / 12pm

    I can definitely see where your dislikes of the film and the way that the film edited, I highly disagree. I however did not read the books before I watched the film, but when I watched the films I absolutely loved them! I like how the movie’s script seemed dumb or stupid at times because it made me laugh. I did however think that Bella could have been casted better, but I think that Edward was a great casting. I think the reason I like the film so much could have been that I had not read the books, therefore I did not have the images in my head be ruined, that has happened to me before which did lead me to hating the movie.
33. Selma Ballerini 10.11.21 / 8pm

    I really enjoyed reading your review! I somewhat agree with your response to Catherine Hardwick’s film Twilight. I read the entire series multiple times and loved the books, but when it came to the film, it really did not add up to my expectations. Maybe my expectations were extremely high, in my mind I created my own image of how the film would turn out. Sadly, the film was awkward and poorly done regarding its editing and script. In a way, the awkwardness and bad acting, lead to the film being entertaining and a sort of comfort film for me.
34. Caitlin Neri 11.10.21 / 12pm

    Hi William, I enjoyed you review and completely agree that the film and book are not as well compared as they could have been. Although this film is created around a fictional love story I though the film did great at creating the realistic romance of teenagers, have the awkward interactions. In this film the background music, setting, and editing style add to this style of the film. Since this film is inspired by the twilight series I think the film took its on vision of the books and created a film that not only allows viewers to get aspects from the book but also adding realistic aspects to make the film more realistic.
35. Riley Cornette 03.11.22 / 12pm

    With all respect to your opinion of the film, I disagree. I think what I enjoy most about the Twilight series is that it is cheesy and awkward. This is one of those movies that I remember cozying up with my mom and eating popcorn as we watch. This is a film that I honestly really enjoy watching when I am feeling down. Screw a rom-com, I am watching Twilight and you know what I get it the green and blue filters can not fix the production of this film, but I’m going to stand by it. Aside from the film itself, we can’t argue the fact that the soundtrack kept the films alive.
36. Riley Cornette 03.11.22 / 12pm

    With all respect to your opinion of the film, I disagree. I think what I enjoy most about the Twilight series is that it is cheesy and awkward. This is one of those movies that I remember cozying up with my mom and eating popcorn as we watch. This is a film that I honestly really enjoy watching when I am feeling down. Screw a rom-com, I am watching Twilight and you know what I get it the green and blue filters can not fix the production of this film, but I’m going to stand by it. Aside from the film itself, we can’t argue the fact that the soundtrack kept the films alive.
37. Jasmine Caldera 09.06.22 / 8am

    I enjoyed reading this review and I agree. I am a fan of the Twilight Saga but the movies did not do the film justice. I think this had to do with the budget of the film as well as visuals. If the budget of the film was higher and it wasn’t an indie film, but a Hollywood film, it would have been so much better. Over time the films kept getting better but the first one makes me cringe when watching it. I watch it as a guilt pleasure but purely for laughs and nostalgia rather than entertainment and script wise. The lighting of thee film is very blue and this contributes to the overall feel of the film. It makes me, the viewer feel as if I am also in Forks, Washington with the clouds and the rain. I also agree that the visuals were not so great. Like it was stated in the review, whenever there was good dialogue between the characters, the awkward angles made it suck. The montages were so unnecessary. The director didn’t seem to know what she wanted to capture and have the audience pay attention to other than the awkward shot of Edward Cullen’s eyes in Biology class.
38. Clara Da Ros 11.12.22 / 3pm

    I can understand the point of view of the author because when you read a book and you expect something you are very often disappointed. This is why I always watch the movie first because then reading the book is just additional information after I watched the movie and enjoyed it. I watched Twilight for the first time when I was like 13 and from my point of view I liked it. But I think that some sentences was cheesy and that Bella always looked like if she was suffering. Something I did not like about it is the amount of drama between them. They seems to always suffer when they are together the acting of K. Stewart and R. Pattinson may have been good but it always confused me because it is definitely not how more teenage love story are portrayed.
39. Natalie Venable 06.26.23 / 10am

    I really appreciate the honesty in this review. I completely agree. The Twilight movies are a train wreck, and like a train wreck, it’s hard to look away from them. I haven’t read the books myself, but I’ve seen the first three movies with the intention of laughing at them. It’s hard to tell if Kristen Stewart’s performance is horrible, or if Bella is just a horribly written, insufferable character. The dialogue is painful, and for a movie that isn’t a comedy, several lines have made me laugh out loud because they’re so ridiculous. When Edward steps into the sunlight, turns to Bella, and goes “This is the skin of a killer Bella.” Hilarious. Based on what I’ve seen of the rest of the series, it only gets worse (but funnier) from there. I don’t think this is what the filmmakers were going for at all, but they’ve made movies that appeal to a very specific desire to laugh at how poorly a film is made, much like the beloved television series Glee. This reviewer’s comment about the production is spot on. This movie could have been edited in iMovie for a class project.
40. Maddy Gonzales 03.27.24 / 12am

    As a fan of Twilight, I really relate to this review as when comparing both the film and the book, they have a lot of differences such as the composition, director’s choices, writer’s choices, and details. Specifically in the first movie, the acting is very dull, and there are a lot of added unnecessary commentary that is not expressed in the book but yet also doesn’t add to the plot. One thing, I think that did contribute to the ambiance of the film was the lighting and filters, the entirety of the film is in a lighter hue with a blue filter which adds to the feeling of coldness which encapsulates the feeling that the writer wants the viewers to feel. Overall, your comments of the film and the relation between the book are very real and relatable, as I do believe when you compare the movie to the book, the book gives more detail and room for imagination. I believe that while the book and the movie are similar, the movie took it’s own pace and went on it’s own route, I think the film is more inspired by the books, rather than a replica and I think you did a great job identifying that.
41. Lyla Ortega 08.18.24 / 11pm

    Reading this post after it was made sixteen years ago with so much time that has passed has made me see the bigger picture and the narrative that has been made since the movie first premiered. This movie has become a beloved campy/“bad”book adaptation. For readers, it’s disappointing. But for people who just want to see a love story with a moody vampire and an awkward girl, it hits that sweet spot. And with so much time that has passed, it has made a name for itself and become its own phenomenon. To this day, people binge watch the movies and theaters even have marathons of it. It truly has become a loved series that people are being introduced to even to this day. While it does have choppy dialogue and subpar acting, there is something about that blue tint and aesthetic of a rainy small town filled with vampires that bring people back to Twilight.

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