Twilight, The Movie

So, my sister called me early last week and said, "You and me, Twilight, next Saturday. Is it a date?" No hesitation on my part--of course. I've been anticipating this movie since I saw the trailer at the last movie I saw--which I can't even remember because it has been so long. I hadn't even read the books yet, but the movie looked intriguing.

Well, a dear friend of mine gave me the first 2 books, and told me to apologize to my family before I started to read them. I said okay a little skeptically, and took them home. I started to read the first Sunday. And bless her heart, my dear friend Susan was appallingly correct. I neglected everything and everyone in my life for the next week while I finished the first 2 books. She didn't have the 3rd or 4th, which had just come out, so I tried to settle into a long wait til I could get them. Let's just say, I held out for about a day. I bought books 3 and 4, then when I finished those, I went back and bought 1 & 2 so I could read them again. Which I have numerous times. I also loaned the books to a friend I thought would enjoy them. She's since called me and cursed me out a few times--her family has also been neglected thoroughly.

So, I was turned into one of those rabid fans that I roll my eyes at when I come across them.

When Saturday finally arrived, my sister, girlfriend and I met up at the movies (Mission Valley 20, Fashion 18 is always sold out). My girlfriend and I left our neglected families behind and drove in together. We had pre-purchased our tickets, so we grabbed take out to stand in line. We sat and waited for the movie to start--there are quite a few movies coming out that look really funny (Confessions of a Shopoholic may be another girl's night out). I was surprised at the number of men in line--I wouldn't want my hubby around--no harshing my mellow. . .

The men in the movie are exquisite--I think that the casting was about the best I've seen for a movie adaptation of a beloved book. My sister's friends warned her about the screaming--not from fright, but, when Edward first comes on screen. Robert Pattinson was exactly the Edward in my mind. I read later that a bunch of rabid fans had actually signed a petition for them NOT to cast him, and he received a bunch of hate mail. Those fans were dead wrong. Pattinson brought something to the role that wasn't in the book. He actually made me see Edward's point of view better--how tortuous it was to be around his own personal brand of heroin, and not partaking. He caught the awkwardness of a boy falling for a girl for the first time--and knowing that he could kill her if he lost control.

That said, I came out of the movie a little disappointed. I couldn't quite put my finger on why until I thought it over. I was disappointed that they had spent so little on special effects. Movie audiences have become very spoiled at the sophistication of special effects in movies these days--they are nearly seamless in most movies. But, you could practically see the wires for some of the effects. The one scene where they had to get it right, Edward showing Bella what he looked like in sunlight, was so hokey, people in the theater laughed. The movie did not spend enough time developing the relationship between Edward and Bella either. She figures out what he is, then suddenly, they're in love. People who've read the book could buy it, but, people who hadn't read the book would miss it entirely. I don't know if this was a script/screenwriter problem, or an editing problem.

The director, Catherine Hardwicke, captured exactly the moodiness of the scenery. She captured the awkwardness between teenager Bella and the father she hardly knows. The audience got started knowing the Cullen family, and Bella's friends from school and her relationship with Jacob Black was introduced. The cast was phenomenal. At the end of the movie, they showed Victoria, part of the evil coven hunting Bella, watching Edward and Bella at prom. This makes me wonder if the studio will somehow skip book 2 and go directly to book 3, or mix bits and pieces of the 2 books for the second movie. It will be interesting to see.

This movie made over $70 million in the opening, the highest opening weekend for any female director. Summit has announced plans to film the next book. I just hope that they'll invest a bit more money for special effects in the next film.