I had read all the books, but I hadn’t seen the movie, and then I had a date planned with a school friend to see the second one. So I watched the first one on the plane to Georgia so I could see the second one with her when I got home.

Twilight
Admittedly a very cheesy book so you know a somewhat cheesy movie. But well-done nonetheless. I mean, if you are going to make a movie of a cheesy book, you have to treat the cheese with respect. Treated the romance like it was more romantic than it was…thus making it romantic. And lordie, where they filmed this is just plain drop-dead gorgeous. Gorgeous forests, gorgeous house (the vampire house, of course). Lovely. Cheesy. Laughable at times, but not a horrible movie. Honestly.

New Moon
Not good at all. Basically felt the entire time like the director was saying “this is so cheesy! and I’m not cheesy! so here’s a cheesy movie! I can’t do more with this material! I’m NOT like it!” Yes, the Volturi stuff was pretty excellent. But honestly the rest of the time I just felt like he was cutting off dialogue/conversations too fast, not letting it Be what it IS and be OK with that. Still filmed in lovely places. But not as well done as the first AT ALL in my opinion. I hope they don’t have this guy doing the third one. (I’m sure I could already find out if I cared enough to do a search. But I guess I don’t.)

And also: They made the wolves WAY too big. They were supposed to be BIG like surpisingly big for a wolf but just enough that someone who didn’t know could still kindof believe they were a wolf. Not supernaturally ridiculous big. If they’re that big why would it take even one to kill a vamp let alone five.