Comparing a book and a movie adaptation is always difficult. The book offers so much more insight into the characters and the subtle nuances of the plot. However, when adapting a screenplay from a novel, the most important events and characters should still be in the forefront. This is not taken into consideration in the movie version of Twilight, based on the best selling novel by Stephenie Meyer.
The characters that are central to the series are first and foremost Bella and Edward. Though the rest of the Cullen clan is equally as important, the movie does not spend nearly enough time explaining some of their special gifts and how they came to be a family. Although Jacob plays a small role in Twilight, his role in the first book is consequential to the rest of the series. James, Victoria, and Laurent are all important, but not nearly as important as the amount of time the movie spends building up their storyline. That subplot takes a large section of the movie, one that is not true to the book.
Bella, in the book, is shown to be strong, stubborn and independent, despite her clumsiness. She has a very strong connection with Edward, but still remains true to her family-oriented values. Kristin Stewart does not portray her character in the same light that Stephenie Meyer depicts her in the book. Bella comes off as independent, but weak and awkward instead of stubborn and endearingly clumsy. She seems to overact at times, making her almost painful to watch on screen. Her relationship with Charlie is portrayed similarly, but not the way it could be. Bella, in the book, is very much a caretaker. She has taken care of her mother, Renee, since she was old enough to, and she continues this when she moves in with Charlie, always doing his laundry and cooking dinner. It is one of the character traits that Edward finds most attractive in her, and they barely show it in the movie. It would have been easy enough to include this, rather than having the two separate diner scenes.
Edward, on the other hand, was cast wonderfully. Robert Pattinson gives Edward the same aurora of awe, mystery and agony that is so encapsulating in the book. Although his struggle is much harder in the novel, the scenes that are cut out are the main reason this is not seen in the movie, rather than Pattinson's performance. No actor could possibly live up to the perfection that Meyer's gives Edward in the novel, but Pattinson comes damn near close. The only flaw that is clearly evident is how cross he seems with Bella. In the book, Edward is overly protective, but always loving. In the movie, he comes across as severe, almost tyrannical at times.
The relationship between Bella and Edward seriously fails in the movie. In the book, the chemistry between the two main characters is almost a character in itself. It is what makes the book enticing. The book does an excellent job of taking the reader through ever step of their relationship every conversation, every thought, and every touch. The reader feels they are experiencing Edward's perfection right there with Bella, and her shock that their feelings are mutual. Bella, in the movie, comes off much more needy, which hinders the viewer's appreciation for their chemistry. Meyer shows that the feelings are just as intense on both sides; whereas in the movie Bella, seems to be so desperate that it is occasionally annoying. Bella is also incredibly perceptive of Edward in the book, which helps fuel his curiosity about her, increasingly the believability of their reciprocal feelings. The chemistry between Pattinson and Stewart is not there. The beginning of the novel is about the development of their relationship and their chemistry, as is the movie. The lack of chemistry between the two leads could explain why the first half of the movie is incredibly dull compared to the second half, which concentrates more so on the action subplot.
The Cullens are a major part of the entire series, not just the first book. The movie spends very little time explaining how they came to be and why they are different from the rest of the vampires that inhabit the world. The book goes into a lot of detail about Carlisle Cullen's life (which includes the Volturi, essential to the next three parts of the series), Jasper's special ability, and how all the Cullen's came to be a family. The reader becomes part of the Cullen's family just as Bella does. The movie does not give them a big enough part. The Cullen's seem inconsequential, almost secondary, to both Bella and Edward, rather than an integral part of both their lives.
The movie spends too much time concentrating on building up the subplot concerning James, Victoria, and Laurent that does not exist in the book. It is however, the more interesting part of the movie. This time could have been better spent to develop the Cullen's a little more or to help boost the lacking chemistry between Bella and Edward, which would have helped the first half of the movie enormously. Understandably, the subplot would not have been needed if the relationship between Edward and Bella could have carried the movie, as it does in the book. It also would not have made sense to viewers who had not read the book if James, Victoria, and Laurent had just shown up at the baseball game, as they do in the book. The development of that subplot was essential to understanding how much danger Bella was in when they arrived, which the reader understands as he or she learns about the Cullens in the book. However, more action could have been included if the movie had adapted the same ending as the book. The scene where Bella escapes from Jasper and Alice was extremely exciting to read, and could have been equally exciting on screen.
Other scenes were also omitted from the book, some of which were fan favorites. All of Bella and Edward's cafeteria scenes, which are so crucial to their growing chemistry, are condensed into one very awkward and rushed cafeteria and hallway scene. It made Edward seem almost creepy, and Bella seem annoying. The restaurant scene in the movie is completely different than in the book, adding some dialogue that belongs to the cafeteria scenes. In the book, Edward and Bella do not speak for weeks after he saves her from being crushed from the van. It helps the chemistry between the two of them grow, as they cannot stay away from or stay mad at each other for some inexplicable reason. The rivalry between Mike Newton and Edward is nearly absent, except for one or two lines. The jealously that Edward feels for the first time is also essential to the growing attraction between the Bella and Edward. If it was portrayed correctly in the movie it would have helped soften Edward's protective feelings for Bella from tyrannical to caring. It would have restored some of Edward's humanity that comes out in the book whenever Bella is involved.
The budget for the movie was extremely low (a meager $30 million). The movie made back more than that on opening day. It made scenes like the very important meadow scene and the first time Bella sees how Edward runs seem very silly. Hopefully, the movies for the rest of the series will have a higher budget, and that will eliminate these problems. Overall, these books are admittedly not going to win any literary awards. They are guilty pleasures. The movie attempts to make them more than that. The first half of the movie is tough to get through, as the chemistry between Bella and Edward is not there, though is stays truer to the book than the second half. The second half, after Bella finds out and tells Edward she knows his secret, the movie takes a turn for the better. It is action-packed and satisfying. Although, not true to the book, as the subplot is the center of the second half, it is actually enjoyable, and the ending sets up the sequel nicely. The movie does not use the ways Stephenie Meyer does to set up the sequel, but it is equally evident.
The movie, in general, does not reflect the book as much as it should. The reason that these books have become a pop culture phenomenon is because of the relationship between Bella and Edward, not because of the vampire fights and the action scenes. The movie does not encapsulate that relationship well enough for the movie to stay true to the novel. It needed the villain subplot in order to keep the movie interesting, pulling the movie further away from the book.