TWILIGHT (2008) MOVIE REVIEW

At this point, Twilight has become sort of a phenomenon, almost in the likes of Harry Potter. No, I’m not comparing the two, but after the popular novels, Twilight has become an entity that you can’t escape. It’s everywhere. Lunchboxes, clothes, action figures – you name it. So I gave in. I’ve finally sat down to watch what all the whooplah was about.

Watching this movie, I really hope the true whooplah is about the books. (And a note: this review is only about the movie and the movie alone. I expect people to say the books are better, I’m sure they are. Let’s remember – books are a different medium than movies).

The movie follows Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) from Phoenix Arizona to her new home in Forks, Washington to live with her father. She’s quite the clumsy girl, feeling like she really can’t fit in, but her schoolmates are quite welcoming, and bring her in with open arms.

Here at school is where she crosses paths with Edward Cullen (Robert Pattison), a tall, pale hearthrob who is seemingly repelled by her. Bella is fascinated with Edward, and wonders what his problem is with her. He finally comes around and introduces himself, and they slowly build a friendship.

Bella becomes over obsessed with Edward after he saves her life, running from the other side of the school parking lot with lighting speed and stopping an oncoming car with the palm of his hand. She is mystified how he accomplished such a feat, but Edward denies it he ever did it. He has a secret.

Twilight’s first half is mostly exposition, people explaining things, and drags on and on. The writing is questionable, not Stephenie Meyer’s – she didn’t write the movie, but screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg, who on Bella’s first day of school had students tell her who she was. Hey you’re the new kid, Bella, right? Hey what’s up, you’re Bella? Yeah thanks, we know she's Bella.

During most of Twilight, nothing really happens. No real plot. We all know Edward’s a vampire, it’s on the poster, it was in the book right? The movie takes forever to get to that. It’s mostly girls worrying about prom, gossiping, and backstory that isn’t really needed and has no pay off at the end. I’m sure this backstory is needed for the sequel, but we should be worrying about this movie first. When Bella finally does discover Edward’s secret, the movie strangely continues to drag on in a different way – now with Edward and Bella talking, and talking, and talking some more, about what, it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t affect the story. Edward wants her blood, but can’t do it, because he cares for her – I liked this dynamic, but this wasn’t enough conflict to keep the movie afloat.

And this is what I think is wrong with Twilight. There is no conflict until toward the end, and at that point, it’s way too late. I was so over the movie by then – nothing really happens until this point. I’m not kidding. Throughout the movie, we are introduced to three bad vampires James, Victoria, and Laurent. They kill some people, but who cares? They don’t pose any threat to Bella until they crash a friendly baseball game that the Cullen Family is having. This is where I think the movie really started – James’ chase after Bella and Edward’s protection of her gave the movie a much needed heart beat, but again, it was too little, too late.

- Anthony J. Gomez, The Movie Messenger