At the Movies with Fatwayne

Twilight is a teenage love story about an ordinary though somewhat introspective girl named Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and the boy she falls in love with who happens to be a 150 year old vampire named Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). It happens that Edward considers himself to be a monster even though he and his family refrain from feasting on humans and have opted to dine on animals just as many of us do. They however just drink the blood and waste the carcass. What a shame! There must be some understanding we can reach with them so that there is not so much waste of good meat!

These vamps live in Forks, Washington which is a place with lots of clouds and rain but little direct sunshine. This is a good thing since they want to keep the fact that they are the living dead a secret. When they are exposed to sunlight their skin becomes flecked in gold just like a good paint job on an expensive sports car.

In addition to being a lady killer (I’m referring to his looks), Edward can also read minds with the exception of Bella. This is one of the reasons that they have a hard time hitting if off when they first meet. There is a funny scene when Edward seems anxious to avoid Bella at all costs causing her to smell herself to see if perhaps this is the problem. Ah, teenage angst!

Eventually the kids become an item even though there is the real danger that Edward’s secret may come to life as a result of this relationship. In this movie, love does conquer all and Edward brings Bella to his home to meet the family. Surprisingly, this works out rather well and things start to look up for our lovebirds.

Of course, all good things come to an end and this ending is brought about by a band of roving vampires who are very much into drinking the blood of humans. Will Edward and his family be able to save our teenage heroine? Will she become a vampire? Will there be a sequel? You can probably guess the answers to these thought provoking questions without too much effort!

Although this film was made on the cheap, relatively speaking ($37 million), it did have several good effects and stunts. The scenery is spectacular but dreary due to the constant presence of clouds and rain.

I can’t advise you whether or not the film stays true to the book(s) since I have not read any of the four published to date. I can however report that the author, Stephenie Meyer, must be a happy camper since the books have sold over 18 million copies to date and she now has a movie to brag about.

With a running time of 2 hours and 2 minutes you get your money’s worth since it is an enjoyable film but not one without its faults. So, if you can stand the somewhat corny dialog you should agree with me that this is worth your time.

Rated – PG 13 -

Fatwayne’s rating: