This time I waited to see the film before reading the book, as last time I did not enjoy the movie very much having read the book first. This time I did not know what to expect, and was not comparing the film to the book, which made for a riveting movie experience.

The film deals with serious subject matter, and while the love scenes are not explicit, the birth scene could tramatise young girls, so I would not recommend the film for under 12's. I find the film best suited to 15 and up, as with the previous two.

It was sumptuous viewing with gorgeous sets and locations, emotion packed and compelling situations and characters. The symbolism was strongest yet in this film, very psychological, and it had the feel of classic literature about it as well.

Gripes are that I found the vampires not nearly as beautiful as they are described in Stephanie's books, especially the visiting guests, and the white makeup seemed more apparant, even tactlessly tapering off at hairline and necklines. Characters also have new hairstyles, making them not instantly recognizeable. I found myself thinking, "Hold on... who is this?"

It ends at a good place, we are not left with a cliffhanger. I really enjoyed it, and am looking forward to part two!