Twilight Theatircal Poster
Twilight is a romantic-fantasy film directed by Catherine Hardwicke and based on the novel of the same name by Stephenie Meyer. The film stars Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan, a teenage girl who falls in love with vampire Edward Cullen, portrayed by Robert Pattinson. It follows simple structure of Romeo and Juliet with a twist of fantasy. The movie makes it known that Washington state is mostly under cloudy skies, which would explain how vampires could perfectly walk in the day and not worry about dying. So they make sure to get that out the way from the opening credits of the film. Bella moves from Arizona to Washington to live with her dad while her mother goes traveling with her boy friend. Once in town the movie moves in a good pace in introducing the characters. Edward from the beginning seems disgusted by her site and seems to want to get away from her. Later on he disappears and reappears to magically want to be around her and seems to want to be her friend. The story progress with them becoming friends and there relationship growing. She soon puts two and two together and pop, figures out he’s a vampire.
They become closer from the secret being out the bag and eventually start to date. They do the whole meet the parents and so fourth until, which I think is the best visual part of the movie. He takes her to play baseball with his family during a lighting storm. Edward tells her it’s the only time they can play because when they hit the ball it sounds like thunder. A new clan of vampires appear who have been killing humans from the start of the movie are brought in and introduce. Cam Gigandet plays James a gifted tracker vampire who discovers Bella is human and becomes enraged to kill her for sport. Edward flees with her to keep her safe from James. James figures a way to get Bella alone and Edward comes to save her in a short climatic battle and with out spoiling anything there’s a little twist of fate and the movie ends. You’re going to have to watch the film to see what I’m talking about.
The movie is pretty forgettable and nothing original but nothing really is, in today’s media. There are a few things that ruin it for me as a vampire film. I believe all films that are centered on vampires should follow a basic set of 3 rules. One the most common attributes, Fangs, two they cant stand in sun light or they would die and three the only weapons that should kill them are stakes, silver, or being beheaded. Most mediums that have followed these have become great films, comics, novels, and just over all literature. To name some would be like Blade 2 (comic and film), Dracula (novel, Film, and poetry), and Interview with the Vampire
(Book, and film).
When Edward admits to being a vampire he takes Bella up to the top of the mountains where he can show her what the sun does to vampires. Most who hadn’t read the book would think, wow he’s going to burn himself to prove it. When he gets to the top he opens his shirt and walks into the sun light which reveals that not only does he not die or burn but instead become shiny or even glittery. This blew my mind away. From there on I’m losing faith in the world that Stephenie Meyer has created and has become a cult hit.
Possibly the only worth wild scene in the film...
Through out the course of the film you come to notice that there are no fangs in site. In today’s films about vampires are less mythical. That becoming a vampire is more of an infection, which is given similar to a snake’s venom which is transfer from the fangs into the blood stream of the victim who is bitten. Twilight took another approach that Meyer made sure they kept. No fangs of any sort. So instead, they are more like zombies in which a common bite will infect you. This pretty much ruined the film for me and I never read the book but it seems it’s a better move not to since Meyers has taken away what makes a vampire a vampire. I understand it’s a fantasy / romance novel but there’s a saying. Don’t fix what isn’t broke. The movie doesn’t show any common ways of killing a vampire instead you get a snapped neck and to finish them off they have to be burned. No silver, no stakes not even a cool effect of them turning into ash. The whole culture of vampires was taken away in this picture. It seems more to me Bella was in love with a Hannibal more then a vampire with a bad skin problem.
Director Catherine Hardwicke did well with her limited budget she was given but you could tell clearly she had never done a film that was based around special effects. The only special effect sequence worth mentioning are of Edward when he’s running up the mountain to show Bella what he is in the sun and in the second act where he is climbing a tree. But the most unforgettable scene was the base ball game in which it was done excellent.The movie is well written and I’m sure the book is to but I would never consider it what it claims to be. A romance / vampire film or novel. It has cute plot line that was designed with young female teens in mind. I don’t believe it was a big hit because it’s a great movie or novel. I kind of think it’s obvious. There are more women then they are men and I’m not saying men won’t like this movie or enjoy the book but what women wouldn’t want to see a film or read about a girl who gets to be with a good looking vampire and not get eaten.
Rating: 
