Twilight (2008)
-
49% of critics liked it
(204 reviews) -
82% of users liked it
(524,679 ratings)
When Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) reluctantly moved to the perpetually overcast town of Forks, WA, and set out to carve a niche for herself, she assumed it would be one similar to the low-profile social position she held back in Phoenix. First on the list of surprises was the unfamiliar attention… More When Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) reluctantly moved to the perpetually overcast town of Forks, WA, and set out to carve a niche for herself, she assumed it would be one similar to the low-profile social position she held back in Phoenix. First on the list of surprises was the unfamiliar attention from the male population of her new high school; second, the attention from one male in particular: Edward Cullen, Vampire (Robert Pattinson). Before long, the unlikely soul mates find themselves in a passionate relationship with a variety of significant setbacks, including Edward's special-needs diet (he doesn't eat humans, but Bella's scent inspires a nearly impossible to harness bloodlust) and the human girl's mortality. Though things proceed relatively smoothly at first (Edward even introduces Bella to his adoptive vampire family), a visiting vampire clan consisting of James (Cam Gigandet), Victoria (Rachelle Lefevre), and Laurent (Edi Gathegi) catches Bella's unique scent and threatens the young couple's budding, if dangerous, happiness. James, known for his powerful tracking ability, becomes obsessed with making Bella his next victim. Fearing for Bella's safety and that of her loved ones, the Cullens must combine their collective talents in order to stop the highly predatory James before his goal is accomplished. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
- Rating, Runtime
- PG-13, 2 hr. 1 min.
- Directed By
- Catherine Hardwicke
- Written By
- Mark Lord, Melissa Rosenberg
- Genres
- Horror, Romance, Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy
- In Theaters
- Nov 21, 2008 Wide
- On DVD
- Mar 21, 2009
- Studio
- Summit Entertainment
Critic Reviews
-
Laremy Legel, Film.com
My hope is that the sequels are actual attempts at movies. The world doesn't need any more toothless cinema.
-
Manohla Dargis, New York Times
A deeply sincere, outright goofy vampire romance for the hot-not-to-trot abstinence set.
-
Ruth Hessey, MovieTime, ABC Radio National
I succumbed to the palpable chemistry between the leads, and remembered my own girlish fantasies with something of a head-spinning rush.
-
Ben Mankiewicz, At the Movies
I think this film is definitely a victim of it's own expectations.
-
Ben Lyons, At the Movies
Unfortunately, it just didn't work.
-
Ty Burr, Boston Globe
A darn good hunk of pop moviemaking.
-
Stella Papamichael, Digital Spy
It's not the stunts and derring-do which excite the senses as much as the quiet chemistry between Stewart and Pattinson; that is guaranteed to get your blood up.
-
Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle
I've had mosquito bites that were more passionate than this undead, unrequited, and altogether unfun pseudo-romantic riff on Romeo and Juliet.
-
Dave White, Movies.com
Its built-in fanbase (thanks to the best-selling novel) is ready to swoon. I'm not one of those swooners but even I had a great time indulging in the earnest urgency.
-
Joshua Starnes, ComingSoon.net
Twilight really does have an infatuation with surface beauty, especially where the vampires are concerned. In fact they sum up the film pretty well. It's a façade, an appealing one to people who share the right appetites, but that's all.
-
Prairie Miller, WBAI Radio
Cinema.com: A densely erotic, twisted take on teen screen romance, Twilight zones out beneath the crushing weight of underage lust intensified and complicated by the excruciating abstention here of unorthodox vampire appetites.
-
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...the film has been infused with a deliberate pace that proves instrumental in establishing (and perpetuating) the source material's very specific atmosphere.
-
Matt Soergel, Florida Times-Union
Romantic, smart, likable and often quite funny, without any tacked-on snarkiness or desperate hipness.
-
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
Twilight is mostly elegantly put together, though anything having to do with the pack of bad vampires is disastrous...
-
Sonny Bunch, Washington Times
It's hard not to get sucked in--if one can get past the sometimes hokey, melodramatic teenage dialogue.
