TWILIGHT

"I'm not scared"

When Bella Swan (Stewart) moves back to the rainy, constantly cloud covered Forks, Washington, to live with her Dad (Burke), she is right to think that this small town is going to be very different from Phoenix, Arizona. While she doesn't really struggle to fit in with the local kids, she does get the same response from her new biology lab partner Edward Cullen (Pattinson). As she tries to discover why he is being this way towards her, she discovers that she can't take her eyes of him and when she is nearly hit by a car, Edward saves her but there is no way that he could move that fast or stop that car if he were a normal human being.

When it comes to the Vampire mythos, Hollywood has almost covered every aspect of it but can 'Twilight' bring something new the classic horror storyline?

Based on the first novel in the 'Twilight Saga' by Stephenie Meyer, the story introduces us to a slightly different twist on the established, Hollywood version of the Vampire mythos. With vampires walking around during the overcast day, reacting very differently when exposed to sunlight and the usual defences of crosses, garlic and Holy water not having any affect, 'Twilight' is definitely a different take on what we have seen before.

The essence of the tale is a love story between a young girl Belle and a forever-young vampire Edward, who has been struggling to come to terms with his 'gifts' for decades. When Belle moves to Forks, Washington State, to live with her father she thinks it could be the worst thing she has ever had to do in her life but the students in her new school welcome her with open arms, as the new girl from the big city but she doesn't get the same reaction from her new biology lab partner Edward Cullen. He completely avoids her, even missing school to get away from her. This, of course, intrigues Belle and when he finally returns, she pledges to find out what makes Edward so different. Of course, Edward has a dark secret and what Belle discovers will change her life forever but while this story might sound familiar, 'Twilight' does inject something new into the very tired vampire mythos.

Here we have a family of vampires who have left their carnivorous ways behind, surviving on animal blood instead of the human kind. Carlisle Cullen, played by Peter Facinelli, a doctor and his wife Esme (Elizabeth Reaser) are the heads of the family, with Alice (Ashley Greene), Emmett (Kellan Lutz) and Edward all talking the Cullen name but only family via the bite of Carlisle. Joined by Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) and Rosalie Hale (Nikki Reed), the family are close and surprisingly, part of the community, trying to live as close to a human life as they can. The only thing they have never done is mixed with humans romantically but this all changes when Edward meets Bella and their loves inevitably leads to danger.

It is the romance element that drives the film, which is told from Bella's point of view, meaning the audience discovers more about Edward and his family as she gets to know him. This is the pivotal factor for the movie and this means that the two young performers who play the roles of Bella and Edward have to be able to drive the movie and for the most part, they do. Kristen Stewart has already proved that she is a talented actress in films like 'Panic Room', 'Zathura: A Space Adventure', 'The Messengers' and 'Into the Wild', and she is the perfect choice for Bella. Robert Pattinson, probably best known for his role as Cedric Diggory in the 'Harry Potter' movies, is fine as the brooding Edward but doesn't really have that allure that would make you believe that he would make Bella risk her life to be with him. The chemistry isn't quite there but this could come at the saga continues.

'Twilight' is the start of a much bigger story and, as with all origin movies, has a lot to introduce but also leaves many questions unanswered. The lack of a vampire conversation between Bella and Edward is a confusing emission, as any American teenager would have asked if the clichés of sunlight, garlic, crosses etc are true. More of the backstory of the vampire race would have also been welcome but this should come as the saga continues. This is still a good introduction to a twist on the established Vampire mythos and the start of a series that could become a firm favourite within the genre.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Widescreen 1.85:1 Anamorphic with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the transfer is good.

BONUS FEATURES

Disc 1

Audio Commentary from Catherine Hardwicke, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart
The director and her two stars provide a chatty, fun and informative commentary for the first film in the saga, 'Twilight'. With behind the scenes stories, reflections on filming and the passion for the story and the characters, this is a commentary from a trio that clearly have a lot invested in these characters and this movie. This makes this a must listen for fans of the movies and the series of books.

Trailers
Previews of 'Knowing' and 'Band Slam'

Disc 2

Music Videos (13.42 mins)
Introduced by director Catherine Hardwick and author Stephenie Meyer, watch the music videos for Muse 'Supermassive Black Hole', Paramore 'Decode' and Linkin Park 'Leave out all the rest', which are included in the soundtrack for the movie.

Extended Scenes (9.34 mins)
Entitled 'Are people talking about the Cullen's again?', 'James, let's not play with our food', 'You don't know how it's tortured me', 'A hundred years worth of journals' and 'Don't read Charlie's mind', these extended scenes are accompanied by an introduction by director Catherine Hardwick.

Deleted Scenes (5.47 mins)
Entitled 'Edward, she's not one of us!', 'That's the first time I dreamt of Edward Cullen', 'Bella, your number was up from the first day I met you', 'She brought him to life' and 'I love it when men chase me', these deleted scenes are accompanied by an introduction by director Catherine Hardwick.

The Adventure Begins: The Journey from Page to Screen (54.28 mins)
Split into sections entitled 'The Beginning', 'The Partnership: A Look at Pre-Production', 'The Vampires', 'Capturing the Action: A Look at Production', 'Vampire Baseball', 'The Final Word on the Final Battle' and 'Putting it all together: The Magic of Post Production' and with interviews with director Catherine Hardwicke, author Stephenie Meyers, producers Greg Mooradian and Wyck Godfrey, screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg and stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Ashley Greene, Peter Facinelli, Nikki Reed, Elizabeth Reaser, Kellan Lutz, Jackson Rathbone and Cam Gigandet, these extended featurettes take you through the production of 'Twilight'.

The Comic-Con Phenomenon (7.58 mins)
Watch the San Diego Comic-Con 2008 panel with the director, author and stars of the film as the fans get their first glimpse of 'Twilight'.

A conversation with Stephenie Meyer (23.32 mins)
The author of the saga talks about how she came up with the idea for the book, creating the characters, the relationship between Bella and Edward and writing in the first person. This is a interesting insight into how a successful author writes.

Music: The Heartbeat of Twilight (5.36 mins)
Director Catherine Hardwick, music editor Adam Smalley and star Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart talk about the musical themes of 'Twilight'.

Becoming Edward (7.29 mins)
Director Catherine Hardwicke, author Stephenie Meyers, screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg and stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson talk about creating the character of Edward.

Becoming Bella (5.24 mins)
Director Catherine Hardwicke, author Stephenie Meyers, screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg and star Kristen Stewart talk about creating Bella and her relationship with Edward.

Catherine Hardwicke's 'Vampire Kiss Montage' (2.37 mins)
Watch a special edited montage of vampire bites by the director

Catherine Hardwicke's 'Bella's Lullaby Remix' music video (3.59 mins)
Watch a montage of footage from the movie, set to Bella's Lullaby.

OVERALL

The DVD treatment for 'Twilight' is excellent. This two-disc version is filled to the brim with special features and a really good commentary. While most of the featurettes are very generic, with a lot of patting on the back and dreadful background music, they are still informative. Fans will love this DVD package.

DVD

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2008