Twilight
2.5/4
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Anna Kendrick, Peter Facinelli, Cam Gigandet
Rated PG-13 for Some Violence and a Scene of Sensuality
This review isn't going to endear me to either "Twilight" fans nor "Twilight" haters. The first film in Stephanie Meyer's popular vampire franchise isn't very good, but it's not bad either. It is entirely watchable, and on some level involving. It's too long and there is some astonishingly bad dialogue, but it is what it is.
Bella Swan (Stewart) has just moved from Phoenix to the tiny town of Forks, Washington. It's the middle of the school year and almost immediately she has a group of friends (ah, if we were all so lucky). But there is one boy who intrigues her, a pale stud named Edward Cullen (Pattinson). He's alternately meek & self-doubting and hostile toward Bella. But she's curious, and it turns out that he and his "family" are vampires. She doesn't have to worry, though. They're "vegetarians," meaning that they don't snack on humans. Of course, there are those that do, and they are after Bella in no short order.
The biggest problem with the film is dealing with the male lead. It's easy to see what Meyer and director Catherine Hardwicke are trying to do, which is to create a "vampire with a heart of gold" who doubts his ability to resist his compulsions, but there's a problem: Pattinson. Robert Pattinson may not be the worst actor around, but he clearly isn't able to handle a role this complex (and it's not very complex). Therefore, Edward comes across as a bipolar drama queen (his soft voice doesn't help matters).
Apart from Pattinson, the acting is decent, which considering the script, is as good as one can hope for. Kristen Stewart, who despite playing a character straight out of a Harlequin romance novel, manages to give Bella some spunk and personality. Billy Burke, who was good in the cyber-serial killer movie "Untraceable," is awful as Bella's father. He's trying to create a distant, gruff yet likable dad, but he's way too low-key. No one else has a large enough role to be mentioned, except Cam Gigandet, who is surprisingly vicious as a human-loving vampire.
Catherine Hardwicke is a good filmmaker. She made the searing and disturbing drama about tween girls, "Thirteen," and here, she proves that she at least knows what she's doing. She has a knack for atmosphere and the action scenes are moderately thrilling, but she has Edward do a little too much man-preening and exchange a few too many soulful looks with his beloved.
The romance aspect of the film (always the reason to love or hate a movie for some reason---just look at "Titanic") does work, although the hackneyed script by Melissa Rosenberg hampers the ability for it to develop effectively. There is chemistry between Stewart and Pattinson (who become good friends during filming), but it's still catching fire when the film ends. Thus, when Bella confesses her love to Edward, it seems a little soon.
Look, it's not great, but for what it is, it's not as bad as I thought.
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Anna Kendrick, Peter Facinelli, Cam Gigandet
Rated PG-13 for Some Violence and a Scene of Sensuality
This review isn't going to endear me to either "Twilight" fans nor "Twilight" haters. The first film in Stephanie Meyer's popular vampire franchise isn't very good, but it's not bad either. It is entirely watchable, and on some level involving. It's too long and there is some astonishingly bad dialogue, but it is what it is.
Bella Swan (Stewart) has just moved from Phoenix to the tiny town of Forks, Washington. It's the middle of the school year and almost immediately she has a group of friends (ah, if we were all so lucky). But there is one boy who intrigues her, a pale stud named Edward Cullen (Pattinson). He's alternately meek & self-doubting and hostile toward Bella. But she's curious, and it turns out that he and his "family" are vampires. She doesn't have to worry, though. They're "vegetarians," meaning that they don't snack on humans. Of course, there are those that do, and they are after Bella in no short order.
The biggest problem with the film is dealing with the male lead. It's easy to see what Meyer and director Catherine Hardwicke are trying to do, which is to create a "vampire with a heart of gold" who doubts his ability to resist his compulsions, but there's a problem: Pattinson. Robert Pattinson may not be the worst actor around, but he clearly isn't able to handle a role this complex (and it's not very complex). Therefore, Edward comes across as a bipolar drama queen (his soft voice doesn't help matters).
Apart from Pattinson, the acting is decent, which considering the script, is as good as one can hope for. Kristen Stewart, who despite playing a character straight out of a Harlequin romance novel, manages to give Bella some spunk and personality. Billy Burke, who was good in the cyber-serial killer movie "Untraceable," is awful as Bella's father. He's trying to create a distant, gruff yet likable dad, but he's way too low-key. No one else has a large enough role to be mentioned, except Cam Gigandet, who is surprisingly vicious as a human-loving vampire.
Catherine Hardwicke is a good filmmaker. She made the searing and disturbing drama about tween girls, "Thirteen," and here, she proves that she at least knows what she's doing. She has a knack for atmosphere and the action scenes are moderately thrilling, but she has Edward do a little too much man-preening and exchange a few too many soulful looks with his beloved.
The romance aspect of the film (always the reason to love or hate a movie for some reason---just look at "Titanic") does work, although the hackneyed script by Melissa Rosenberg hampers the ability for it to develop effectively. There is chemistry between Stewart and Pattinson (who become good friends during filming), but it's still catching fire when the film ends. Thus, when Bella confesses her love to Edward, it seems a little soon.
Look, it's not great, but for what it is, it's not as bad as I thought.
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