In a way, vampire lovers are akin to addicts of all kinds (alcoholics, druggies, coffee fiends). There may be certain types of our chosen addiction which we prefer or especially enjoy, which really get us where we want to be, but at the end of the day we'd take almost anything that even vaguely resembles what we love. So even if "Twilight" may be vampires lite, I'll take it. I've never really met a vampire I didn't like, and Edward Cullen (played by Robert Pattinson) happens to be a type of vampire I haven't seen before. Not having read the hugely popular book series on which this movie is based, I had no expectations or preconceived ideas of what the lead vampire in the story should be. Unlike vampires of the past, from classics like the great Bela Lugosi's Count Dracula to the hunky, rock & roll vampires in "The Lost Boys", Edward is a rather reserved, if intense, vampire who saves the human female of his dreams (Kristen Stewart as Bella Swann) instead of destroying her.
Moving to the rainy northwest from sunny Tucson, Bella is out of place living with her dad, the local police chief (Billy Burke) and attending a new school. One of the more intriguing aspects of her new life is a family of vampires, the Cullens, including "father" Dr. Carlisle (Peter Facinelli), "mother" Esme (Elizabeth Reaser), Alice (Ashley Greene), Jasper (Jackson Rathbone), Emmet (Kellan Lutz) and Rosalie (Nikki Reed). And then there's Edward. Of course there's an immediate attraction between the awkward Bella and the gorgeous, stand-offish Edward which becomes the main theme of the story. The romance between the human girl and the 17 year old vampire (who's actually been around for over a hundred years) is complicted by the fact that Edward mustn't ever give in to his overwhelming desire to chomp down on Bella. A subplot involves 3 "bad" vampires (Cam Gigandet, Edi Gathegi and Rachelle Lefevre) who begin ripping up the citizens of the small town, and one of them develops a fixation on Bella. A childhood friend of Bella's, a Quileute Indian boy named Jacob (played by darling Taylor Lautner), also shows up to warn Bella about the mysterious Cullens while cultivating his own sweet crush on her. There are some exciting scenes, including a game of vampire baseball during a thunderstorm and a clash of vampires when the Cullens must face off with the evil vampires in order to protect Bella. This isn't the best vampire movie I've ever seen by any means, but it's entertaining enough and, despite my reluctance to admit it, I'm actually thinking about going to see it again. Guess the teenage girl in me isn't quite dead after all.
Things to love about this movie: A very cool soundtrack that perfectly enhances scenes in the movie; terrific cast of cute newcomers who bring a fresh, interesting take to the vampire myth; a marvelous scene where Edward flies Bella up to the treetops for a stunning look at the northwest countryside
Things to hate about this movie: That overdone, white faced, red lipped, pouffed hair styling for Edward (he'd be much sexier without it); the Cullens consider themselves "vegetarians" because they only kill animals -- that's an insult!
Pleasant surprises: Edward manages to act like a teenager instead of a suave, mesmerizing vampire
Unpleasant surprises: Could have used more passion in the "romantic" scenes; when Edward reveals to Bella how he actually appears in sunlight, the cheesy F/X are a bit of a let down
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I had not intended to see this movie until I read your review and even then, I expected to find it over hyped and not to my liking.
After seeing it, count me among the fans of Stephenie Meyer.
My inner teenager is definitely alive and well and I, too, will see this movie again.
Favorite things - the baseball game, unbelievably breathtaking scenery and an array of truly beautiful vampires, including the "bad guys".
Let's not forget the eroticism. Until seeing this film, I thought that the reviews of the Twilight series of books had possibly over hyped this aspect of the story line, but the movie really captures the intense longing and sexual tension between Bella and Edward. LOVED IT.
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