MOVIE REVIEW

After much anticipation, "Twilight" finally hit screens nationwide Nov. 21.

The movie, based on the novel "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer, managed to emphasize all of the book's tackiest features while playing down its best parts.

In both book and movie, "Twilight" is the love story of mind-reading "vegetarian" vampire Edward Cullen (played by Robert Pattinson) and Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), the human girl whose mind Edward cannot read.

While the book made Edward and Bella's relationship seem natural, the movie made it almost laughable. Even with carefully chosen camera angles and intense stares, the lack of chemistry between the actors and the absurdity of the script made their "love" ridiculous. The audience is left not understanding why Edward could possibly love Bella, and knowing that Bella's interest in Edward is idiotic.

The scene where Edward and Bella first meet in their shared biology class was so awkward that the audience giggled their way through it.

While in most movies the dialogue is too polished to be completely believable, "Twilight" had the opposite problem. The uncomfortable pauses and self-conscious body language shown onscreen were even more common than in real life and prevented the story from flowing as easily as it could have.

One major disappointment in the movie was the cast. In the books, Edward is gorgeous, but Pattinson, who played Edward, was disappointingly one of the least attractive actors in the film.

The best part of the movie was Bella's father, Charlie, played by Billy Burke. Charlie's desire to keep his little girl safe and happy provides the closest thing to comic relief "Twilight" contains. His obsession with pepper spray lasts throughout the movie, and his attempts to intimidate Edward are well-meant but humorously pointless.

Set in Washington state, the movie contained beautiful scenery and panoramic views.

"Twilight" is too complex of a book to be squished into two hours of film without losing essential parts of the story. Despite this, director Catherine Hardwicke's translation of the book comes close to capturing it.

Viewers who never read "Twilight" aren't likely to want to read the book after watching the movie, but "Twilight" fans who don't take the books too seriously are bound to consider the cost of their tickets money well spent.