by Stephenie Meyer released in 2005
Just in case you are one of those people that just REALLY isn't paying attention to what is happening in the entertainment world around you, Twilight is the first book in a series by Stephenie Meyer.
Within a few weeks of meeting, Bella and Edward are openly declaring their love for one another. While you might write this off as typical teenage romance, it falls more in line with the Romeo and Juliet idea of young love: it feels heady and miraculous and it is only in retrospect that you realize it was so swift. Through the course of their whirlwind romance, Bella discovers Edward's big secret: he is a vampire, as is the rest of his insanely beautiful and aloof family. Don't worry though- they're vegetarians, and they sustain themselves on animal blood, not human blood.
Hanging out with vampires, though, comes with a distinct set of dangers and Bella, of course, comes face to face with these dangers. Bella meets James, Victoria and Laurant, three nomadic vampires and becomes the mouse in an elaborate and violent cat and mouse game. There is a whirlwind chase to Phoenix, deception and violence that seems to lead to absolute death for Bella.
The characters are the driving force of this story, absolutely no question about it. Readers can remember falling in love for the first time (or the only time, as the case may be) and the headlong rush into these emotions are written in a very realistic way. To those who are cynical, it will be viewed as saccharine, but the fine line of balancing young love, lust and everything that goes with it is perfectly achieved. The characters seem to literally breathe with every turn of the page. Even with the over-the-top romance, there is a constant danger lurking in the background, and the moniker of star-crossed lovers seems all to appropriate, forcing the reader ahead at a break neck pace to find out if Edward, Bella and their love will all still be in tact on the last page.
With all the focus on the characters, there really is little room for anything else in this NASCAR-paced novel. The foreshadowing is... rudimentary. The plot is simple, but that is part of what drives it forward at such an unrelenting pace- if it were any more complicated, readers would have to move more slowly to digest it, but as it is, they are free to read frenetically in pursuit of the resolution. The dialog is actually really funny. This is the big surprise to most readers: Stephenie Meyer is genuinely funny, and it comes out in Bella's sarcasm and the witty banter between the "siblings".
The first time I read this novel, I read it in about 10 hours, straight through, without a single break. I literally could not put it down. For an easy read, and a little slice of fantasy that you think just might come true, you cannot get better than this.
Movie: Twilight (DVD)
starring Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart released in 2008
Rated PG-13 for violence, sensuality and light language.
This movie adaptation, handled by the semi-independent studio Summit, hardly lives up to the hype. When Summit began producing this film, Twilight was a popular book series with a hard-core following of loyal fans. When they finished production and released the film, Twilight was the second highest selling book series of all time, (the 3rd installment setting single day sales records) with a world-wide pandemonium of FANATICAL fans. Nothing can live up to the hype that was Twilight, especially not when it was conceived with low-budget goals in mind.
If this wasn't a big enough warning about exactly how bad the movie was going to be:
then nothing would be. Honestly, a gorgeous Bella, in a shoulder-baring gown, and ugly Edward with a sideways belt? This has to be the worst-thought-out PR shot ever. EVER.
The hype was a huge hurdle to overcome. The Hollywood writer's strike was another. As a result of the strike, Twilight received virtually no "tweaks" after the initial script, and the director and actors wound up creating new lines, and it shows. There are several pieces of dialog that seem overly contrived and almost painful to watch as the actors seem to struggle just to put words together on the spot. Kristen Stewart in particular spends a lot of time huffing and rolling her eyes as she fishes around for what to say. Whether this is her doing, the director's doing or simply the result of trying to re-create lines is hard to say. Either way, it's hard to watch.
With the indy-ish budget to deal with, the CGI in this movie is far inferior to what most people were expecting. Most movie goers were expecting a Harry Potter type of film: where the CGI blends seamlessly with the live action and you are transported to a magical world where this is all just so real! Summit didn't have the money for that kind of seamless integration, and relied instead on a lot of old tricks: treadmills to make characters look like they're moving faster than they are, etc. Be prepared for this: when Edward is in the sun, he is supposed to be sparkling. Not sprouting rainbow fur. If I didn't tell you (or you didn't read the book) you would never know.
All that aside, this is still Twilight, and there are some fun characters and relationships to bolster the film. Charlie in particular is amazing, as is Carlisle. And despite the sub-par directing, the driving romance still pulls the film along. Some of Meyer's wit comes through, and in the end, the love between Bella and Edward is what really matters. This will probably be the only version of this film, as the hype as put it into the "unremakeable" (not a word) category. As such, it is good enough. Not good. But good enough. If you didn't read Twilight AND Midnight Sun, you probably won't get it.
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