Twilight (Movie Review)

Movie Review
Twilight
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson
Directed by: Catherine Hardwicke
Runtime: 2:01

If anything about pop culture has taught us anything, it is that the book is always better that the movie. Even with this theory, it does not excuse Catherine Hardwicke’s film adaptation of the book Twilight from being a mediocre movie. The first hour is laughable and the final twenty minutes are painfully forgettable. The remainder of the movie is actually pretty good. It’s too bad that the good part of the flick is sandwiched between two poorly constructed pieces of film.

The story begins with Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) moving from Phoenix to Washington to be with her dad as her mom goes to Florida with her stepdad for baseball spring training. Bella has no problems making friends but she still feels like an individual amongst a group of people. She’s attracted to Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), who is part of a family of adopted children. They never come to school when the sun is out and keep to themselves. Bella and Edward begin to form a shaky relationship but as Bella’s curiosity begins to take control of her feelings, she begins to fall for him. Upon finding out that he is a vampire, Bella only finds her love for him stronger. It turns out that Edward and his family are a group of vampires that do not drink the blood of humans. Bella’s life is put in danger however during a event with Edward and his family when a group of human-seeking vampires find Bella amongst them and one of the vampires, James, goes on a mission to make Bella his next victim. Bella is forced to go into hiding with Edward and his family doing what they can protect her from James’s persistent hunt.

We can start with the good. The action is well done and Catherine Hardwicke does a good job at building up to a strong climax (once the horrible first hour is out of the way). Even the hardest cynic can enjoy the second hour of the movie if they can make it that far. Another thing is that it isn’t exactly a paint-by-numbers affair. It’s not your average vampire as there the film does its best to apply some logic to a mythical story. Anytime the viewer feels like the story has gone too far, even for something for the realm of vampires, an explanation is offered by one of the characters. For example, when Bella is learning about Edward, he every so often mythbusts some of the misconceptions that she (or the viewer) may have about vampires. Although considering that vampires are mythical to begin with, one would have to concede that whatever the writer or director wants to make a vampire out to be would be correct since in real life vampires don’t exist.

Outside of that forty minute window, the movie is pretty bad. The first hour of the movie is a bit hokey. The relationship between Bella and Edward feels unnatural and awkward. The movie feels written as if it geared for unaccepted fourteen year girls and nobody else. This movie makes no attempt at broadening its audience. Only a fourteen year girl could understand why Bella would chase after a guy who say she make him want to vomit. Stewart seems incapable of acting and her performance is so wooden that trees get jealous. The colours are washed out which seems like an unnecessary film technique. It adds nothing to the film and it feels like a gimmick more than anything else. The lasts twenty minutes are a waste. Without giving away the end of the movie, it is inconsequential to the story of the movie and does little more than build for the impending sequels.

This is a hard film to recommend. The first hour is bad. So is the last twenty minutes. The forty minutes inbetween, however, is excellent. Those forty minutes would have made for a good television pilot. As a movie, it’s a yawner until you get to the good part…if you make it that far.

☆☆