Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 2 hrs
Cast:
- Kristen Stewart
- Robert Pattinson
- Billy Burke
- Peter Facinelli
- Elizabeth Reaser
- Cam Gigandet
- Nikki Reed
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Review - "Twilight"
Reviewer: Charise Payne
Rating:
When a beloved novel is brought to the big screen, sometimes you rejoice, and thank the director and the production company for having the same vision you did. Other times, you want to scream at the film, throw popcorn, and beg for your money back. Twilight, the very popular and best-selling novel by Stephenie Meyer, has been getting both responses from its loyal fans. I — a fan who loved the books — found the film a little short of the mark, but still enjoyable.
Last week, thousands of teenage girls (and adult woman) lined up for days just to get a peek of the actors at the movie's premiere. We all knew that the buzz the film has been getting is huge and almost bullet-proof. So no matter what the critics say, the film is going to do well. The devoted fans will see the film more than once. Some will say it is the worst film ever made and refuse to give it an ounce of love, while others will love it so much they will see it several times and gush about how sexy Edward is.
For those of you who aren't fans of Twilight, you may wonder what the film is about. Is it a vampire movie or a romance? To sum it up quickly, the film is a teen romance that ties in some action/adventure and some bloodsuckers. It does not, however, focus on the supernatural, which in my opinion was a good call by director Catherine Hardwicke. But the heart of the story is the love between Edward and Bella, "the lion and the lamb" as they call themselves, and is the reason millions of fans flocked to the book and now the movie.
Luckily for Twilight fans, the screenplay was adapted by Melissa Rosenberg (TV's Dexter), whose screenplay is faithful to the book and gets most of the important details fan were hoping for. The movie focuses on Bella (Kristen Stewart), a shy yet very smart 17-year-old girl, who moves from Arizona to Washington in order to spend more quality time with her dad. Charlie (Billy Burke) lives in Forks, a town that almost never sees the sun because of the constant rain and fog — which happens to be the perfect place for a family of vampires to take up permanent residence. And as Bella soon learns, a few of them attend Forks High, where they are both admired and despised by the student body for their beauty and superior attitude. The Forks students have been told they are foster children of the gorgeous Dr. Cullen and his wife Esme, but the audience is shown they are something else entirely.
When Bella sees Edward for the first time, she is instantly attracted to him. Edward (Robert Pattinson) feels something quite different; he wants to suck her dry, not take long strolls in the sunset with her. But as with all opposition, something good must come out of it, and as soon as Edward can learn to be around Bella, they fall in love. The Cullens, the vampire family, refrain from feeding on humans, but the urge is still there, and so Edward must be very careful around Bella. He can't let himself get too passionate or he could lose control and kill her. This is the struggle: does Edward's love for Bella rule over his constant hunger for her blood?
Hardwicke does an amazing job capturing the feel of the book, and for the most part, fans will not be disappointed with her vision. As the director of such brazen films as Thirteen and Lords of Dogtown, Hardwicke has a knack for the pain and torment of the teenage mind, and it's definitely felt in Twilight. The soundtrack, provided by Chop Shop Records (think Gossip Girl and Grey’s Anatomy), is amazing. It is full of moody and sentimental acoustic-guitar, as well as alternative rock tracks from bands like Muse, Linkin Park, and Paramore, making the tone of Twilight perfect.
The film does have its problems. The special effects and wire work were too obvious. If you're going to fly through the trees, the audience shouldn't be able to see the wire. Just saying. Also, the Cullens, who are clearly defined and shown in the book, are never explained well in the movie. Rosalie (Nikki Reed) hates Bella but we never find out why. The film doesn't explain or do anything with that relationship. Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) always looks like he is constipated because he can't breathe, or he will want to eat all the humans around him. Again, this is never explained. And the vampires' pale skin, which is cause by the lack of blood in their systems, just looks like too much powder.
I loved certain scenes, like the crucial baseball game, when the Cullens try to show Bella being a vampire can be fun but instead get her introduced to her would-be killer. I also loved the comic relief Charlie and Mike Newton (Mike Welch) provided. I laughed a lot more than I thought I would, which was nice.
Twilight is fun film that can be enjoyed by all but the very young. It is corny and silly at times, but what can you expect from a vampire romance? I'm personally hoping it will win Best Kiss at the MTV Awards — it was hot! So if you are in the mood for an instant cult classic, Twilight is for you.
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