Critics agree new Twilight movie unlike its predecessors

The final installment of the Twilight series hit movie theaters on Friday and is expected to be the highest grossing movie of 2012.

It did not, however, take in as much at the box office during its first night of post-midnight showings as the final installment of the Harry Potter series, Deathly Hallows: Part 2, did. Over the weekend, Twilight’s finale pulled in $140 million The opening wasn larger that the series’ initial installment, but smaller than part two, New Moon.

The film is directed by Bill Condon, the director behind “Dream Girls,” “Kinsey” and “Gods and Monsters.”

Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday, has been critical of all of the Twilight movies, basically since they first hit the big screen back in 2008. But this particular movie may not have been so bad.

“I think I’ve sat through every single one of these soggy, horrible films. And I have to tell you, this is the first time this franchise has entertained me,” he said.

Kristen Meinzer, The Takeaway culture producer, had the opposite reaction. She’d previously enjoyed the Twilight films but called this one bad.

“This was absolutely terrible,” she said. “I think they’re totally phoning it in. I think they know that, no matter what, Twilight fans are going to go to this.” 

Though the Twilight franchise is now complete with this last film, Meinzer thinks vampires are here to stay.

“People love vampires,” she said. “I like vampires too. I just like it better when the vampires are dangerous and sexy, rather than sullen, and let’s just say, virginal.” 

While Edward Cullen was sulking, though, at least Bella Swan finally got to play an active role in her own story.

“This is the first time that Bella Swan, the useless central character of Twilight, finally gets up off her butt and does something,” Guzman said. “That’s one of the reasons I liked it.”