What if I'm not the hero. What if I'm the bad guy?
Author Stephenie Meyer's Twilight is a phenomenon. It's big. Really big.
Harry
Potter big? Maybe not quite, but it's huge. Never heard of it? Ask a high school girl.
Chances
are she's been lugging around a well-worn copy of the book for months, perhaps even toting one
or two or three of its sequels along for the ride. "Edward" has replaced the name of that
oh-so-handsome boy sitting across the cafeteria when it comes time to gossip about the latest
relationships; "Bella" is the kind of girl that would make for such a great friend; and "Vampire"
now means more than a black-and-white Bela Lugosi gazing into living rooms around the world.
It's a hit, all right, and when a mega-property finds itself the object of affection of the teenage girl
community, a movie can't be far behind. Indeed, Twilight is now a major motion
picture, and a surprisingly good one at that. It's far better than one might expect, given not the
popularity of
the books but instead the demographics of its target audience. It's more mature, sincere, and
intense than other material aimed at that same
audience. Twilight leads one to care for its characters, ponder what's truly in their best
interest, and fall for the intrigue of its story. It's a love story, and something of a traditional one
at that, built around the familiar refrain of loving that which cannot be loved. It offers little new
in
either its romance or its take on Vampire lore, but the story nevertheless manages to mesmerize
at best and hold one's attention at worst, and may even arouse one's interest just enough to get
hooked on
the series.
9th grade geography loves 'Twilight!'
High school junior Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) moves from the loving arms of her mother
(Sarah
Clarke) and the heat of Arizona to live with her protective father (Billy Burke) in overcast and
rainy
Forks, Washington, population 3,120. She's something of a loner, the new girl, and the daughter
of the town
sheriff,
a combination not likely to win her many friends. She manages a few acquaintances that show
her
the ropes of high school life in a wet small town, including answering her questions about the
mysterious Cullen family, themselves outcasts and loners. Bella quickly falls under the spell of
the handsome Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), but when she is assigned a seat next to him in
Biology class, he seems repulsed at her very presence, going so far as to ask for a transfer to
another class immediately thereafter. His request is denied, and he vanishes from school for
several days. When he returns a calmer, more personable individual, he takes a liking to Bella.
Their
relationship becomes strained when Edward saves Bella from an out-of-control vehicle, the boy
seemingly appearing out of thin air and stopping the car with his arm. Edward fails to disclose
the
details of his heroism, straining their burgeoning relationship. Nevertheless, Bella remains
intrigued, and when Edward once again saves her, he reveals enough to allow her to deduce that
he
is more than a handsome 17-year-old -- he's a vampire.
Twilight is something like a modernized version The Lost Boys with a
touch of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" but
with less elements of Horror and Comedy and more in the way of Fantasy. However, it offers
that
same basic premise
of a mortal falling in love with an immortal creature of the night. Here, that creature doesn't
necessarily despise what he is, but instead controls his emotions and instincts for the sake of
humanity, much like the Buffy-Angel relationship. It's merely unfortunate that the girl Edward
loves in Twilight smells like a juicy top sirloin steak fresh
off the grill. Twilight is also a true three-act film with three distinct segments that evolve
one from another, expertly developing its characters while simultaneously weaving its story. The
first act
introduces the players and
hints at the struggles they will face through the remainder of the film. The second introduces
the villains and sees the blossoming of love, a love hindered by the baggage each character
brings to the relationship. Act three sees the climactic action sequence that further challenges
the wants and
needs of the characters and provides the ultimate test of strength, both physical and emotional,
to overcome the hardships of the story -- both from within and externally. Indeed,
Twilight is nothing but straight formula, but it embraces and works within the formula so
well that it seems far fresher and novel than it truly is.
Twilight is a well-crafted film not only on paper but on celluloid, too. Director Catherine
Hardwicke (Thirteen) lends to the film a mystical quality thanks to its subdued, cold look
that greatly enhances both the characters and the theme of difficult and forbidden love, a love
that
wants only to
conquer boundaries. Twilight also enjoys a fine score courtesy of Carter Burwell (No Country for Old
Men) that mixes a modern hard-rock feel with something of an evil, foreboding tone.
The refrain that plays time and again throughout the film is particularly mesmerizing, and it
seems to fit perfectly in every scene in which it is heard, no matter the place in the story or the
tone of the scene. Where Twilight seems to truly shine is in the better-than-expected
performances of its two lead characters. Kristen Stewart lends to Bella Swan an innocence that
humanizes the character. She's something of an every girl, not too glamorous but not too
homely, not too rich and not too poor, not too extroverted but not completely introverted, either.
She plays the part very well, beginning as a confident but also somewhat frightened girl who
becomes at first intrigued and, eventually, in love, with a mysterious individual. Her progression
is
natural enough, perhaps a bit rough around the edges and not as fully developed as one might
like thanks to the time constraints of the film, but Stewart understands the character and both
her
struggle with her emotional state and the complexities of her blossoming romance well. Robert
Pattinson's portrayal of Edward Cullen is also a step above. What could have been a stereotyped
character is given a soul, even if his undead body may or may not even have one. He's steadfast
in his beliefs but retains a strong posture when Bella enters his life and he pieces together the
possibilities, balancing the positives and negatives of inviting her into his complex existence.
