Movie Review: Twilight
December 5, 2008 • written by Brittany Johnson
Twilight. The word either makes you squeal with excitement, groan with annoyance, or sigh with indifference. Whichever category you fall under, there is no denying that this franchise is quickly becoming a world wide phenomenon. With four books, a newly released movie, and slew of other merchandise, Twilight is certainly a hot commodity these days.
Arizona native Stephenie Meyer wrote the first installment of the Twilight saga in 2003. The book was about young Bella Swan, an awkward teenager who moves from sunny Phoenix, Arizona, to dreary Forks, Washington. When she arrives in the small, rainy town Bella finds out that although she is the newest member of the miniscule population, she is by no means the strangest. The owners of that title would most definitely be the Cullens, comprised of young Dr. and Mrs. Cullen and their five foster children. One of these Cullen kids, Edward, takes a particular interest in Bella. From this comes one of the most romantic tales ever told. What exactly is so spectacular about these two small town teenagers? Besides their unyielding love for one another, which in itself is enough to set this book apart from most others of its kind, Edward is a vampire.
Edward is no Dracula protégé, however. Instead, he is a repentant Vampire who, along with the rest of his family, only drink the blood of animals, can go out in sunlight without burning to a crisp, and display a large, antique cross in their home with no problem at all.
This highly successful book had now been turned into a feature film, which opened on the 21st of November.
This movie, directed by Catherine Hardwick and produced by Summit Entertainment, had high expectations. What is amazing about this movie is the wide range of reviews it has gotten. Having seen the movie myself, and talked with many others who have seen it as well, I have met people who loved it and others who were sorely disappointed.
Summit had a relatively small budget to work with in making a movie of this magnitude, and some of the special effects could have been done better. That being said, the lack of CGI and special effects that we have become accustomed to in other fantasy films such as Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, did not detract from Twilight in the slightest. The film had a very real feeling that really can only be achieved by doing stunts and effects on set, with no help from computer animation. Of course, the whole thing couldn’t be free of special effects. How else would you get actor Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward, to run at speeds unimaginable to humans or sparkle in the sun, two powers that vampires have? I think a bigger budget would have definitely helped the movie, but I don’t feel like the smaller one hurt it.
The acting was the other questionable piece in the film. Kristen Stuart, who plays Bella, had a very unique portrayal of the beloved character. She depicts Bella’s clumsy, awkward, and strong willed personality perfectly. Some of the lines, however, seemed monotone and lacking the emotion needed for the scene.
The music in the film was spectacular, and the movie followed the book very well. There were some differences, but when you put a 498 page book into a two hour movie, there are bound to be some changes. And the changes fit in with the story line well.
The overall cast I think was chosen very well and I have a hard time picturing the characters as anyone else. I think Twilight was an immensely entertaining film that honors the series. I do warn any die hard fan of the books to view it objectively, though, and see it as a film about the books instead of a direct translation. If you haven’t read the books, however, don’t worry! According to others who haven’t read the books, the movie does a fine job of explaining everything. There were a few parts that are a little iffy, but overall the movie is well suited for anyone to see.
On a technical level I give the movie 3 stars out of 5.
On an entertainment level I give the movie 4 stars out of 5.
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this movie looks so stupid im sick of hearing about it.
i wonder what ever happened to the cool blood-sucking a** kicking vampires that we have all come to love and enjoy, violence is the greatest possible form of entertainment that is shown in modern day Hollywood. However it has been ruined. They have ruined the vampire name by bringing in these vampires who do not solve their problems by sucking blood and beating the crap out of each other, but instead they decide to “hug-out” all of the problems that have been bestowed upon them. Twilight is a terrible movie with a terrible plot that will eventually ruin the youth and the entire movie industry as a whole.
This movie is probably the worst movie I have seen in my entire life. Yet it is very mind boggling to see how girls are attracted to it. I mean come on the movie is about vampires! I was once told that girls mature faster than boys by my health teacher. When i think about it i feel like laughing. Anyway, back to the point this movie does not deserve to be such a big deal. I boil in anger every time i hear that pathetic name of a movie.