-
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Suggests Anne Rice slumming for a WB special
-
Jeffrey Chen, Window to the Movies
For a piece about forbidden lust/love, it's not very tortured.
-
Greg Maki, Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)
So this is what all the fuss is about?
-
Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures
With the release of the DVD, I totally understand that this product was put together with the fans in mind.
-
Kam Williams, NewsBlaze
The genre has certainly come a long way from I Was a Teenage Werewolf.
Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Featured Audience Ratings
-
John M
The dialogue was really really cheesy. Or it was just handled really bad. There were moments where the actual film dragged me in. Mostly based off the way it was filmed, using the Pacific Northwest, it looked good. That is two stars. I think there was just something missing.… More
The dialogue was really really cheesy. Or it was just handled really bad. There were moments where the actual film dragged me in. Mostly based off the way it was filmed, using the Pacific Northwest, it looked good. That is two stars. I think there was just something missing. Don't get me wrong I love supernatural stuff and I like romantic teen angst crap or well I did. I mean movies like Some Kind of Wonderful I have enjoyed. BUT this just felt like a bad teen romantic drama masquerading as a vampire flick. Kristen Stewart I think has done better. For some reason she just looked uncomfortable in this role. Pattinson seemed far more comfortable in his. If anything his sometimes casual joking attitude at times made me like the movie. Stewart just seemed just along for the ride. -
Directors C
[img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon13.gif[/img] Oh lord, what happended to the time when vampires and werewolves weren't watered down from their legacy and turned into gut bustingly annoying emo romance sob stories. A brutally slow film that has no… More
[img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon13.gif[/img] Oh lord, what happended to the time when vampires and werewolves weren't watered down from their legacy and turned into gut bustingly annoying emo romance sob stories. A brutally slow film that has no real reason to exist other than for executives to make money off of aged 10-16 emo girls. The only people who would actually like this are its devoted fan base, but even they might find it dissapointing because it's joyless and depressing in the worst possible way a film can be. -
Lady D
It's true, I never quite thought I would be writing a review for Twiight and yet I find myself drawn to Kirsten Stewart as a young Actress. In fairness to this film, it was much better than I had anticipated, with amazing colours that projected from the nature within the scenes,… More
It's true, I never quite thought I would be writing a review for Twiight and yet I find myself drawn to Kirsten Stewart as a young Actress. In fairness to this film, it was much better than I had anticipated, with amazing colours that projected from the nature within the scenes, pretty typical teen film at times, but a story that held me til the very end. -
♥˩ƳИИ &
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Cam Gigandet, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Ashley Greene, Kellan Lutz, Sarah Clarke, Justin Chon, Christian Serratos, Michael Welch Director: Catherine Hardwicke Summary:… More
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Cam Gigandet, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Ashley Greene, Kellan Lutz, Sarah Clarke, Justin Chon, Christian Serratos, Michael Welch Director: Catherine Hardwicke Summary: When Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) moves to a small town in the Pacific Northwest to live with her father, she starts school and meets the reclusive Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), a mysterious classmate who reveals himself to be a 108-year-old vampire. Despite Edward's repeated cautions, Bella can't help but fall in love with him, a fatal move that endangers her own life when a coven of bloodsuckers try to challenge the Cullen clan. My Thoughts: "The movie seemed very rushed. There is a lot in the book, and I understand you can't fit everything, but at least make the things you do show similar. People who do not read the book will not get the sense of how intense the relationship between Bella and Edward is. I understand the film had a low budget, but those running scenes and fighting scenes where just so tacky. The face Robert makes when fighting Cam is just insane looking, but not in a scary way, more like crazy funny. I did think the make up was good but some of the vamps wigs where awful. I've seen the other films and thankfully they eventually get better. The acting is just so and so. I've seen Kristen do better. The script and directing could and should have been much better. This movie for me is the worse of the series." -
Tyler K