Pattinson
recalls both James Van Der Beek and Hayden Christiansen, but his performance bests either of
those actors' efforts to date.
Twilight debuts on Blu-ray with a high quality 1080p transfer framed in its theatrical
2.35:1 aspect ratio. This is a transfer that gives some of the very best Blu-ray discs a run for
their money. Colors are natural and not overblown; the image tends to look a bit dreary
throughout thanks to the overcast conditions of Forks, Washington, not to mention an inherently
bleak appearance with something of a steely, bluish tint. There is plenty of detail to be found in
most every scene, no matter how dull the image may naturally be. Whether seeing the stitches
on Bella's jacket, the finer details of the school's gymnasium, minute textures on some faces, or
the objects scattered about a table during a gun cleaning session, the image never fails to
showcase the finer qualities of the objects
in-frame. On the other hand, both Bella's and the vampire's faces look incredibly pale and lifeless,
but
again, this is a case where ghastly flesh tones represent an accurate reproduction of the intended
look. There is hardly a rosy cheek to be seen in the film, nor an overly bright color. About the
closest thing to "bright" may be Bella's old copper-colored Chevy pick-up truck and some green
foliage. Black levels are consistently deep and natural. Film grain is present over the entirety of
the picture, though never so heavily as to become a distraction. It does lend to the film a
nice-looking theatrical quality. There are no discernible blemishes to be seen
over
the print. Twilight, despite its bleak look, appears as intended and is of reference-grade
quality on Blu-ray.
Twilight features a robust DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The track makes
consistently excellent use of the entire soundstage, featuring loud yet precise sound effects and
music that spreads out all around the listening area. Surround speakers often come into play in
support of the music and effects, generally supporting the action up-front but sometimes offering
discrete sounds. These include several instances of fine atmospherics, such as a rainstorm as heard
in
chapter two, or a seaside scene in chapter five that does nice to engulf the listener in the scene,
creating a good atmosphere where seagulls and rushing water come through with nice clarity. Bass
is quite powerful during the film's baseball sequence and climactic confrontation. Dialogue is strong,
clear, and crisply delivered. Twilight makes for an above-average listen, and the lossless
soundtrack supports the top-notch visuals and themes of the film very well.
Twilight offers viewers the opportunity to learn more about the film via the inclusion of
several bonus features. First up is a feature-length commentary track with Director Catherine
Hardwicke and Actors Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. Unfortunately, the track offers no
real
flow, with just tidbits of random information scattered here and there. It's an odd mixture of
worthwhile information and generally uninteresting anecdotes from the set. The Adventure
Begins: The Journey From Page to Screen is a Blu-ray profile 1.1 picture-in-picture feature
that
is also available separately from the film in full-screen 1080p video with a combined runtime of
54:29. The piece begins with Author Stephenie Meyer discussing the origins of the story and
a look at the lengthy process of converting the printed word to the big screen. The piece
examines
the casting and the previsualization computer work, discusses the world of the Cullen family,
looks at the creation of
the baseball sequence, and more. This is a generally engaging piece that is far more informative
and user-friendly than the commentary track. The Comic-Con Phenomenon (480p,
7:58)
takes viewers into the wild world of Twilight fandom. Also included are three music
videos -- "Supermassive Black Hole" by Muse (1080i, 4:58), "Decode" by Paramore (1080i,
5:09), and
"Leave Out All the Rest" by Linkin Park (1080i, 3:35). Five extended scenes (1080p, 9:36) and
five
deleted scenes (1080p, 5:54) are next. Concluding the special features is BD-Live (Blu-ray profile
2.0) functionality and five pieces of the "theatrical campaign" -- Sneak Peek as Seen on
'Penelope' DVD (1080p, 3:22), Comic-Con New York Sneak Peek (1080p, 4:22), two
teaser trailers (1080p, 0:58 & 1:15) and the film's theatrical trailer (1080p, 2:23).
Twilight is a far better movie than many may have expected. Despite its construction
around the basics of romance and vampire lore, not to mention its strict adherence to a basic
three-act story, it feels incredibly fresh and remains engaging from beginning to end. The film
develops its characters very well, aided by a pair of above-average performances from Kristen
Stewart and Robert Pattinson. Twilight also features steady direction, fascinating visuals,
and a consistently fine score. It's no surprise that the film's built-in audience devoured it in droves,
but Twilight is worth sinking the teeth into for those unfamiliar with the books, too.
Twilight is a surprisingly effective and gripping film that offers up just the right doses of
suspense, action, horror, drama, and, of course, romance, the end result a film that far surpasses
expectations and might just mean the addition of four new books to the library. Summit
Entertainment's Blu-ray release of Twilight is exceptional. The disc boasts high quality
video and audio presentations in addition to a nice selection of bonus features. Fans and
newcomers alike should have no reservations about making a date with Twilight on Blu-ray.
Recommended.
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