Film Reviews

Twilight

• Rating:
• Director: Catherine Hardwicke
• Starring: Kristen Stewart
• Details: USA / 122mins / (12A)

Not many film adaptations garner the amount of obsessive hyperbole that Twilight has managed to accumulate the last few months, as its fiercely loyal fanbase awaited the cinematic incarnation of Stephenie Meyer's book with baited breath. They can now breathe a sigh of relief, as Twilight is aimed purely at those aforementioned droves, and generally manages to succeed - even if sometimes panders a little too much to its fanbase. Proceedings centre on the insular Bella (Stewart), who moves to a small Washington town to live with her father,after her mother goes on the road with her baseball-playing other half. Soon, she's made friends with the local youngsters, but quickly catches the eye of Edward Cullen; a pale sort who's later revealed to be a vampire. Edward is a 'vegetarian' sucker, meaning he only chows down on animals. Before long, the two begin a romance that attracts the attention of the entire school, risking Edward's cover as a regular high school student being blown, and putting both of their families in danger. There's a simplicity to the story here that's actually quite refreshing; it's Romeo and Juliet crossed with The OC, with a sprinkling of Interview with the Vampire, and sometimes, often in spite of itself, Twilight actually manages to work. Hardwick's direction is certainly lacking at points, as the ropey effects and incessantly emo soundtrack sometimes serve merely to distract; but as a tween romance, it does suck you in. There are a couple of standout sequences - most notably a baseball game that ends on an ominous note - while Stewart is the perfect choice for Bela, all subtle teen angst. As for resident hottie Pattinson, he nails the ambience of the character but is sometimes hamstrung by the ropey dialogue. But my God, will the teenage girls swoon at the romance of it all, as the longing looks of the first twenty five minutes soon descend into full-on panting. It often does as many things wrong as it does right, but it's all good popcorn-chewing fun.

Review by Mike Sheridan