TWILIGHT
December 24th 2009 03:48
Category: Videos
Based on the novel ‘Twilight’ by Stephenie Meyer
Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Screenplay by: Melissa Rosenberg
Producers: Greg Mooradian, Mark Morgan & Wyck Godfrey
Starring: Kristen Stewart (Bella), Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen), Billy Burke (Charlie), Gil Birmingham (Billy Black), Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black), Peter Facinelli (Carlisle Cullen), Cam Gigadent (James), Edi Gathegi (Laurent) & Rachelle Lefevre (Victoria)
Produced by: Temple Hill in association with Maverick Films/Imprint Entertainment
Released by: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Running time: 125 minutes Rating: M
It’s amazing how vampires never seem to fade from the silver screen; from the very first films right up to contemporary times there seems to be an insatiable thirst (bad pun intended) for vampire flicks. Be it live action or anime there is always at least one vampire flick making its way onto the screens. Twilight, based on the novel of the same name by Stephenie Meyer, is but one such film to emerge in the last year or so. I admittedly didn’t catch it when it was showing at the local cinema; instead I had to settle for watching it in DVD format. After sitting in front of the computer and watching it I didn’t really know what to make of it although perhaps I am a) in the wrong age category, b) the wrong gender, c) too square to get what the kids are into today, d) all of the above or e) just felt the whole thing lacked some real tension and fear.
On one level this is very much a love story, girl meets boy vampire, falls in love with boy vampire beneath the light of the silvery moon you get the picture. It could also be said that intertwined with this particular theme is the whole coming of age shtick which is a mainstay of films that involve young people nowadays, I suppose it’s not allowed by convention to make a drama involving teenagers without this element. Now I’m not against such themes in a story, especially if they’re handled well and are integral to the plot, when you get that kind of concoction mixed right and bubbling away it works wonders. Where it all falls down is when the love story and coming of age finds themselves being mixed in with the vampire element, for me it just didn’t work.
Say what you like, vampires regardless of whether their portrayed as grotesque horrors, sophisticated bon vivants or hoary nobles from the old country they’re meant to be frightening and inhuman. That was not the feeling that I got in this film, the three antagonist vampires in this film wouldn’t in my estimation scare the pants off a two year old child let alone a grown adult. And don’t get me started on the Cullen’s, especially Edward; he is about as scary as a wet paper bag. Maybe I’m missing the point here but it seems to me that when you have vampires in your film they should be something a bit more than just people with special abilities, they should have a bit more impact as characters rather than showing off your special effects, they should be frightening, regardless of whether they’re protagonists or antagonists; after all they’re no longer human in fact they’re very much inhuman.
Watching this film I also realised that the makers were definitely intending that this was going to be very much part one in an ongoing series that are going to be based around Stephenie Meyer’s works. Even as I type these words I know that the second film New Moon is currently showing in cinemas and I believe it’s at my local. So when the dust does finally settle it’s not so much a resolution, but a temporary sorting out of things with a few loose ends that can be picked up on in the sequel. In fact as the credits were rolling I wondered if the fans of the books were who this film was aimed at, prompting my musings of whether I was in the wrong age group, gender or just not down with the funky stuff kids are into today.
Truth be told I don’t think any of those things really matter, Twilight is billed as something of a vampire flick, a different take on as I have mentioned is something of a mainstay in feature films and television. So I was expecting a vampire flick, a feature where the makers would present their own particular take on the whole genre. In that element I was sadly disappointed, as a film this is severely lacking when it comes to the vampire side of things. As a romance/coming of age style film it fulfils that part magnificently but falls very much flat when it comes to the supernatural element. Kind of like the noodles in a ramen not living up to the promise offered by the soup, you just cannot give it a passing grade no matter what.
And so it is with Twilight, the rest of the story elements are great, the cast is fantastic and the locale interesting but it is all let down by the vampire side of things. That area is not convincing in the least, I mean for crying out loud vampires playing baseball in a thunder storm? It just didn’t grab me, as Lister from Red Dwarf would say “I am very ungripped” and that’s how I felt after watching Twilight. Shame really, I was hoping to see a movie that was a bit more substantial than what I got. If you want a flick where vampires live up the whole horror angle and are a heck of lot more convincing than the mob in this movie then watch 30 Days of Night or heck reruns of Buffy the Vampire Slayer season one and two. The Master and Angelus are far more convincing antagonist than the goons in this flick; I mean come on who can be scared by a vampire with a pony tail called James for crying out loud? No for my money vampires need to be frightening to be convincing and in this flick they are substantially lacking in that department and the film suffers as a result.
Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Screenplay by: Melissa Rosenberg
Producers: Greg Mooradian, Mark Morgan & Wyck Godfrey
Starring: Kristen Stewart (Bella), Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen), Billy Burke (Charlie), Gil Birmingham (Billy Black), Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black), Peter Facinelli (Carlisle Cullen), Cam Gigadent (James), Edi Gathegi (Laurent) & Rachelle Lefevre (Victoria)
Produced by: Temple Hill in association with Maverick Films/Imprint Entertainment
Released by: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Running time: 125 minutes Rating: M
It’s amazing how vampires never seem to fade from the silver screen; from the very first films right up to contemporary times there seems to be an insatiable thirst (bad pun intended) for vampire flicks. Be it live action or anime there is always at least one vampire flick making its way onto the screens. Twilight, based on the novel of the same name by Stephenie Meyer, is but one such film to emerge in the last year or so. I admittedly didn’t catch it when it was showing at the local cinema; instead I had to settle for watching it in DVD format. After sitting in front of the computer and watching it I didn’t really know what to make of it although perhaps I am a) in the wrong age category, b) the wrong gender, c) too square to get what the kids are into today, d) all of the above or e) just felt the whole thing lacked some real tension and fear.
On one level this is very much a love story, girl meets boy vampire, falls in love with boy vampire beneath the light of the silvery moon you get the picture. It could also be said that intertwined with this particular theme is the whole coming of age shtick which is a mainstay of films that involve young people nowadays, I suppose it’s not allowed by convention to make a drama involving teenagers without this element. Now I’m not against such themes in a story, especially if they’re handled well and are integral to the plot, when you get that kind of concoction mixed right and bubbling away it works wonders. Where it all falls down is when the love story and coming of age finds themselves being mixed in with the vampire element, for me it just didn’t work.
Watching this film I also realised that the makers were definitely intending that this was going to be very much part one in an ongoing series that are going to be based around Stephenie Meyer’s works. Even as I type these words I know that the second film New Moon is currently showing in cinemas and I believe it’s at my local. So when the dust does finally settle it’s not so much a resolution, but a temporary sorting out of things with a few loose ends that can be picked up on in the sequel. In fact as the credits were rolling I wondered if the fans of the books were who this film was aimed at, prompting my musings of whether I was in the wrong age group, gender or just not down with the funky stuff kids are into today.
Truth be told I don’t think any of those things really matter, Twilight is billed as something of a vampire flick, a different take on as I have mentioned is something of a mainstay in feature films and television. So I was expecting a vampire flick, a feature where the makers would present their own particular take on the whole genre. In that element I was sadly disappointed, as a film this is severely lacking when it comes to the vampire side of things. As a romance/coming of age style film it fulfils that part magnificently but falls very much flat when it comes to the supernatural element. Kind of like the noodles in a ramen not living up to the promise offered by the soup, you just cannot give it a passing grade no matter what.
And so it is with Twilight, the rest of the story elements are great, the cast is fantastic and the locale interesting but it is all let down by the vampire side of things. That area is not convincing in the least, I mean for crying out loud vampires playing baseball in a thunder storm? It just didn’t grab me, as Lister from Red Dwarf would say “I am very ungripped” and that’s how I felt after watching Twilight. Shame really, I was hoping to see a movie that was a bit more substantial than what I got. If you want a flick where vampires live up the whole horror angle and are a heck of lot more convincing than the mob in this movie then watch 30 Days of Night or heck reruns of Buffy the Vampire Slayer season one and two. The Master and Angelus are far more convincing antagonist than the goons in this flick; I mean come on who can be scared by a vampire with a pony tail called James for crying out loud? No for my money vampires need to be frightening to be convincing and in this flick they are substantially lacking in that department and the film suffers as a result.
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