"Twilight" took the U.S. by storm.

Movie Review - "Twilight" sizzles but squanders dark romance

By: Amy Wright

Posted: 12/1/08

There's something darkly erotic about vampires, and "Twilight" knows it.

I get why people are going crazy over this, despite its countless flaws. It's a 15-year-old's dream. And embarrassing as it is, I'll say it: I actually liked parts of this movie.

I saw "Twilight" twice: once with no knowledge of the story, and once again after reading the novel upon which the movie is based. I won't say I liked it better the second time, but I certainly appreciated different parts.

Though the film fails to capture parts of the novel, it's easier to patch together the somewhat choppy story when you know the emotional foundation that supports it.

"Twilight" follows Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) when she moves to a Pacific Northwest town and meets the mysterious Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). The two are swept into a passionate and unorthodox romance: Edward is a vampire.

Though he lives as a vampire "vegetarian," ignoring the draw of human blood, as the pair gets closer, their lives grow exponentially more difficult. And when other vampires come to town and set their sights on Bella, her life is left for Edward alone to protect.

Audiences will simply melt at the sizzling chemistry between Stewart and Pattinson. You could actually explode with their desire, and I'm pretty sure they're acting is not good. It's hard to think what this movie would have been their obvious mutual attraction.

The first hour was on fire with electric sexual tension, which eventually disappoints as the film is kept strictly PG (though I've heard rumors the next installments of the series have a little more action in store).

Pattinson is the obvious star of this movie. His Edward is unshakably confident and witty, but it's the absolute pain and confusion shining in his brooding eyes that will make him the desire of every young girl in the country. It's unquestionably beautiful to watch.

Unfortunately, that might be the movies' only saving grace.

Though the relationship burns with the actors' chemistry, there is absolutely zero development between the two. It's as if they decided to throw their lives away on a hopeless romance without ever actually meeting each other. Sadly, director Catherine Hardwicke lets the relationship rely too heavily on their chemistry, wasting any potential of a real romance.

With all talk of relationship aside, so many things are wrong with the actual making of the film.

The special effects are simply laughable. Perhaps a bigger budget (maybe a more intuitive director, too) would have done a world of justice, but I was truly embarrassed watching these vampires jump about. It's very sloppily done, making it even more obvious who the target audience is. High school girls don't really care about that whole technology thing.

And then the actors themselves seem uncomfortable in the action sequences. There's some weird teeth gnashing and some awkward half-crouching, but I was entirely unconvinced. The fight scenes are limp with horrible choreography, terrible filming and a surprising lack of intensity.

Even without those awkward moments, at times the dialogue is absolutely ridiculous. I physically cringed in the theater listening to the actors uncomfortably deliver their string of cheesy lines. It's hard to believe this terrible writing could come from such a finely crafted novel.

The utterly uncontrollable filming is as difficult to describe as it is to understand. Despite a few breathtaking scenes - particularly where Edward pulls Bella up into the clouds on a hundred-foot-tall evergreen overlooking mountains and rivers - the rest is choppy and weak. I felt like Hardwicke was trying too hard to be hip with interesting shots and questionable editing, but failed miserably in so many ways.

Furthermore, the conclusion reeks of cheap thrills. While the plot comes from the novel, I didn't enjoy it then, and I absolutely hated its treatment in the movie. Its childishness is outright unnecessary.

Then again, it speaks volume about the romantic pull of the story when I managed to like it despite all of this.

Stepping back, I think we have to consider a film's goal to determine its worth. In "Twilight," an explosive romance is very clearly the focus. If we can approach criticism of the movie with this motivation in mind, "Twilight" is perhaps more successful than it appears on the surface.

awright@unews.com