Twilight (2008)Movie Reviews

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Avg. Critic Score: 56 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore^® based on all critic reviews

Information for Parents:

OK for kids 13+

Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

75

San Francisco Chronicle | Peter Hartlaub
Twilight has a few gory plot turns - mostly offscreen - and one near-sex scene that may offend a few Amish people, but the rest is maybe 33 percent less wholesome than "High School Musical." It's almost certainly less risque than what you were watching when you were 14. (Cue the soundtrack to "Risky Business.") Read full review
75

Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman
On screen, Twilight is repetitive and a tad sodden, too prosaic to really soar. But Hardwicke stirs this teen pulp to a pleasing simmer. Read full review
70

Washington Post | Michael O'Sullivan
On the whole, Twilight works as both love story and vampire story, thanks mainly to the performances of its principals, Pattinson and Stewart. Read full review
70

Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan
Hardwicke has connected so intensely to the Meyer novel that it's hard to imagine anyone else making a better version. Read full review
63

Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert
Twilight will mesmerize its target audience, 16-year-old girls and their grandmothers. Their mothers know all too much about boys like this. Read full review
63

Rolling Stone | Peter Travers
Bummer. The vampires have no fangs. The humans are humdrum. The special effects and makeup define cheeseball. And the movie crowds in so many characters from Stephenie Meyer's book that Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen) is less a director than a traffic cop. But there's a reason that Twilight has already become the movie equivalent of a bestseller: The love story has teeth. Read full review
60

The New York Times | Manohla Dargis
Though Edward and Bella reach certain heights in Twilight, notably during a charming scene that finds them leaping from piney treetop to treetop against the spectacular wilderness backdrop, the story's moral undertow keeps dragging them down. Read full review
60

The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt
An underwhelming vampire romance long on camp but short on emotional insight Read full review
50

Variety | Justin Chang
A disappointingly anemic tale of forbidden love that should satiate the pre-converted but will bewilder and underwhelm viewers who haven't devoured Stephenie Meyer's bestselling juvie chick-lit franchise. Read full review
50

USA Today | Claudia Puig
Despite questionable casting, wooden acting, laughable dialogue and truly awful makeup, nothing is likely to stop young girls from swarming to this kitschy adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's popular novel. Read full review

Metacritic link View more reviews for Twilight (2008) on Metacritic

Information for Parents

Common Sense Media says OK for kids 13+ Teen fans will love faithful -- if uneven -- adaptation.

What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this adaptation of author Stephenie Meyer's youth culture phenomenon Twilight was one of the most anticipated movies of 2008. Millions of kids 10 to 18 have read the books, and many more are familiar with them. Like the novel, the film features an intense romantic relationship between a gorgeous vampire and a human girl. There are a few kisses and several stares, hand touches, and embraces. One make-out session takes place on a bed with the girl in her underwear, but it's abruptly stopped. The movie's violence is mostly implied, but there's one particularly disturbing scene involving vampires, blood, a bitten human with a broken limb, and the destruction of an evil vampire. Language and drinking aren't issues; product placement is mostly limited to cars -- Volvo, Hummer, Mercedes, etc.

Families can talk about the various themes that have made the books such a huge success: first (and forbidden) love, restraint in getting intimate, everlasting and unconditional romance, and heart-thumping adventure.
Do you think Bella is a good role model for teen girls? Why or why not? Do you think she and Edward have a healthy relationship?
If you've read the book, did the film meet your expectations? What changes were good for the film? What scenes did you miss from the novel?
Why do you think the books and the movie have inspired such fanatical devotion? For more talking points, check out our article.

The good stuff

Positive messages: Bella and Edward's relationship sends a somewhat mixed message to teens -- it's chaste and loving, but it could also be perceived as obsessive. The Cullens are a very loyal family, and they strive to rise above their baser vampire instincts.
Positive role models: Bella is mature and smart, but she can also be dependent and fragile. Edward is respectful and gallant, though often somewhat angsty. Contemporary Native Americans are featured respectfully.

What to watch for

Violence: A lot of the violence is implied: There are fast shots of vampires right before they kill their prey (both human and animal). A group of guys follows Bella down a dark alley and starts harassing her; Edward threatens them. A predatory vampire tries to kill Bella. There's a bloody, vicious fight between an evil vampire and the Cullens. Bella is seriously hurt and ends up in the hospital. Charlie, a sheriff, has weapons, including a shotgun.
Sex: As in the book, Bella and Edward have an intensely romantic (though overall fairly chaste) relationship. They stare and gaze at each other lovingly and share some passionate embraces and a couple of kisses, including one make-out session that takes place on a bed while Bella's in her underwear. Other couples flirt, hold hands, and swoon at each other.
Language: Incredibly mild for a PG-13 film, just like the book: "repulsive," "vile," "dammit."
Consumerism: Brands featured include Volvo, Hummer, Mercedes, Mac, BMW, Lays potato chips, Body Glove, and Southwest. Most appearances are subtle, though Edward's Volvo has some big moments.
Drinking, drugs and smoking: No drinking or smoking by underage characters. Bella's dad and his friend stock up with cans of beer for an afternoon together but aren't actually shown drinking them. Bella gives her dad an unopened can of beer in one scene.

Common Sense Media An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.