Twilight - Thoughts

Twilight is perhaps one movie that requires little introduction, having become today’s icon of pop culture, not to mention having brought vampires to the forefront of conversation again. The movie is based on the vampire themed fantasy romance novels written by  Stephenie Meyer; Twilight being the first, finding its way onto the big screen in 2008. The premise being very simple, a teenage girl’s discovery and love for a vampire, and the events that ensue.

After a rather slow 2 hours and 2 minutes, you will realize that there is very little to the plot above and beyond what the synopsis indicates. What makes Twilight special is the detail with which its content is portrayed. Though set in a small town, with key characters being very few, the sincerity of the narrative coupled with the beautiful photography adds value to the otherwise dragged out runtime. Some scenes are particularly simple, yet take up a good deal of screen time, as the camera pans and rotates and does its thing. What most audiences will relate to is the pursuit for that which is unique and different, but yet in our everyday, and by means of Bella’s narrative, will feel one with her in her pursuit. That said, the most obvious success of Twilight being its hopelessly romantic and needless to say obviously lop-sided perspective of life, which will perhaps only work in a movie. If you are impatient and are looking for more, Twilight will most probably leave you feeling shortchanged, otherwise if teenage romance sounds like your sorta thing, give it a whirl. Personally I don’t see myself watching any of the follow-up Twilight movies.

The success of Twilight beyond its buzz I would say largely rests on the brilliance of Kristen Stewart’s extremely believable portrayal of Bella. The narrative starts out strong but is carried through in large part thanks to Bella’s drive of adolescent discovery, fuelled by curiosity that inevitably grows into love. Never confused or deterred in her journey, by fear and surrounding circumstances. This is perhaps the movies strongest success, which most female teenagers will be able to readily relate to. Robert Pattinson plays Edward Cullen, the dreamy Vampire boy, who is initially strange, and later likable. He does a good job of seeming extremely awkward, and developing with the course of the movie into the warm and caring lover.

The DVD I was sampling was a US Region 1 Release. Picture was clear, and image remained exceptional, never getting too dark or shadowy. There were several outdoor shots and the Greens of the forests looking lush, providing a wonderful sense of nature in the quiet town of Forks. The overall color palette favored cool colors, and visibility remained strong throughout. Sound was presented by means of a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack. Dialogue delivery was perfect, and was key considering a large part of the movie is narrated from Bella’s perspective. Ambience was pretty decent, and set the tone for the little town of Forks well. Surround usage and positional sound was limited but noticeable, fitting in well with the plot as necessary.

My Recommendation: Watch It – (A very simplistic teenage vampire romance)