Based on Stephenie Meyer's bestselling book, Catherine Hardwicke's new film Twilight"" is a love story between a vampire and a human that is guaranteed to leave teenage girls swooning. The film relies heavily on good-looking actors and book fans' loyalty and seems to have little leeway for creative changes or money for special effects, fearing the wrath of obsessed ""Twilight"" tweens everywhere, so don't expect cinematic brilliance. Instead, expect a charming, yet cheesy love story that is more about raging hormones than horror.
The film follows the unusual story of everyday teenage girl Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) who moves to rainy Forks, Wash., to live with her father (Billy Burke). At school, Bella meets the mysterious and gorgeous Edward Cullen (cue screaming girls), played by Robert Pattinson. Bella knows there is something unusual about him and his family, but Edward and his many secrets quickly fascinate her. Edward is the perfect guy: gorgeous, witty, intelligent... and a vampire. But it's OK, since Edward and his family only drink animal blood and try to leave humans off the menu.
This naturally leads into a modern day ""Romeo and Juliet"" forbidden love story. Edward refers to Bella as his soulmate, but has to constantly fight against his own nature, otherwise he'll have Bella for dinner. But Bella doesn't care that Edward occasionally wants her blood and the two somehow manage to carry on a strange, awkward romance.
As if struggling with this internal conflict weren't enough, Edward must also protect Bella from James (Cam Gigandet), a vicious vampire who hungers for Bella's blood and will never stop hunting until he claims it.
The romance between Edward and Bella is predictable and cliché. Stewart and Pattinson have great chemistry on screen but their teenage awkwardness can leave you squirming in your seat with either anticipation or discomfort.
The film focuses solely on Edward and Bella's relationship, so the rest of the characters get left behind. Without prior knowledge of the book to fill in the blanks, one might wonder why these seemingly extra characters are even there. They only show up in scarce scenes and have very few lines. Although those lines are humorous, the characters still don't connect with each other and the relationship is lost.
The plot also feels a little scattered and rushed, which is hardly a surprise since Hardwicke was trying to cram a 500-page book into two hours. The events are there but details, even major ones, are lost, once again leaving audiences in the dark about certain aspects and general significance of characters' relationships. A lot of meaning was lost in the book-to-script translation.
The only redeeming quality of the film for general audiences is Burke as Charlie, Bella's father. Burke is likable and extremely humorous as he plays a protective dad who greets potential boyfriends with shotgun in hand. He manages to make audiences laugh in almost every scene he's in and, whereas Pattinson is solely remembered for his good looks, Burke is remembered for his wit.
It's obvious that ""Twilight"" was specifically designed for its targeted fanbase of already emotionally invested teens who fantasize about seeing their favorite fictional characters on the big screen. ""Twilight"" book fans will be dazzled by this somewhat faithful film adaptation, while general audiences sit in their seats, wondering what all the fuss is about.
Grade: BC
