Two-Timing

Twilight :: Movie v. Book

Forbidden love, teenage angst, vampires and werewolves - they all make for great stories but if you put it all together, do you have an amazing plot or too much of a good thing? If you’re Stephanie Meyer you have the best-selling series of 2008 followed by a blockbuster film. Twilight was so yummy even I jumped on the bandwagon, albeit reluctantly at first.

I usually find that I turn away from the über popular. It never makes sense to me. Further, I am not afraid to stand alone in my differing opinions. Naturally, for me, when I heard all the buzz surrounding the Twilight books, I didn’t bite. (Pun, intended.) When I first saw the trailer for the movie I was curious but having not read the book, I wasn’t stirring about like all the teenagers. Like a good movie-goer, I went to see the movie opening weekend. I missed half the dialogue due to the screaming and giggling of an immature audience. Through all the annoyances and skepticism, I feel in love with Twilight.

***SPOILER ALERT***

It’s the story. There are no huge explosions or never-before seen special effects so the story has to be strong enough to keep you, and it does. That being said, it’s a vampire movie so there are some special effects and they add to the power of the story and yes...it’s a mushy, love story and I liked it anyway.

Edward Cullen // Edward epitomizes the perfect guy - - bad and good all rolled up into on totally devoted and protective man-boy. He does very typical teenage boy things like show off to the girl he likes, Bella, but he’s a vampire so that means taking her to the top of a mountain oor tree on his back at super speed. Now, Robert Pattinson is not my type, but as Edward Cullen there is a certain rugged beauty and his passion for Bella is, well, hot, damn-near R-rated. When Edward tells Bella her blod is like his own special brand of heroin, you get it. He breaks down the predatory skills of a vampire to Bella and we understand. He explains that everything from his scent to the sound of voice is made to draw in his prey and goes onto show why dhe doesn’t need it. He even debunks the sunlight myth by showing Bella that he sparkles in the sun rather than burn or explode as in traditional legends. The movie shows us all of this and we see why Bella describes it as “diamonds” when he is touched by the sunlight. Pattinson plays the part perfectly and his body language and expressions clearly convey the words the audience can’t read but know so well from the book. He nails the complexity of the character.

Isabella Swan // Bella is the quintessential teenage girl in almost every way. She is that pretty girl in high school who is unaware of their attractiveness making her more so, smart and awkward and introverted but has strength of character. At 17, many girls can understand this character, she’s relatable. She is also vampiraclly-challenged. The one thing I disliked in the movie adaptation was the loss of some of Bella’s quirks. On glaring omission is her fear of blood. In a scene in the book she faints in biology class when a student’s finger is pricked for an experiment because she smells the blood. The movie does a good job of highlighting how uncoordinated, rather clumsy, she is, however. Despite this Bella wants to be with a vampire, because she’s in love. She is also insecure but not weak in that girlie way people always portray young girls. She worries more about Edward’s family liking her than the fact they are vampires. By the end of the story she is convinced she wants to be a vampire, if nothing else than to be have eternity with Edward, but he won’t oblige. He even stops the transition after she is bitten by a tracker vampire, James, by sucking the venom out of her; gutsy when it’s her blood he thirsts most, showing how adamant he is about her not becoming a “monster.”

I could go into a great detail about the Cullens (Edward’s family) but seeing as I have just started the second novel New Moon, the second movie (same title) is scheduled for release on November 20, 2009, and there are two iterations more (Eclipse and Breaking Dawn), this won’t be the last time I write about the Twilight Saga, so I will keep this dual review from becoming a novel.

Book v. Movie // There have been so many arguments on either side of the book versus movie fight. Though the story remains fundamentally unchanged, there are some noticeable differences. Stephanie Meyer, the author, brings these characters to life with great dialogue. The best lines in the movie are directly from the novel. No discredit intended to the screenwriter, Melissa Rosenberg, she brought the story to life and some argue that the movie is better due largely in part to the faster pace of the rewrites, but the story and characters belong to Meyer. My choice unsung hero in this movie is casting director. The movie worked well because the actors played the hell out of their parts. None were what you would consider A-List actors (that would have ruined the movie) but they are all skilled. Even the Bella’s mother who has a smaller role has been on 24 and is now on Trust Me. Kristen Stewart did an amazing job showing us the layers of Bella and Robert Pattinson embodied the pain and anguish of being Edward. I love Nikki Reed as Rosalie and Ashley Greene as Alice. I was disappointed that Jasper, though well played by Jackson Rathbone, did not get to show his special ability. There is great talk of Edward’s mind reading and mention of Alice’s premonitions but nothing of Jasper. I understand that the movie was already two hours long and would have needed a sequel to reflect the book exactly but I think that would have been absurdity. So who wins? This one, my friends, is a draw. Don’t give me that. It had to be and if you read the book and see the movie you, too, will see it my way.

Just as an additional note, the soundtrack to the movie is also pretty good. There are some great songs by Paramore (one of my favorites), Linkin Park (another favorite) and Muse. Surprisingly, Robert Pattinson has two songs on the soundtrack that are heard in the movie which are very good. Who knew?!

*The Twilight DVD released on March 21, 2009 and is already slated to be the best selling DVD release of the week despite its late release. The movie has already grossed over $370 million worldwide.