Review: Twilight a good romantic thriller, sets up for sequels
November 20th, 2008 at 12:16 pm by Laff at the Movies under Entertainment
Twilight is a good romantic thriller, with style and action that sets up for sequels… the writing is good, the acting is good, the effects aren’t campy or over-the-top, the cinematography and settings are good, with little hints of comic relief.
For someone who grew up in the great northwest, its nice to see a movie embrace that geography of Oregon and Washington, as the movie is set in the town of Forks, Washington, but is shot on both sides of the Columbia River on both sides of the border… showcasing the beautiful Oregon Coast and the majesty of the fir and oak trees of the northwest.
“Twilight”
(2008) (rated: PG-13 for some violence and a scene of sensuality) (2 hr, 2 min)
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Ashley Greene, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Kellan Lutz, Peter Facinelli, Cam Gigandet, Taylor Lautner, Anna Kendrick, Michael Welch, Justin Chon, Christian Serratos, Gil Birmingham
Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Genre: Action/Horror/Romance/Thriller/Vampire/Teen
The Plot: A teenage girl risks everything when she falls in love with a vampire.
MY TAKE (spoiler free): Few movies are such a posterchild for the teen anxst and awkwardness as Twilight… this the movie is filled with it… but the irony is that one of the awkward teens in love is a 17 year old outsider from Arizona, the other is a 107 year old outsider that is a vampire.
The movie is full of nice little moments involving main character Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) or Bella and her father the police chief (Billy Burke).
The budding romance and awkwardness of Bella and Edward is the heart of this movie, as the audience, especially the fans of the books will cheer when they finally have their first kiss. While Bella wrestles with the reality of falling in love with a vampire, Edward is reluctant to embrace what most vampires are: hunters of human blood.
His reluctance could be confused for pick up lines when he says things to Bella like “I don’t have the strength to resist you” and “you’re my own personal heroin”.
Edward’s awkwardness is funny considering his catlike reflexes and supernatural speed, and the fact that he’s really more than 100 years old.
A memorable scene that doesn’t involve the love story or the action of protecting Bella from the bad guys is when Bella decides to go to Edward’s home to meet his “family”… at the house, the other vampires are making dinner in the kitchen for the first time ever… when ironically Bella could be the dinner for them.
The protective father also has some scenes that are clever writing, giving Bella mace (which the audience knows will not protect her from her real threats), he also questions Edward’s age compared to Bella’s (not realizing how right he is) and when its time for him to meet Edward before their date, he has the typical scene with a rifle as he meets Edward (although the rifle would not actually hurt him).
THE BOTTOM LINE: Obviously fans of the books and younger and female audiences will like this movie more than I did, but its not a bad effort on a genre that is filled with many entries – while there is some action in the last third of the movie, Twilight is filled with the relationship between its two main characters and is less like typical vampire movies. I give it 7.0 out of 10. We know there are other books in the series, and the way this movie ends, its clear they are setting up for sequels… especially as Taylor Lautner’s character Jacob begins to create a possible love triangle with Bella and a jealous Edward.
ALSO: West Michigan native Taylor Lautner in Twilight
ALSO: Ticket sales for Twilight
So what did you think? Please post a comment!
“Twilight” poster courtesy Summit Entertainment
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Tags: Anna Kendrick, Ashley Greene, Billy Burke, Cam Gigandet, Christian Serratos, Gil Birmingham, Jackson Rathbone, Justin Chon, Kellan Lutz, Kristen Stewart, Laff at the Movies, Michael Welch, movie, Nikki Reed, Peter Facinelli, review, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Twilight
Aaron Lafferty covers the film industry in West Michigan.
Favorite movies include Star Wars, Indiana Jones, The Matrix, Clear and Present Danger, Tombstone, Rounders, The...
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When you going to review “My Name is Bruce” which will definitly be the best movie of the year!!!!!! =)
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Bruce Campbell is the man! …and a Michigan native!
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edward is sooooooooooooo sexy and cute
omg hes so hot