Twilight is a movie top-billed by Harry Potter’s Goblet of Fire Cedric Diggory, Robert Pattinson and is based on the novel by Stephanie Meyer. It is a first of a series; after Twilight comes New Moon then The Eclipse and lastly, Breaking Dawn. I haven’t read the book yet like what I do with the Potter movies; I normally read the book first and see the movie next but I hadn’t had the luxury of time because of pressing time-dictating work load, so I decided to see the movie first instead.
In essence, the movie’s plot was quite predictable because of its simplicity. There is no clear-cut indication that Bella Swan [portrayed by Kristen Stewart], the mortal female lead and Edward Cullins, the immortal vampire male lead were really soulmates in the its exact context [or maybe yet, maybe it was clear in the book but wasn’t too established on film due to limited film running time], but what was clear was that a different and stronger form of love was able to transcend the norms of the ‘normal’ boy-meets-girl-then-the-two-fell-in-love ways of the mortal world.
It also talks about family and family ties; of how Bella tries to juggle herself with her estranged parents and how Edward had to deal with his being different and risks introducing a potential ‘risk’ to their kind’s real secret identity.
What was consistent though was the concept of acceptance. Acceptance was seen in a lot of forms in the story. Acceptance of family estrangements, acceptance of the fact that there are other higher forms of beings co-existing in this planet that could be considered higher than humans and acceptance that even in difference, there springs love.
I think that the ‘vampiric’ concept of the story is more just a backgrounder to the story and was done in the way the movie Titanic was done. The sinking of the Titanic was a real occurrence and served as backdrop to an intriguing love story that could have happened while all the hoola-baloo from stating that the Titanic was an unsinkable ship until its tragic going-under. The love story between Jack and Rose made the Titanic sinking have a human interest angle; that love can come even in the event of a tragedy. That loving someone does not just arrive in the most beautiful of moments. That love can come during highly impossible situations and that these terse situations could actually spur the ‘magic’ and reinforce the love already felt between two people. Although it is widely believed that vampire existence is a myth and the vampire concept is merely simply a part of most cultural folklores, we can say that the love story between Bella and Edward became spicier and more reinforced by a highly-intriguing and curiosity-piqued ‘of the fictional unknown and the supernatural’.
Robert Pattinson is a natural. His smirks. His eyes. They talk. His low, husky voice strengthened his portrayal of a vampire.He is as gorgeous as Stuart Townsend when he portrayed Lestat in the Queen of the Damned. Both look more gorgeous when they are pale-looking blood-sucking hunks [hehe, a nifty side-comment here… I just couldn’t resist, lmao!]
Cinematography was good, Production design was simple because all sets and props were mirroring reality. Lighting was great except during scenes with CG Effects that very flimsy mismatch the actual set in terms of texture and lighting distribution. The script and story continuity was highly satisfactory yet there were flaws in some of the sequences. Mostly minor ones, though, like with a single brush of Bella’s fingers with Edward, Bella recoiled because of his too cold feel. But when Edward finally shook hands with Bella’s dad, his dad never flinched a bit. Did he not feel his cold touch?
If the viewer is an avid vampire or Dracula fan, you’d get a little bit disappointed because there is nothing much extraordinary about the movie’s vampiric portrayals and presentations here. If you go for gory stuff, this movie is not for you.
The film actually presented the concept of the vampire in is basic presentation common to most vampire movies except those movies with costumed vampires sleeping in coffins with bulging fangs and sleek, middle parted hair. A lot of the more modern and recent vampire movies also portray the vampire modernly and less monstrous compared to movies of the same concept a decade or so back; we can notice now that in more modern portrayals, vampires aren’t afraid of the dark anymore and can reflect in mirrors that they can mingle with humans more obviously without having to worry that the sun might melt them or dissolve in a quick splash of Holy H20.
Edward Cullins in Twilight is your modern-age vampire; more human and more feeling.
At the end of the open-ended film [which is already indicative of the sequel; indeed three more books to go], there was a question hanging: Would you make a drastic decision to change who and what you are to be with the one you love?
For some, it is a hard question like addressing religion issues before marriage.
But then, I ask…“Would you or wouldn’t you?”
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