Twilight (2008)

Last Saturday night, after losing a bet to my wife, I reluctantly hopped in the car to take my wife to a screening of "Twilight." I admit that I have never read the books and that my major draw back to this film is the blood curdling and eardrum shattering screams (squeals) emitted by female teenagers and tweenagers across the nation in support of this effort. Hell, I didn't even know what it was until the week it came out and I saw some of the cast on "The Today Show" (insert those ravenous squeals here). I ate my Coco Pebbles and stared at my daughter playing in the floor and pondered the shite she might be into when she grows up. Sure, I had seen some silly flair and advertisements to the right of my profile on Facebook, but never bothered, or even cared to dive into Wikipedia. On that faithful morning, while watching "The Today Show," I realized that I wasn't tuned into what the kids were listening to, but instead of panicking, I breathed a wondrous sigh of relief.
Going into a film with a negative attitude is never a good way to be fair about a film (especially when the tweenagers behind you are discussing the relevance of every scene to the book). It was clear from the onset that "Twilight" had a specific audience (as do the books), but I thought the director, Catherine Hardwicke, made an effort to keep the film entertaining for everyone. I was especially impressed with Hardwicke's attention to color--or maybe more appropriately, her lack thereof; most of the Pacific Northwest scenery and costumes were drab and earth-toned helped to capture to mood of the film and create an unsettling and apposite atmosphere. "Twilight" reminded me a lot of Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow" in that when bright colors were used, there was usually some significance and reasoning behind the choice. For example, Bella's red truck stands out in contrast from the other students' cars in the parking lot; at first, the truck signifies her awkwardness and standing out at her new school and later becomes the signifier of her discovery of Edward's identity.
The casting for the film wasn't bad, it seemed that characters fit well into their roles and the absence of any greatly recognizable actors/actresses gave the film a more sincere and independent appeal. Due to the film's popularity and evident upcoming sequels, there are already rumors of stars Dakota Fanning and Drew Barrymore signing on. Though these actresses are not traditionally associated with Hollywood blockbusters, pulling them in may have adverse effects on the series.
While I thought the plot of "Twilight" was decent, what I had the biggest problems with in the film were the same that my wife (who has read the book) also had. Some of the more supernatural scenes, the teleporting, tree climbing, and sparkling vampires, were a bit much and made the film seem a bit silly in places. There were also a few distinct holes in the plot, one of the more noticeable moments being the baseball game. Though I thought the scene was a bit awkward on its own, I was confused at how the tracker, James was not able to pick up on Bella's scent until he and his fellow vampires were about to leave (though he could track her scent from Washington to Arizona). Though my wife was able to offer up an explanation of how the scene was addressed in the book, this scene and others proved that there was a great lack of character development regarding the Cullen family.
Though "Twilight" was slightly out of range for my typical movie going experience, I did find the film at best interesting and well paced.

2 out of 4