Seventeen-year-old Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) moves in with her father Charlie (Billy Burke) in Forks, Washington and begins school. Upon first seeing Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), Bella both feels something for him and senses something mysterious about him. When a van nearly crushes her one day, Edward saves her in a superhuman way, and the explanation soon comes to light: he is a vampire. But one that survives only by drinking the blood of animals, never humans. Edward and Bella’s romance proceeds carefully but intensely, then is rudely interrupted by a group of sadistic vampires who make the two fight for survival.

CRITIQUE

Any film, television series, or book can garner a collection of fans and be called a fandom, but there are two recent book series that have been turned into films and they are probably the two biggest fandoms around today. Harry Potter is obviously the first one, and this film is the second. Twilight brims with entertaining intensity in direction and acting which mostly creates an effective presentation for a story that is both romantic and melodramatic.

In 2005, Stephanie Meyer began writing the story of Bella and Edward in the first book, which this film is based on, and continued it through three more books, the last of which, Breaking Dawn, was released last year. The concentration on romance is what makes this book series unique and is the central draw for its mostly female fans.

The most important thing this film version does correctly is having the same focus on the love story. There is enough of the reinvention of the vampire mythology in the books to allow it more screen time, but writer Melissa Rosenberg wisely recognized what makes the books special. The dash of exciting action at the end is maintained as well.

As a fan of the books, this writer has a couple of peeves with the script. A few very small attempts to make the character of Bella more funny or smart than she is in the books fall flat. A flaw in casting emphasizes this imperfection, as Kristen Stewart (Panic Room, Into the Wild) is not the right choice to play Bella. She’s been acting a long time and looks perfect on camera; this has blinded directors and casting directors to the fact that she doesn’t really get past the superficial emotion of a scene. Plus, she is a natural blonde with green eyes who has been cast as a brunette with brown eyes.

However, director Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen) did get the casting of Edward right. Robert Pattinson (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) not only looks the part, but he has tapped into the mix of danger and intelligence that Edward has to exude beneath his tortured exterior.

The look of the film, specifically the locations and cool-toned colors, is something that Hardwicke hit spot on from Meyer’s novel, and the editing excels throughout. The stunt work is a particular standout as well. There is also a lot of enjoyment to be had from the supporting actors, especially ones so well cast as Billy Burke and Peter Facinelli (as Carlisle Cullen).

These elements of the film are what will make any fan of this book series look forward, despite the presence of Stewart, to the future adaptations of the other three books. The strength of the direction, writing, and most of the acting in Twilight are what make its romance successful and entertaining.

THE VIDEO

Twilight is presented in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen. A problem-free transfer of the color palette and solid picture quality is what you’ll find here.

THE AUDIO

Twilight is presented in English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround. Music and sound effects are loud and clear coming from all speakers and the dialogue is clear as well. Also included is a Spanish 5.1 dub track and optional subtitles in English and Spanish.

THE EXTRAS

Audio Commentary: Director Hardwicke joins with stars Stewart and Pattinson for a track and it is a good one. There is frequent laughter between the three, which gives listeners a glimpse into what the filming experience must have been like. There are often intonations of “It was so cold!” but there are also nice behind-the-scenes facts, like when it is revealed that Stewart was not even on set when the close-ups of Pattinson on the hospital scene were filmed. Fans will definitely enjoy this.

Extended Scenes: There are 5 scenes extended here on the first disc of this set, and the amount added to each scene varies but they are mostly all worth watching. I particularly enjoyed seeing more of Burke’s performance as Charlie in one of them, and the extra part of the famous sequence in the meadow will please any Twilight saga fan (like me!). Director Hardwicke briefly introduces each clip, which is a nice touch, though it doesn’t add much to the viewing of them.

Deleted Scenes: Five excised scenes are included together on the second disc of this set, again with introductions from Hardwicke. These are wonderful scenes, and fans will watch them again and again. The best is the other kissing scene that was shot, but the other Bella and Edward interlude comes a close second.

The Adventure Begins: At about an hour in length, this extensive documentary is probably the best extra here. It is detailed and entertaining, filled with all sorts of interesting facts that are the reason documentaries like this are made. The interviews are some of the best, and include everyone from author Meyer to all the actors and some of the artisans like editor Nancy Richardson. The viewer gets to see exactly how much wire work went into getting vampires to move faster than humanly possible, and we also get to see how a scene like the Meadow can be shot in two different places at two different times and feel cohesive.

Comic-Con Featurette: The wild experience of the cast, director, and author at the Comic-Con presentation is covered in this doc. Various fans talk about the book and film… well, scream about it, more like. The questions they ask the actors are cool and it’s fun to watch them all answer. The best one may be when a fan asks why all cute guys were cast and Meyer quips, “Because that’s the way I write them.”

Music Videos: Included here are Paramore with “Decode,” which was written for the film, Muse with “Supermassive Black Hole” and Linkin Park with “Leave Out All the Rest.” “Decode” is the only one which features any clips from the film, while the other two are more like filmed concerts. The songs are quite good, though, so fans will definitely enjoy.

Theatrical Campaign: This section contains all the promotional footage released for the film. The sneak peek from the DVD of Penelope is included, as is the featurette screened at Comic-Con last year for the fans. All three theatrical trailers for the film are included here as well. These are nice additions, particularly the first sneak peek, with it’s interviews and good scene from the film, and the first teaser trailer, which is an excellent example of what a teaser should be.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Twilight preserves the romance that fans fell in love with in the books through direction and most of the performances, while the script is faithful, but not in a belabored way. A gorgeous look was created for the film as well. Excellent special features on this two-disc set will definitely please viewers, even those who haven’t devoured the books. Romantics in general should give Twilight a consideration.