"Twilight" Review

Movie: Twilight * Official Site	In Theaters: Nov. 21, 2008
Runtime: 122 minutes	Directed by: Catherine Hardwicke
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some violence and a scene of sensuality	Gecko Rating:

I haven’t read the “Twilight” books yet, but I went into this movie expecting big things based on the massive fan frenzy. I wasn’t disappointed. “Twilight” is romantic and thrilling, whether you’re a teenager or a mom, and even though some of the content is dark, it’s still warm and uplifting. How does it manage to do that?

More after the jump…

Based on the books by Stephenie Meyer, Melissa Rosenberg has crafted a fine screenplay that digs deep into a fantastical world of longing and forbidden love. Director Catherine Hardwicke has brought together all the right elements: a terrific cast, beautiful soundtrack, and moody landscape of the Pacific Northwest.

Kristen Stewart plays Bella Swan, a teenaged girl who moves to the rainy little town of Forks, Washington to live with her dad. Bella has a great relationship with her mom, but her mom has remarried a minor league baseball player and is moving around the country with him. So Bella decides to go live with her dad for a while.

She quickly makes friends at her new high school, but one mysterious boy named Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) is just…well, mysterious. After sitting next to him for one day in science lab, he disappears for several days. And there are other things: he stops a speeding truck from crashing into her, he runs as fast as a mountain lion, and his skin is pale and ice-cold. She soon figures it out – he’s a vampire.

The two quickly fall in love. Her dad (Billy Burke) is less than thrilled, but even though he and Bella have an awkward relationship, he still loves her and doesn’t want any weird boy messing with her. That provides for some comic relief in this rather dark, romantic storyline.

After some magical moments between Bella and Edward – he whisks her high atop a tree with a magnificent view of the Pacific Northwest – she’s welcomed into his family. She even gets to participate in a fun, all-American sport with them. But danger is afoot, and not all the vampires are as welcoming to humans as the Cullens.

Here’s my theory: The “Twilight” books and movie is captivating because it touches on a lot of things we wish we had in our lives: someone to love and protect us unconditionally, a passionate romance with a superhuman guy, and some mystery and intrigue to spice things up. Not to mention that the two leads, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, have fantastic chemistry and they’re both beautiful. Yes, he’s beautiful, too.

A movie on the next book in the series, “New Moon,” is already in motion, with a release date of 2010 planned. Looking forward to it!

Note to Parents: The PG-13 rating is a good go-by on this one. There’s some fighting that gets pretty intense, and although Edward and Bella don’t sleep together, you know they want to. The problem is that whenever he gets close to her, he has to fight the urge to bite her, which could send him into an uncontrollable frenzy. Ah, true love.

Images: Twilight, Summit Entertainment, 2008