It's not cause I'm a man, it's cause this movie was just boring. More than A Game of Shadows, more than Underworld, more than... oh wait, at least it was better than that horribly boring Tomb Raider movie. I liked this movie, but it was only okay. The effects were… More
It's not cause I'm a man, it's cause this movie was just boring. More than A Game of Shadows, more than Underworld, more than... oh wait, at least it was better than that horribly boring Tomb Raider movie. I liked this movie, but it was only okay. The effects were wonderful, and I never read the book, but I here that this adaption of it is more accurate than Harry Potter! The acting, don't get me started. How about I say it was a big failure. The story was rather hooky, and the ending was rushed. I remember James, but it felt like he was only alive for 5 minutes after his "big" role was put on display. I just thought the whole movie was 4 hours long than the actual 2 hours, and that's double time, soldier! Hehe, ROTC joke. Anyway, the movie wasn't horrible, but it wasn't amazing. End of review, might was the sequels, but it's a long shot here. I'm more interested in movie franchises like Raiders of the Lost Arc and Saw than Twilight. -
KJ P
I thought that this was a well executed romantic, as Bella and Edward are two unlikely people who fall hopelessly in love with each other. This story has been told many times before, but this time around it is is with a vampire meeting a human. It put's a fresh spin on the… More
I thought that this was a well executed romantic, as Bella and Edward are two unlikely people who fall hopelessly in love with each other. This story has been told many times before, but this time around it is is with a vampire meeting a human. It put's a fresh spin on the romantic genre, while adding in some nice cinematography and editing, but the special effects are too cheesy to take seriously at times. However, the book is well written, leading to a mediocre script here, but the story is present, and the idea is fresh. The few action scenes are fun and the end will leave you wanting more. I will recommend this film to anyone who is a fan of action or romance, but sadly, that is as far as I go. I did expect a little more! -
Zach B
Before I start this review, allow me to take a few moments and give some background on my relationship with this series. Like everyone else at the time of this film's release, I was obsessed with the story arc and the characters. I mean, when you are in middle school, this entire… More
Before I start this review, allow me to take a few moments and give some background on my relationship with this series. Like everyone else at the time of this film's release, I was obsessed with the story arc and the characters. I mean, when you are in middle school, this entire story was a dream towards a lot of people: finding your true love and willing to do anything to be with that person. Now, while that is the underlining idea of the story of Twilight, there has been MUCH better ways of telling the story as I have learned in my entire life as of now. So, is this a good film? A good story? The answer to all of that: eh... Okay, let me talk about the film. For me to get a good impression of this film, I had to see it a year after I saw it in a local theater in order for me to get a fresh opinion. Now, I do not know if this was intentional but this has to be one of the most hilarious films I have ever seen. Just, so much is completely idiotic and pathetic that I am wondering if the writers of this screenplay or even Stephenie Meyer even took the time to learn how teenage relationships actually work, or even how teenagers even talk. The dialogue and characters in this film are completely stereotypical that you could take these archetype characters from any other story, put them together, suck out all likability and you would get the same story. With the vampires, I have to stress one thing: there never has been a set rule on how vampires are suppose to be. Never has been, never will. So, the idea for the vampires in this film to be sparkling in the sunlight, live off of animal blood, and go to high school is not an idea that I would call stupid, but very odd. While watching this film (and reading the novel), I started to wonder why these immortals go to school over and over again, live off of animal blood, etc. The sparkling thing, while unforgivable by some vampire fans, I can deal with even though it is absurd. Personally, in my opinion, this film would of been better off if it explained why they do things that immortals would not do (why don't they live in a place of high art and kill evil humans? If that was the film, then it would of been much more enjoyable and I would of forgiven the film a bit more). The acting in this film is, to be honest, not as bad as it could be, but nothing mediocre or great. With this being the first film in the planned five film series, I would of expected the cast and crew to give strong performances to please fans and critics