Twilight--A Movie Review
A Review of the Film Starring Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart
Jun 20, 2009
Like the novel by Stephenie Meyer on which it is based, Twilight begins with the protagonist, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), moving from Arizona, where she lived with her mother, to Washington to live with her semi-estranged father (played by Billy Burke). The audience can feel Bella’s enthusiasm in the bored, drawling monotone in which Kristen Stewart narrates the first part of the movie. Her lack of interest seems to be contagious, for all of the other characters in the film seem to be bored and depressed as well.
Waning Light
The only light in the dismal first half of the movie is Eric, played by Justin Chon. Obviously planted for comedic relief, his off-kilter jokes are more confusing and weird than witty, but at least he is attempting to lighten the mood. His friend Mike Newton (Michael Welch) may have been cast for the same purpose, but his antics come off as even more desperate and lame than Eric’s, leaving the audience shaking their heads at his bizarre comments and actions.
These characters, though they have a rather large part in the novel, are largely absent in the movie, as is Jacob Black, played by Taylor Lautner. In the book, Jacob and Bella become good friends, but in the movie, Jacob only enters the scene two or three times, and is only in the film for about five minutes combined. Without Jacob’s slightly cheerful influence, the audience is left with only Edward (Robert Pattinson) to focus on.
Vampires
Like Bella, Edward is apparently suffering from a bout of clinical depression. He wanders around lifelessly, staring at Bella blankly as he delivers his cheesy lines with a robotic quality that makes the audience laugh out loud, though this was most certainly not the filmmakers’ intention. With his ridiculous ruby red lips and his flyaway hair, one has an easier time picturing him as a failed male model than a smooth, sophisticated vampire.
The other vampires are equally disappointing. The father/leader of the coven, Carlisle (Peter Facinelli), looks more scary than sympathetic as he tries to comfort his patients in the local hospital, and his eldest “daughter” Rosalie’s wig is so unrealistic that the audience wonders what the budget for this movie was. Alice (Ashley Greene), on the other hand, looks adorable, but her acting is shoddy at best. The other male vampires, Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) and Emmett (Kellan Lutz) seem out of place in the movie, with the latter barely speaking and the former just staring around with a strangely pained look on his face. The pained look can be explained by the fact that he is a type of empath, and can thus feel all the emotions of the people around him, but this is not explained well enough in the movie for those who have not read the book to understand it.
Edward and Bella
Aside from the poor acting done by all of the actors involved, the relationship between Bella and Edward is extremely awkward. The two have no chemistry, and their constant, overwhelming angst is annoying. Edward always seems to be on the verge of tears, and Bella is in a state of permanent discontent. Nevertheless, the two get together, but the time frame of their relationship is confusing. One moment the two seemingly hate each other, then the next Edward is in Bella’s room, kissing her while she is wearing nothing but a t-shirt and panties. Apparently months have gone by, but the way the film is made it seems as if it is simply the next day.
With Pattinson’s robotic line delivery, he comes off sounding more like a stalker than an admirer with lines about how he “feels very protective” of Bella, and how he has been secretly sneaking into her bedroom for months to stare at her without her noticing. This doesn’t bother her one bit, however, and her instant acceptance of his fearful vampiric qualities and creepy possessiveness seems even more absurd in the movie than it did in the book.
The End
Although the Twilight film is hugely popular among the “Tween” population, it is hard for anyone else to take the film seriously. The acting is terrible and the lighting is depressing, and, although it is cliché, the best part of the film is the end, merely because it is finally over.
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