In an effort to combine vampires with The X-Men and “The O.C.” we are given Twilight. Based on the popular literary series by Stephenie Meyer, this movie about vampire teens isn’t aimed at me. I can accept that but if the powers behind Twilight wanted to make a good film, well they had better try harder.
Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is the only teen living in Arizona without a tan. For a change of pace she leaves her mother to live with her father in Forks, Washington. Forks is a small town and everyone is overly familiar with Bella. Kids at school are surprisingly welcoming and adults in town recall trivial facts surrounding her childhood. It gets overwhelming when it appears that every male in town wants to get friendly with her. Having quickly made friends with just about everyone, she is introduced to a group that is off limits. These are the adopted children of Dr. Carslise Cullen (Peter Facinelli). The stigma around the Cullens and their shy son Edward (Robert Pattinson) fascinates young Bella.
There has clearly been a strong PR campaign to make Pattinson into a dreamboat. Recent news has fanatic teens mobbing him. In Twilight his acting is there but the material isn’t. I just couldn’t get beyond the atrocious dialog. These students are supposed to be juniors in high school, not ten years of age. Of the group, Pattinson is the standout for at least displaying a range of emotions. Kristen Stewart has the charisma of vulture chow. Jackson Rathbone, as Jasper Cullen, channels Edward Scissorshands for unintended and out of place laughs.
To anyone interested in ever making a movie, read the following sentence. If everyone in the audience knows the film is about vampires, do not dance around the facts for the first hour. It is only after Bella escapes the juvenile confines of school, the sheer creepiness of adult admirers, and a contrived effort to work in an attempted rape scene (easily avoided if Bella had used Google earlier), that the movie gets any good. After my cringing had subsided, I actually began to enjoy the Cullen family and meat of the film. Insight into their lives is far more interesting than Bella’s.
I liked some of the ideas brought into the mix of vampire lore. The creatures here can walk in the day, but if direct sunlight touches their skin, they glow like diamonds. On paper, I’m sure that sounded cooler that it appears on screen. When your dreamy male lead sparkles like Liberace, you have a problem. The vampires showcased have diverse skills. Some are noteworthy for their speed, strength, clairvoyance, and so on; or so we are told. What I actually saw was every vampire using most of these traits with equal proficiency. Suppose if The X-Men could all do the same things, would it be that exciting to see a clash between them? The power that raises the most skepticism is Alice’s (Ashley Greene) ability to see the future. Characters remark that her visions are subjective and constantly change; which tells me that she actually possess the power to guess.
The first two acts are a trip to the dentist in a third world country. It’s strewn with unintentional bits of hilarity, poor dialog, unmotivated camera work, and contradictions (more on this in my spoiler laced video rant). ILM, the name in visual effects, even dropped the ball. The momentum of the vampires incorporates a cheap blur effect, and worse they overlooked digitally erasing contact lenses during close-ups. The third act was much better because we see some action and start to care for the characters. Anytime literary material is transferred to the screen, there are adjustments to make and not all fans will be pleased. Where Twilight ends up sets the stage for what I’m hoping will be better efforts, but this first installment is far from lights out. **
Loading ...
Recent Comments