alike, but they must of thought that this film was going to make money already so they do not need to be top actors in their roles. I was not expecting Award Winning acting or performances that will be remembered for years to come, but this is just flat and pathetic. The only other thing I can comment on would have to be the direction. Now, Catherine Hardwicke has made some impressive films that deal with teenage problems like love, drugs, and sex before (Thirteen). After that film, she just went downhill faster then a shooting star. This is one of her more okay films, but nothing that would be inspirational. With her knowledge of teenage girls, I would of thought that she would of, at the least, given this film some more realistic qualities instead of making them flat or flatter then those of the novel. But this film does have one redeeming quality. The scenery of this film (the shots of the mountains, forests, landscapes) is beautiful to look at and, in reality, more impressive to watch then the film itself. But, you can only go so far when you make a forest and mountains the only good part of a film. As a documentary, that would of worked wonderful. But, here, it does not redeem the film. So, is this film worth watching? I will say no and here is why: it offers nothing new and what is new is nothing that people would respect or care about. Stephenie Meyer, when she wrote this novel, I will admit did have some genius in how to manipulate an entire generation of teenage girls (and some teenage guys) and vampire fanatics into falling for her tale of teenage romance. But, for this vampire lover, her story fails. And it has nothing to deal with me being a guy. Films do not judge people by their genders, but by their intelligence. With this film, it heavily undermines that with sloppy direction, bad acting, and a horrible script. Sadly, this film could of worked if they wanted it to. -
Ken S
Not a good movie at all. REALLY bad direction, a REALLY bad screenplay, descent acting (given the material I'd even say good acting) and solid cinematography. But why even call these guys vampires? -
Alexander D
Many good adaptations skip some of what a book has said. TWILIGHT is all too different. It skips eighty percent of the good detail Stephenie Meyer novelized, and leaves us with a stupidly fast-paced production. In case you may be unaware, this film starts off when Bella Swan, 17,… More
Many good adaptations skip some of what a book has said. TWILIGHT is all too different. It skips eighty percent of the good detail Stephenie Meyer novelized, and leaves us with a stupidly fast-paced production. In case you may be unaware, this film starts off when Bella Swan, 17, moves to Forks, Washington with her father, a laconic police officer. When she goes to high school for the first time, she realizes something (or a few things) strange about Edward Cullen, who is in her biology class. She notices that he is making attempts to avoid her at all costs, but somehow, she also has a mysterious feeling of love for him. Then, when he saves her from being hit by a car and from being mugged, she knows there is something going on. I'd like to clear up the whole "Team Edward/Team Jacob" thing: There is absolutely no way Edward is "so hot". He has pale skin, color-changing eyes, and he's clearly bi-polar, for crying out loud! (This is advice from a MALE!) And if Robert Pattinson was "so hot", why are adolescent girls <i>just now</i> realizing it? Why weren't they lusting when they watched him in HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE. So vote "Team Jacob" (if you even want a part in that crap!). TWILIGHT has some major flaws with its acting quality. Kristen Stewart does a dull performance as Bella Swan, sometimes making it seem like she's reading off a script; and Robert Pattinson was well-chosen for a role as a vampire, but he could have done much better and made his role a lot more believable. That said, TWILIGHT is a film that not many will enjoy. It's possibly worth a try, but then again, you have a good chance of turning the TV off in the middle, saying, "If this is the best they can do, I feel sorry for them." Especially fans of the book. -
Phil H
Not a bad vampire flick, its for young girls of course but I've seen worse. The plot is a romantic one and its kinda predictable with hints of 'Interview With the Vampire', almost a new version for a new gen, almost. You dont need to have read the book I don't… More
Not a bad vampire flick, its for young girls of course but I've seen worse. The plot is a romantic one and its kinda predictable with hints of 'Interview With the Vampire', almost a new version for a new gen, almost. You dont need to have read the book I don't think as its pretty straight forward, the cast are all fair enough and do the film justice but don't add any kind of WOW factor whilst effects are average with the usual reliance on heavy cgi. The vampire 'family' thing felt more like an 'X-Men' type family really, the strangest scene being the baseball game sequence, never seen that idea before, as said more like comic super heroes rather than brooding vamps. It does what it says on the tin and doesn't fail in that respect, daughters and mums will love I'm sure whilst vampire fans may enjoy a newish angle but its very 'teen heartthrob' type stuff and kinda sickly. -
