I know what you're thinking. Why would I just now review a movie that has been out for almost a year?

Well, last night was the first time I had ever sat down and seen it. I was over a friend's house when we decided between Twilight and Rob Zombie's Halloween, which I've seen previously and thought it was horrible. And plus, throughout the months it would seem that I have grossly underestimated the numbers of the Twilight fan base. So on that note I decided to go ahead and check it out and see what all the hype is about.

For those that don't know, Twilight is book one of a four-part series about Bella Swan, a high-schooler who moves into her new home in the small town of Forks, Washington. It would seem to be just another day in the life of a teenage girl, that is, until she crosses paths with Edward Cullen, a boy who is later revealed to be a vampire. Curiosity progresses into an undying love for one another as Edward battles a vicious trio of undead as well as the bloodlust within him that threatens to prey upon Bella.

Let me start off by saying that I haven't read the books or even heard of the Twilight saga before its theatrical release, so I'm not comparing the movie to a story that I haven't read. With that said, here's what I thought of the movie itself:

The movie has to be seen and enjoyed for what it is, which is basically a teenage love story. And as such, I thought it was very good at portraying the love story aspect. However, I would compare this movie to a really long episode of Smallville. I make that comparison because it's one of those movies where you end up realizing that absolutely nothing happens until the climax of the movie. Of course there were some scenes of suspense and a few standoffs between Edward and one of the villians (James, for example), but the remainder is just having to hear Bella and Edward compete over who loves who more. That's all well and good that they love each other that much and all, but after so long into the movie it starts to get just a bit... excessive. The very little action that this movie does have is comparable to the Buffy/Angel series at best. Sure, it would be unfair of me to expect some big-budget action movie powerhouse in a romance flick, but I personally think that there are some scenes, more notably the final fight between Edward and James, that they could've spent a little more time on. I do, however, have to give props to its soundtrack with such hits as Leave Out All The Rest by Linkin Park and Decode by Paramore, which really does a good job at enhancing the feeling of the movie.

Overall, I'm not saying that it was a bad movie at all. I just think that, considering the different elements that the movie had, they could've been a little less excessive on the mushy-mushyness and maintained a better balance as a romance-suspense movie.

SCORE: 3 out of 5