Twilight (2008) – Film Review

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last couple of years you will no doubt be aware of the global phenomenon that Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight saga has become. The first novel in the series was bought to the big screen in 2008 and the result was Twilight.

The film follows Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) as she moves from Arizona to live with her father in gloomy Forks. Enrolling mid term at school she encounters Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and his strange family who keep themselves mostly separate from the rest of the school. Soon Bella finds that she can concentrate on nothing but Edward and the mystery surrounding him. Despite his telling her to stay away from him, mingled with the slight fact that he is in fact a vampire the two fall in love and have to face the consequences of their relationship.

Although those who haven’t read the book may feel slightly out of step at certain points of the film whereas Twi-hards may find it hard not to grumble at missing scenes the film does well to squeeze in as much as it does despite the constraints of having to fit a 300 page book into a two hour film. A favourite implanted line is where Edward is explaining his abilities to read people’s minds. He points at people describing what is on their minds, saying ‘money… sex… money… [and reaching a small bearded man] cat.’ The overall feel of the film coincides perfectly while the soundtrack provides a flawless musical backdrop, with Muse’s ‘Supermassive Black Hole’ seeming to have been written for the baseball scene.

The idea that the Twilight saga is somewhat of a teenage sensation is perhaps more applicable when the film is considered but it can still be enjoyed by all age groups. The hype surrounding the franchise has only been heightened by the are-they / aren’t they questions surrounding Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart but the film rises above that and provides an entertaining and often heart-warming portrayal of the Twilight novel.