Unknown H
Although I have read the books and see the films, Twilight's appeal still remains a mystery to me. Not only did the films standardly leave the book behind and mould characters on screen that did not match their literary counterparts, the whole thing got a little ridiculous… More
Although I have read the books and see the films, Twilight's appeal still remains a mystery to me. Not only did the films standardly leave the book behind and mould characters on screen that did not match their literary counterparts, the whole thing got a little ridiculous towards the end. If it weren't for the hoards of teenage virgins that read these books and watch these films hoping in vein that the reason no one wants to date them is because they are infact vampires, Myer would be dead in the water where she belongs. These movies are meant for the kids table and nowhere else. -
Jeff "
Twilight has got to be the film that single handedly butchered the vampire genre. Along with the series of the same name, Twilight introduced a new breed of vampire. A vampire that sparkles in the sunlight and is a total wuss. Gone are the evil, mysterious qualities that made vampires… More
Twilight has got to be the film that single handedly butchered the vampire genre. Along with the series of the same name, Twilight introduced a new breed of vampire. A vampire that sparkles in the sunlight and is a total wuss. Gone are the evil, mysterious qualities that made vampires ghouls to be afraid of. I remember growing to vampire films such as The Lost Boys and Bram Stoker's Dracula. Those were scary, terrifying films. But not Twilight. Everything you loved about the traditional vampires is gone. Twilight is an insult to the vampire genre. Also every cast member delivers amazingly bad performances and the story is plainly absent, and paper thin. If you include the poor attempt at romance that you see on-screen, then I guess you can call that a story. But really, this is an awful film with no engaging story. The film makes you want to gouge out your eyes, and beg for your two hours back. Twilight felt like a bad joke, and it really is. This is a pointless film with awful acting (but with a cast like this, what do you expect?) If you're a fan of vampire films, don't watch this film, as there's nothing interesting that will to fans of the genre. Like I said, the film strips away everything that made vampire films great. What's left is a vampire film that can be only seen as a joke. Twilight is a film that once you've seen; you'd want to forget about. This is awful filmmaking on a new level. Director Catherine Hardwicke is one of cinema's worst directors and with Twilight she definitely proves it. -
Adam K
What can you say about "Twilight"? I don't like to rant, but with this film it is hard not to. The acting is poor, the script is terrible, the camera work lousy, the atmosphere awful, the story irritating. Overall the film comes together perfectly to make it an awful,… More
What can you say about "Twilight"? I don't like to rant, but with this film it is hard not to. The acting is poor, the script is terrible, the camera work lousy, the atmosphere awful, the story irritating. Overall the film comes together perfectly to make it an awful, awful watch. Despite the screaming girls flocking to see every new edition, I advise you, no I warn you not to watch this film. Unless of course you watch it, take notes and then review it, but the film fails in every aspect. In three words, poor, poor and poor. The film fails to impress, even for the tiniest moment and is a good example of how bad a film can be. ' Half A Star -
Anthony L
It's fair to say that I've never been in the target audience for Twilight and I'm certainly never going to be. I'll be nice though. The direction was impressive and the soundtrack was brilliant but... The acting was awful, the script was bizarre (and also awful),… More
It's fair to say that I've never been in the target audience for Twilight and I'm certainly never going to be. I'll be nice though. The direction was impressive and the soundtrack was brilliant but... The acting was awful, the script was bizarre (and also awful), the story didn't grab me and Kristen Stewart is dead behind the eyes. I did like the bit where he gave her a 100mph piggy-back ride though! -
Bethany M
I can't help but be a massive Twilight fan. I love how you can't choose which team to be on as they are both incredibly beautiful and brave as one another. Gives your eyes some wonderful sights with extremely gorgeous men and the acting wasn't that bad. The film makes… More
