...This script does deliver, managing to condense Meyer’s 498-page novel into a 103-page script without sacrificing cohesion or clarity. Plus, the script is straightforward enough that the people who walk into the film without reading the book should have no trouble following...

One area where the script excels is building suspense. As the novel is narrated by Bella, we are never able to see outside of her head – and therefore, we are never able to see danger except from her limited point of view. The script takes advantage of this difference, and a vague sense of foreboding and danger is set up right from the beginning...

But obviously, cutting a story to one-fifth its original size is going to result in some sacrifices – a few of which will undoubtedly upset some of the book’s fans. All of the major characters are here, but many of them are not nearly as well-developed here as they were in the book. One omission in particular is jarring: Jacob Black – a Quileute Indian boy who befriends Bella – is marginalized in the script, and a few of his key scenes are omitted."