Review by Peter & Christine Syslo
TWILIGHT (2008) is the much-anticipated film version of the Stephanie Meyer novel, which bears the same name. There has been mega-hype surrounding this film (and the book series) and apparently filming on the sequel is already underway. One good thing about the TWILIGHT hysteria and also the HARRY POTTER craze is that both series of novels are encouraging people to read – that is always a good thing, people need to “unplug” once in a while. But, with the mega-hype comes that other edge of the sword which puts a lot of pressure on a film, to be successful. Now, I am not that familiar with the book series, so I am kind of an impartial judge to this film. From what I understand (taking into consideration what Christine has told me of the series and characters), the movie is a decent adaptation of the novel but it is missing some relevant details. Taking it solely as a standalone film, I thought that it was well-done and I liked it – though, I also felt that there were a few “holes” in the storyline.
TWILIGHT is directed by Catherine Hardwicke and the screenplay is written by Melissa Rosenberg. The film stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Ashley Green, and Peter Facinelli.
The film is basically about the budding relationship between Bella (Stewart) and Edward (Pattinson). Bella recently moved to Washington state, to live with her father. She is a girl who is kind of reserved, introspective, and on the fringe of popularity. During her first few days at her new school, she meets the elusive and mysterious Edward. As Bella and Edward get to know one another, she realizes that he is actually a vampire. Edward gradually introduces the willing Bella to his world - which happens to include his vegetarian, vampire-family and rival vampires who enjoy feeding upon humans. As the film progresses, Bella and Edward try to preserve the vampire secrecy and struggle to find a way to be together... at the risk of Bella losing all that she cares for in her human life.
To begin, I will say that the story isn't all that original. Apparently, the novel goes into greater depth but I thought that this tale didn't do anything that an Anne Rice story hasn't already done. In fact, I think that TWILIGHT functions in the same manner as INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (I'm just going to speak movie-wise about this). Thinking about it, the relationship between Bella and Edward is akin to the relationship between Lestat and Louis. It's about wanting what you can't have; Louis and Bella want to escape from their human lives and Lestat and Edward want to have Louis/Bella as objects of affection (though, Bella also wants Edward in return). Just as Lestat introduces Louis to all of the conventions of being a vampire, Edward introduces Bella to the ways of being a vampire in the Cullen clan. The similarities are very strong, but I think that INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE just happens to be a better film.
Now, let me get to “the rules”. Every vampire film or vampire novel has its own set of “rules” regarding the vampire. Personally, I favor the Anne Rice rules and the Bram Stoker rules. In my mind, that is how I feel that the vampire, as a character, should be portrayed. TWILIGHT bends those rules a bit, but I feel that it didn't take away from the power of the film. Okay, the biggie here is that the vampires in TWILIGHT can walk around in sunlight (also, there is the no sleep thing). I have heard a lot of people take issue with this and that is a valid concern. Some people are vampire purists, who don't like any deviation from “the rules”. Even though I do prefer the Rice/Stoker rules, I still find that I am able to enjoy films which deviate from those rules. The only thing that I don't care for is when films treat being a vampire like being infected with a virus – that kind of turns me off. I would much rather see the “spiritual” explanation of vampirism. At any rate, Edward can function and live in sunlight; the only reason that these vampires don't run around in broad daylight is that their skin has a “sparkly” luminescence, which makes them stand out as “supernatural” beings. Yep, that's a bit of a pill to swallow... but then I thought about it. The story wouldn't be the same if Edward could not appear in daylight. He wouldn't be able to be a high school student and it would be a difficult task getting he and Bella together. So, I feel that Meyer and Rosenberg had to take that leap in order to create a successful love story. When it comes down to creating an effective and coherent story, I will cope with some slack in “the rules” department.
One of the main points of this film is that it is a love story/dark romance. It isn't really a vampire tale; it is a romance that is set against the backdrop of vampirism. One of the things that I did like about it was that the chemistry between Bella and Edward was very real and very engaging. It's the classic tale of courtship, whether it be Romeo and Juliet or Harry and Sally – it's about pursuit, the sense of the forbidden, and the fire of passion (I sound like I am writing a blurb on the cover of a romance novel). I honestly “got into it” and I thought that the romance was interwoven nicely with the vampire content. There are some neat scenes where Edward shows Bella his room, his classical music collection, and his numerous high school colors from graduating so many times. The tree-climbing is a little reminiscent of the cringe-worthy “can you read my mind” scene in SUPERMAN and some of the dialogue is a bit “syrupy” at times, but all of it was a poetic way for Edward to let Bella into his world. Also, I have to admit that the baseball scene was interesting – I never thought of anything like that (the vampire strength would cause great noise) and it fit in well with the surrounding story.
My main gripe with the film, aside from the lack of originality in the story, was the enemy vampire who was tracking Bella. This vampire is “smelling” her from hundreds of miles away and pursuing her while the Cullen vampires are trying to protect Bella. This is where the film fell apart, for me. This whole idea was a little “thin” to begin with; I understand the concept but it was unnecessary and it seemed hastily compressed into 15 minutes of film (I was told that the novel does a better job with this section). You do finally see some Vampirisms here (there are only a few instances of biting, etc. in the film), but the rush job leaves you wondering about the relevance of this section. Also, another thing that I didn't quite get is that Bella seems to want to become a vampire, but her life isn't all that terrible. I know that she loves Edward, but she is an attractive, semi-popular girl who seems to be doing OK in life (maybe this is the point of the whole series of books). I understand why Louis wanted to exit his human life, but it seems that Bella is just being an irrational teenage girl who would be giving up a lot of good things to be with this “guy” she's only known for a few weeks. I know, maybe that is the point of it all and it may be the ongoing source of conflict for Bella.
Gnawing through the flesh: TWILIGHT was an enjoyable film. It is a dark romance with a vampire twist. But, those of you who haven't read or who are not familiar with the books(s) may be disappointed by it. Don't go into it expecting an all out vampire film – it is not. For those of you who are fans of the books, you may question the omission of some of the details. For instance, they hinted at Bella's friend and the wolf aspect but they really didn't go into it. Also, certain sections are compressed or chopped up a little (the tracker-enemy vampire) and they might fall short of what is described in the book. However, I went into it with no expectations and I liked what I saw. The vampire “vibe” was there, Stewart and Pattinson were very convincing as potential lovers Bella and Edward, and the musical score (by Carter Burwell – one of my favorite film composers) was haunting and enhanced the film. So, I think that TWILIGHT has caused quite a stir and among fans and newcomers. You either like it or you don't - that is the name of the game with this one. I liked it and I give it a 7/10.