Twilight

Published April 16, 2017

Film info

Title Twilight
Director Catherine Hardwicke
Year 2008
Run time 2hrs 2m
Genres Romance, Drama, Fantasy
Tagline When you can live forever, what do you live for?

Bella Swan has always been a little bit different. Never one to run with the crowd, Bella never cared about fitting in. But things change when she meets the mysterious and dazzlingly beautiful Edward Cullen. For Edward is nothing like any boy she's ever met. He's nothing like anyone she's ever met, period. He's intelligent and witty, and he seems to see straight into her soul. In no time at all, they are swept up in a passionate and decidedly unorthodox romance - unorthodox because Edward really isn't like the other boys. He can run faster than a mountain lion. He can stop a moving car with his bare hands. Oh, and he hasn't aged since 1918. Like all vampires, he's immortal. That's right - vampire. But he doesn't have fangs - that's just in the movies. And he doesn't drink human blood, though Edward and his family are unique among vampires in that lifestyle choice. To Edward, Bella is that thing he has waited 90 years for - a soul mate. But the closer they get, the more Edward must struggle to resist the primal pull of her scent, which could send him into an uncontrollable frenzy. Somehow or other, they will have to manage their unmanageable love. A modern, visual, and visceral Romeo and Juliet story of the ultimate forbidden love affair - between vampire and mortal.

Live blog

Time	Comment
1:47	Always staggered by those US streets where there is just SO MUCH ROOM for houses.
3:22	Travel with a cactus everywhere you go.
4:48	“We used to make mud pies when we were little.” Adding that to the bad chat up lines list.
10:02	Baby Anna Kendrick is freakishly adorable.
11:37	Wow that was an intense first meeting, with no words.
13:14	“I didn’t lose my power cord, it ran away.”
17:16	He is so weird looking though. I can’t believe no one has checked into his life before.
24:46	“Can’t you just thank me and get over it?”
32:39	That beach business looks absolutely freezing.
39:04	She’s quite brave to go to scary bookshop by herself. Clumsy though.
42:34	Clever make up tricks. He looks normal now it is nighttime.
47:50	Wait a minute, they’re not making up some stupid search engine, they’re just using Google?
51:54	Oof, it would be awesome to have super speed.
56:32	So many reasons not to get involved, but I couldn’t cope with the cold hands situation.
1:01:42	Visions are subjective. Future can change. That seems important.
1:08:16	No sleep? Right I’m not being a vampire.
1:27:59	Oh god, the poor Dad.
1:38:18	Vampire rage is a new category.
1:42:44	“Death is peaceful. Easy. Life is harder.”
1:50:12	Wow, they didn’t even last two minutes at the prom. Affinity!

Conclusions

So, here’s the thing about Twilight. I haven’t read the books and I really haven’t felt much of a desire to do so. All I’ve heard about them suggests that Bella isn’t really the kind of heroine I would appreciate, what with wanting to give up her life the very moment she meets a cute vampire.

But then I developed a super soft spot for Kristen Stewart, and combine that with our ongoing Anna Kendrick obsession, the films start to seem more palatable. That’s certainly what I’ve been telling myself, anyway, since I woke up one morning with a hangover and the full Twilight bundle sitting in my iTunes library.

Actually, this first film isn’t so bad. I mean, first you have to get over the fact that the vampires barely seem to struggle with any of the vampiric curses - ie. they can go out in daylight (the glittery thing, wtf?), they can survive drinking only animal blood, they don’t have fangs, and apparently can be seen in cameras.

Then you have to accept the slightly rushed development of feelings between the pair of them. But once you’ve done that, it’s an alright teen supernatural movie. I’d go so far as to say I’m curious to watch the next one. Certainly not eager, but curious.

Rating: 3/5.

Rating: 3 / 5