Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Twilight DVD



DVD Review by Kam Williams

Headline: Girl Meets Vampire Adaptation of Romantic Fantasy Arrives on DVD

Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) has decided to live with her father (Billy Burke) to make it easier for her recently-remarried mother (Sarah Clarke) to accompany her baseball player husband (Matt Bushell), on road trips This means that Bella must move from sunny Phoenix, Arizona to perpetually overcast Forks, Washington, a dreary town whose only claim to fame is that it’s located on the rainiest spot in the nation.
At her new high school, the socially-awkward 17 year-old proves to be pretty popular, and finds herself being courted by classmates representing a variety of familiar teensploitation archetypes, from the handsome hunk (Michael Welch) to the nerdy Asian (Justin Chon) to the jive black guy (Gregory Tyree Boyce). But the shy loner opts to keep to herself until the fateful day she spots gorgeous Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) across the crowded cafeteria.
However, Bella’s warned on the spot by her gossipy girlfriend, Jessica (Anna Kendrick) to steer clear of Ed and his four, equally-pale foster siblings. For, there’s a nasty rumor that they might date each other, and that their father, Dr. Carlisle Cullen (Peter Facinelli), behaves more like a matchmaker than a legal guardian.
Nonetheless, from that moment on, Bella finds the aloof pretty boy irresistible. And Edward’s as attracted to her too, though not exactly for the same reason. What Bella doesn’t know is that he’s a vampire, albeit one trying to go vegetarian. Yet, her alluring scent operates on him like a drug, leaving him torn between treating her like a soulmate and like his next meal. So, when the two start flirting in Biology class, she hasn’t a clue that it takes all his strength to resist sinking his fangs into her neck.
Does this star-crossed romance stand a chance? Will Bella’s dad, the shotgun-toting, local sheriff, solve the mystery of the serial killer who’s been hunting for humans in time? And can the Cullen clan convince Edward that he’d be better off dating his own species?
These are the burning questions at the heart of Twilight, as inspired an overhaul of the vampire genre as you could ever hope to encounter. Based on the phenomenally-popular series of young adult novels by Stephenie Meyer, this visually-enchanting adaptation is full of surprising twists, humorous asides and novel special effects all of which combine to keep the picture quite compelling. Another plus is the convincing chemistry generated by Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson.
Two hours of non-stop, edge-of-your-seat tension, as you never know what to expect next from this endlessly-inventive mindbender. The teen horror flick has certainly come a long way from I Was a Teenage Werewolf.

Excellent (4 stars)
Rated PG-13 for violence and sensuality.
Running time: 122 minutes
Studio: Summit Entertainment
2-Disc DVD Extras: 5 extended scenes, 5 deleted scenes, 3 music videos, a 7-part documentary, audio commentary by director Catherine Hardwicke and stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, a Comic-Con featurette, and more.

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