Twilight (2008) - Film Review

In 2008, I had just moved to a new town and new school and was, what some would say, a bookish teenager. Yet for reasons unknown, I had not heard of the vampire cult classic that was sweeping bookshelves for the upcoming film adaptation starring Robert Pattinson (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) and Kristen Stewart (Speak). I saw the trailers and was intrigued by the premise enough to try and find the book at my local library, as I had missed the theatrical release. They didn't have it but offered to put its sequel New Moon on hold for me.

Overall, I was fine with this trend I was clearly missing out on - despite my classmates having animated debates over Team Jacob or Team Edward. My knowledge of Stephanie Meyer's books was limited to a love triangle between a human, vampire and werewolf.

My first introduction to Twilight was almost accidental and was through my mother - who had never heard of the series other than in passing and bought me the DVD at Blockbusters when she spotted it. Here, I was able to see what had enthralled my peers for months on end. I had no idea how much I'd enjoy this low-budget indie vampire romance that would become a worldwide hit with readers and moviegoers alike.

When Bella Swan moves to a small town in the Pacific Northwest to live with her father, she meets the reclusive Edward Cullen, a mysterious classmate who reveals himself to be a 108-year-old vampire. Despite Edward’s repeated cautions, Bella can’t help but fall in love with him, a fatal move that endangers her own life when a coven of bloodsuckers tries to challenge the Cullen clan.

Directed by Catherine Hardwicke with a screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg, Twilight stays pretty faithful to its source material. Rosenberg's script has a tight narrative structure, and the characters' interactions, dialogue and relationships were written perfectly for the screen. As Meyer's book is 464 pages, there were moments where plot threads or character moments would drift off or be revisited much later. The screenplay had a clear focus on the overall plot and the character arcs of Bella and Edward felt more natural on screen.

Meanwhile, Hardwicke's style perfectly captured a beautiful and dark style for the cinematic take on the Twilight universe. With echoes of her previous directorial feature Thirteen - which was co-written and starred Twilight's Nikki Reed and was inspired by Reed's own adolescence - with long takes, hand-held shoots and a blue-tinged colour grade. In many ways, this creative decision made the film darker and gritter with its visually dynamic cinematography. When looking at all five films years later, Hardwicke's style is definitely the most edgiest and less Hollywood-ish in terms of style and tone.

Before they went on to be nominated for an Oscar in Pablo Larraín's Spencer or to take on the classic DC antihero in Matt Reeves' Batman, Stewart and Pattinson were fresh talents in the early 2000s. Stewart embodies Bella’s quirks and traits and flawlessly, but it’s how she manages to portray the internal conflicts that stood out more. Robert Pattinson is known to have a complex relationship with this franchise, but this film saw him have more creative freedom which showed his range as an actor. After this film, Pattinson‘s performance seemed to reflect his inability to improvise or deviate from the script. Therefore, I felt this was definitely his strongest performance.

Although they didn’t have many scenes in this one, Nikki Reed (Rosalie), Elizabeth Reaser (Esme), Peter Facinelli (Carlisle), Kellan Lutz (Emmett), Ashley Greene (Alice), and Jackson Rathbone (Jasper) are brilliant as the Cullen clan. In contrast, the film sets up the darker side of vampirism with the Nomad vampires that hunt Bella down.

The ensemble cast gave great performances all round. Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), Mike Newton (Michael Welsh), Jessica Stanley (Anna Kendrick), Angela Weber (Christian Serratos) and Eric Yorkie (Justin Chon) could’ve easily been reduced to background characters, but each actor gave had great stage presence.

The exact same can definitely be said for the rest of the cast, but Billy Burke and Sarah Clarke were two of my personal favourites as Bella’s estranged father and eccentric mother.

The threat of the vampires was cleverly weaved through the film, making the final and bloody climax an emotionally charged and intense sequence. The fight sequences were brilliantly choreographed and shot.

For all its gothic teen melodrama, this is definitely a comfort movie and a personal favourite in the saga. I’ll be reviewing the four sequels, so I’m looking forward to revisiting this series.

My rating Twilight (2008) is ★★★★★.