Twilight

Dir: Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen, Lords of Dogtown, The Nativity Story)
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Cam Gigandet, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Kellan Lutz, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Anna Kendrick, Rachelle Lefevre, Gil Birmingham
USA, 2008

Seen: Opening Night! Friday November 21, 2008 at Scotiabank

Reason to see: Teen vampire drama romance - of course I'm going to see it. Plus, I loved the book.

The theatre was certainly bustling on opening night of Twilight, the film adaptation of the novel by Stephenie Meyer that has taken people by storm. Were their screaming fans at the screening? Sure there were. Giddy laughter? You bet. But it wasn't all for Robert Pattinson who plays the male lead, Edward. There was a fair share of screaming for Peter Facinelli in his entrance as Carlisle. On the flip side the woman beside me that kept saying things like "oh, please!" and "settle yourselves!" during the audience eruptions.

The film itself is a faithful adaptation that is a sure to please its audience. I found the strength in the film to be the performance from Kristen Stewart as the protagonist Bella. A character that is amidst a time of great change yet shows a grace and strenght we do not often see in film. She is true to herself, kind to her friends and of course falls for the bad boy. Don't we all want to be her? Robert Pattinson does a solid job playing Edward, but falls to my only criticism of the film which would be the choice of some the special effects. I found they had the tendency to break the illusion of the world and when this occurred it affected his character, which is a shame. Also, the PG rating explains why the romance itself feels a little quieter than the book although I feel the relationship does come through strongly.

Another joy of the film is the supporting cast, who do a great job creating natural relationships. I particularly enjoyed Anna Kendrick as Jessica, Billy Burke as Bella's father Charlie, Taylor Lautner as Jacob (although looked a little older than should have) and Gil Birmingham as Billy. The casting for James (Cam Gigandet) and Victoria (Rachelle Lefevre) were brilliant choices, they had strong screen presence every time they appeared. Even though the supporting cast didn't get a lot of screen time, what they did with it was memorable with an understated beauty.

Overall, it was just what I was hoped the film would be. It is a film made for its fans, and if you are one of them you will be delighted with the result.

Shannon's Overall View:
I loved it
I'd buy it
I'd recommend to fans of the book and fans of vampire drama/romance.

14 minutes of preshow including 2 commercial and 5 previews: Confessions of a Shopaholic, Dance Flick, Inkheart, Fired Up and Know1ng

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© Shannon Ridler, 2008