Los Angeles Times
"The film succeeds...because it treats high school emotions with unwavering, uncompromising seriousness." 11/21/2008Entertainment Weekly
"[A] cloudburst mood piece filled with stormy skies, rippling hormones, and understated visual effects....Hardwicke stirs this teen pulp to a pleasing simmer." -- Grade: B 11/28/2008 p.58 Rolling Stone
"Props to Kristin Stewart, 18, and Robert Pattinson, 22, for playing this uncool-girl-meets-undead-boy with genuine romantic ardor. They're both terrific." 12/11/2008 p.101 Chicago Sun-Times
"The movie is lush and beautiful, and the actors are well-chosen....TWILIGHT will mesmerize its target audience..." 11/19/2008 Empire
4 stars out of 5 -- "[The backdrop] is truly breathtaking....The lead performance too is strong....Despite the presence of vampires, TWILIGHT is a romance, not a horror..." 01/01/2009 74 Total Film
3 stars out of 5 -- "Based on the first in the colossally popular series of novels by Stephanie Meyer, TWILIGHT is an unbridled fantasy for adolescent girls..." 01/01/2009 p.50 ReelViews 7 of 10
In a statement that borders on the obvious, this review is not being written for the legions of loyal fans who have made Stephanie Meyer's novel Twilight the most popular piece of young adult literature to come along since Harry Potter left Hogwarts. Undoubtedly, Catherine Hardwicke's film adaptation of the book will be met in those quarters with rapturous praise. But just because the fans love something doesn't mean it's a good movie. Die-hards are often on the other side of the fence from those who view a particular nugget of pop culture from a distance, and that's fine. Just keep in mind where this review is coming from...Arguably the most fascinating thing about Twilight are the bits and pieces of vampire culture to which we are exposed, although I'm still trying to figure out why vampires only play baseball during thunderstorms. I'm sure this, like many things, is better explored in the book. In fact, for a non-convert to the Gospel According to Stephanie Meyer, the movie often comes across like it was made for a club of which I'm not a member. In other words, if you really want to be pulled into Twilight, you have to read the book. Here's a better idea for those interested in exploring juvenile vampire love on the big screen: try out the Swedish movie Let the Right One In. It lacks Twilight's pedigree and budget, but what it loses in popularity, it makes up for in atmosphere, characterization, and story. Twilight is for girls who have outgrown The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants but aren't quite old enough for Sex and the City, and that represents a potentially significant box office power. If its muscles are flexed, we can expect three more of these movies. Hopefully, like the Harry Potter films, they'll get better as they go along. - James Berardinelli
Chicago Sun-Times 7 of 10
If there were no vampires in "Twilight," it would be a thin-blooded teenage romance, about two good-looking kids who want each other so much because they want each other so much. Sometimes that's all it's about, isn't it? They're in love with being in love. In "Twilight," however, they have a seductive disagreement about whether he should kill her. She's like, I don't especially want to die, but if that's what it takes, count me in. She is touched by his devotion. Think what a sacrifice he is making on her behalf. On Prom Night, on the stage of the not especially private gazebo in the public gardens, he teeters right on the brink of a fang job, and then brings all of her trembling to a dead stand-still..."Twilight" will mesmerize its target audience, 16-year-old girls and their grandmothers. Their mothers know all too much about boys like this. I saw it at a sneak preview. Last time I saw a movie in that same theater, the audience welcomed it as an opportunity to catch up on gossip, texting, and laughing at private jokes. This time the audience was rapt with attention. Sometimes a soft chuckle, as when the principal Indian boy has well-developed incisors. Sometimes a soft sigh. Afterwards, I eavesdropped on some conversations. A few were saying, "He's so hot!" More floated in a sweet dreaminess. Edward seemed to stir their surrender instincts...The movie, based on the Stephenie Meyer novel, was directed by Catherine Hardwicke. She uses her great discovery, Nikki Reed, in the role of the beautiful Rosalie Hale. Reed wrote Hardwick's "Thirteen" (2003) when she was only 14. That was a movie that knew a lot more about teenage girls. The girl played by Reed in that movie would make mincemeat of Edward. But I understand who "Twilight" appeals to, and it sure will. - Roger Ebert
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