Vampire flick proves entertaining, much different from books
Issue date: 12/7/08 Section: Arts & Culture
Twilight
Grade: A-
From the imagination of author, Stephanie Meyer, comes the fantasy/action drama, Twilight, and the film does a good job of making fresh literature smile for the motion picture camera.
By utilizing a rich story grounded by the original novel, Twilight offers a brilliant film for fans and casts an enticing hook to the legions of potential new fans that will go and see this film.
For readers of the now four-part novel series, the characters are interestingly interpreted for the screen and newcomers will be instantly drawn in by both the charming good guys and despicable bad ones.
The film opens as Bella, Kristen Stewart is leaving her warm and sunny home in Phoenix for the rainy cold of Forks, Wash. Once this fish out of water gets to town, she is faced with the task of fitting into the new school along with reconnecting with her father.
Just after getting into the swing of her new school, the monotony is interrupted once Bell takes notice of the inconspicuously strange Cullen family and their youngest son, Edward, Robert Pattinson.
While the students in the high school view the Cullen's as the strange and pale new kids, Bella's intrigue in the family is soon driven toward Edward as her crush on him catches his attention and spawns him to reveal his attraction to her as well. They fall in love soon after.
As Edward and Bell become closer he reveals that he and his family are all vampires. Even thought they have just moved to town, they are hundreds of years older than the town believes them to be.
They are also not the typical vampire. Instead of feeding on the blood of humans, they prefer the blood of wild animals, thus making them a type of vampire vegetarian.
For a while, the Cullen's are able to maintain their cover as vampires in Forks until a trio of vampires begin killing innocent people. An accidental confrontation between the Cullen's and the trio lead to a battle that may cost Bella her life and the vampire she has begun to love.
The film that follows does a great job of telling an unconventional story with characters that are believable and interesting. The story also manages to be pure fantasy but still sting with lots of real-world angst.
Every element of the real world is attacked here in addition to problems any 'normal' vampire would. The disapproving family, the pressures of school, the pain of divorce and even the need for blood from a girlfriend, are addressed.
Stewart as Bella is one of the film's strongest components. She is honest and her emotions drive the story. While Pattinson's facial expressions are almost always off, he does great job of mixing vampire lore and theatrics on screen.
As the main villain, James, Cam Gigandet is flawless. He manages to be nasty and entertaining all at once.
Somehow, this film also proves to be visually stunning. The setting may place it in the cloudy and dreary mountains of the Pacific Northwest, the camera work is gorgeous and so are the visual effects.
While some shots may read as a little cheesy, the film is definitely worth the price of admission.
Bottom Line: Twilight is a well-done slice of vampire fiction, even if the concept may be a little hard to digest.
Gregory Brand, Jr.•
Grade: A-
From the imagination of author, Stephanie Meyer, comes the fantasy/action drama, Twilight, and the film does a good job of making fresh literature smile for the motion picture camera.
By utilizing a rich story grounded by the original novel, Twilight offers a brilliant film for fans and casts an enticing hook to the legions of potential new fans that will go and see this film.
For readers of the now four-part novel series, the characters are interestingly interpreted for the screen and newcomers will be instantly drawn in by both the charming good guys and despicable bad ones.
The film opens as Bella, Kristen Stewart is leaving her warm and sunny home in Phoenix for the rainy cold of Forks, Wash. Once this fish out of water gets to town, she is faced with the task of fitting into the new school along with reconnecting with her father.
Just after getting into the swing of her new school, the monotony is interrupted once Bell takes notice of the inconspicuously strange Cullen family and their youngest son, Edward, Robert Pattinson.
While the students in the high school view the Cullen's as the strange and pale new kids, Bella's intrigue in the family is soon driven toward Edward as her crush on him catches his attention and spawns him to reveal his attraction to her as well. They fall in love soon after.
As Edward and Bell become closer he reveals that he and his family are all vampires. Even thought they have just moved to town, they are hundreds of years older than the town believes them to be.
They are also not the typical vampire. Instead of feeding on the blood of humans, they prefer the blood of wild animals, thus making them a type of vampire vegetarian.
For a while, the Cullen's are able to maintain their cover as vampires in Forks until a trio of vampires begin killing innocent people. An accidental confrontation between the Cullen's and the trio lead to a battle that may cost Bella her life and the vampire she has begun to love.
The film that follows does a great job of telling an unconventional story with characters that are believable and interesting. The story also manages to be pure fantasy but still sting with lots of real-world angst.
Every element of the real world is attacked here in addition to problems any 'normal' vampire would. The disapproving family, the pressures of school, the pain of divorce and even the need for blood from a girlfriend, are addressed.
Stewart as Bella is one of the film's strongest components. She is honest and her emotions drive the story. While Pattinson's facial expressions are almost always off, he does great job of mixing vampire lore and theatrics on screen.
As the main villain, James, Cam Gigandet is flawless. He manages to be nasty and entertaining all at once.
Somehow, this film also proves to be visually stunning. The setting may place it in the cloudy and dreary mountains of the Pacific Northwest, the camera work is gorgeous and so are the visual effects.
While some shots may read as a little cheesy, the film is definitely worth the price of admission.
Bottom Line: Twilight is a well-done slice of vampire fiction, even if the concept may be a little hard to digest.
Gregory Brand, Jr.•
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Alison Worth
posted 3/04/09 @ 2:11 AM CST
Good scene, interesting post, thanks.
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