‘Twilight’ steals series-newbie’s heart
Captivating and visually enticing, “Twilight” cements itself as one of the most culturally-relevant romances of the 21st century, with its lead actors delivering the most authentic and heartfelt on-screen romance since Jack and Rose in “Titanic.”
Photo courtesy of www.movieweb.com.
Based on the first book in the Twilight series written by Stephenie Meyer, “Twilight” follows 17-year-old Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart, “Into the Wild”) as she begins her new life in Forks, Wash. Living with her father (Billy Burke, “Untraceable”) until her mother and stepfather find a new place to live, Bella learns that Forks is nothing like her old home in Phoenix.
As she moves in during the middle of the school semester, Bella quickly meets many new people who don’t understand why she doesn’t have a tan even though she came from Phoenix. Everybody seems to love her, except for the group known as the Cullens, especially the brooding and mysterious Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”).
Curious to understand why Edward is so different from the rest of the people at school, Bella soon finds herself in a relationship she could have never imagined.
Every so often, a film comes along that redefines and revamps the idea of what a particular genre should be like. In 2001, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” reenergized the seemingly dead fantasy genre. In 2006, “The Departed” made the films about organized crime cool again. In 2008, “Twilight” has done what only “Titanic” and “The Notebook” have been able to do throughout the past 15 years — break Hollywood norms and become a truly moving romance for the ages.
While Meyer may have started the phenomena, director Catherine Hardwicke has created a beautiful film adaptation that does not stand in the book’s shadow. With undeniable chemistry between Bella and Edward, in addition to Edward’s unusual vampire origins, it is easy to see how the franchise has garnered millions of fans over the past few years. “Twilight” may be a vampire film, but at heart it is an undying (pun intended) story of love that everyone on earth would be lucky to take part in.
That being said, the success of the film relied solely on the believability of the romance between the two teens. Both Stewart and Pattinson create such vulnerable and likeable characters that it is impossible not to believe they are meant for each other. Only kissing twice during the entire movie, it is their use of body language and expressions that display their true emotions.
Though nothing is more beautiful than a true love story, the film’s jaw-dropping backdrop takes viewers deep into the film’s fantasy world. Between the shots of the endless fog-covered forests and thrilling baseball sequence, an Oscar nomination for best cinematography seems likely.
Aside from all of its accomplishments, there are the few expected flaws. First, Meyer’s vampires hardly fit the mold of traditional Hollywood vampires, which takes some time to get used to for those not familiar with the books. Also, on its small budget, the special effects and action sequences look fit for a B-rate movie. And, finally, since the majority of the film concentrates on Bella and Edward’s relationship, the villains hardly get any screen time and almost no character development.
While it’s unlikely to win over the manliest of ego-driven males, “Twilight” is the perfect setup for what could turn out to be one of the greatest romantic cinematic journeys of our generation.
‘Twilight’
Release Date: November 21
Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Cam Gigandet
Genre: Romance, Drama, Thriller
Rating: PG-13 for some violence and a scene of sensuality.
Grade: A-
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November 25th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Visually enticing Jay? Wow, you’d be wowed by the cinematography in 7th Heaven and the special effects in Charmed because the visuals in Twilight is on par with anything from your standard television dramady, plus some acryllic vampire teeth. QoS warrants a D (albeit, it wasn’t very good) and this infantile pap gets an A- (and I’m not even going to mention your opinion on The Love Guru). Hang up the pen man.
November 25th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Sweet Zombie Jesus! Are you sure you watched Twilight? Because I was there, too, and what I saw was not “the most authentic and heartfelt on-screen romance since Jack and Rose in ‘Titanic’” but a 2-hour-long cinematic torture session with pathetic acting and the worst dialog I’ve ever heard (and that includes “Plan 9 from Outer Space” and “Crossroads”). “Undeniable chemistry”? Really? All I saw was two grossly overpaid teenagers, one of whom had more makeup on than Edward Scissorhands, and the other must have had cerebral palsy because her face didn’t move once for the entire two hours.
You’ve had your share of odd reviews before, Jay, but this definitely takes the cake. Oh, and it’s “phenomenon” - not “phenomena.” :-P
November 25th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
You go Grigory. Damn you are so cool. You should write for this paper: you’re way better than everyone here at everything. Not only better, but smarter…and funnier…and wittier…and cooler…and I suspect more attractive…you probably even treat your mother better than they do and give to charities more often as well.
Damn you are so damn cool Grigory. Would it be possible for you to give me a kiss on the mouth? Because I want that saliva, that elixir that somehow lubricates the genius that you put forth in words unworthy to contain it, in me…making me a better person.
November 25th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Thanks for the laugh. :) Did you say “everyone here”? Is that a voice of dissent from my former employer, or just a typo? Either way, as you may know, I was a copy editor for the NS for three semesters, and I’m rather proud to say that I did my best to maintain the paper’s quality. That is not to say, of course, that the paper got any worse over the past year. Au contraire, it continues to publish good stories and thought-provoking articles, though I may disagree with an occasional movie review, as is the case here.
And if you’re half as interested in me as you claim to be, you’re more than welcome to read (and perhaps even subscribe to) my blog at blog.myspace.com/leo_dormiens.
Cheers…
December 4th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Jay,
Nicely written, with comments pro and con. I’m guessing my ego won’t permit me to watch it, but I appreciate the review.