I can't help but be a massive Twilight fan. I love how you can't choose which team to be on as they are both incredibly beautiful and brave as one another. Gives your eyes some wonderful sights with extremely gorgeous men and the acting wasn't that bad. The film makes you quite happy and makes you believe in the quote 'Nothing is impossible.' I think Robert Pattison portrays a brilliant Edward and Kristen Stewarts awkwardness plays to her advantage. If you're a big fan of the books, I don't think you'll be dissapointed with the film adaptation. -
Brad W
Cheesy and dumb, but the soundtrack was superb. Patterson is a good actor as he proved in Harry Potter 4, but when will he leave these dumb teen romances. The plot is boring and simple. The characters need to watch Underworld or Blade a little bit more. I sure hope the series gets… More
Cheesy and dumb, but the soundtrack was superb. Patterson is a good actor as he proved in Harry Potter 4, but when will he leave these dumb teen romances. The plot is boring and simple. The characters need to watch Underworld or Blade a little bit more. I sure hope the series gets better after the major improvement in Eclipse, cause this version sucked. -
Marc L
This movie is a perfect example of what I like to call "the balance". It's not as bad as it's haters proclaim it to be, but it's not as good as it's fanbase proclaims it to be. It was okay, and if it were on TV, I might watch it depending on what mood… More
This movie is a perfect example of what I like to call "the balance". It's not as bad as it's haters proclaim it to be, but it's not as good as it's fanbase proclaims it to be. It was okay, and if it were on TV, I might watch it depending on what mood I'm in. Of course, there was definatley some bad. Stephanie Meyer totally butchered vampire legend when she stated that vampires sparkle in the sun. That scene goes down as one of the worst all time. Also, the fight scenes should have been longer. There were a few scenes I like to call "Big Lipped Aligator Scenes", named after the Nostalgia Critic's "Big Lipped Aligator Moments" These scenes are completely unnecesary and have no point in the movie. They seem to be there just to add more minutes too the movie. Don;t get me wrong though, there was definatley some good. Most of the acting was pretty good. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson actually did a very good and believebale job. They even nailed the emotional scenes.The villains were pretty menacing too, for a chick flick I also like the plot. I know it's cliche and has been used so many times before, but it just seems to work here. I just like the whole idea of a vampire in love with a human who knows they can;t be together (Could have switched the genders though. Haha)I also loved the visuals. Overrall, this isn't my favorite movie, but it's alright. A average film that I could watch and enjoy when bored. -
erika b
this film kept me on the edge of my seat. really good film. IT was lacking a real plot and missing the sence of love and acting was ok . It was still a really good flim. -
Jens S
Since you should never talk about things you don't know, it was time to give this a honest chance. And what do you say, as long as the film is a high school comedy it works surprisingly well. But then Pattinson enters the scene, acting really wooden as cold-blooded vampire teen… More
Since you should never talk about things you don't know, it was time to give this a honest chance. And what do you say, as long as the film is a high school comedy it works surprisingly well. But then Pattinson enters the scene, acting really wooden as cold-blooded vampire teen and responsible for a few unintentional laughs, especially when he's going up the trees like a cartoon character or saying incredibly cheesy things. The dialogs get worse with each minute of the film and once Edward starts to glitter like a brothel door there is no holding back the laughter anymore. The vampire baseball game is ridiculous, the bad guy a joke and the Mormon message of purity is stuffed down kids' throats. How this could turn so popular is a riddle to me. -
Matt G
Not as bad as some may say. I'm not a twi-hard, but this movie was undeniably entertaining. It was pretty slow though. Grade: C-
Cast
-
Kristen Stewartas Bella Swan -
Robert Pattinsonas Edward Cullen -
Billy Burkeas Charlie Swan
-
Peter Facinellias Dr. Carlisle Cullen -
Elizabeth Reaseras Esme Cullen -
Cam Gigandetas James
-
Nikki Reedas Rosalie -
Jackson Rathboneas Jasper -
Ashley Greeneas Alice Cullen
-
Kellan Lutzas Emmett Cullen -
Sarah Clarkeas Renee -
Justin Chonas Eric
-
Christian Serratosas Angela -
Michael Welchas Mike Newton -
Jose Zunigaas Mr. Molina
-
Gil Birminghamas Billy Black -
Ned Bellamyas Waylon Forge -
Matt Bushellas Phil
-
Gregory Tyree Boyceas Tyler -
Anna Kendrickas Jessica -
Taylor Lautneras Jacob Black
-
Edi Gathegias Laurent -
Rachelle Lefevreas Victoria -
Emily Browning
Now you can share movies with your friends on Facebook!
- Discover movies your friends are watching
- Keep track of what you want to see
- Add your reviews to your Timeline








