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Twilight

As a fan of vampires, I was looking forward to Twilight and I liked the premise: a quiet a withdrawn young girl, Bella (Kristen Stewart), falls hard for a sexy vampire, Edward (Robert Pattinson). Their relationship remains chaste because Edward also thirsts for Bella's blood and he can't guarantee her safety if his passions get too riled up. That's similar to the Buffy-Angel dynamic on TV where Angel would lose his soul at the moment he experiences one moment of pure happiness (an orgasm as it turns out). So they too had to control their desires or else there would be dire consequences.

But while Buffy the Vampire Slayer chose to play out its teen/vampire tale with tongue firmly in cheek and with a hip sense of humor and pop references, Twilight takes a more serious approach with only occasional moments of humor. It's Buffy but without the hip, cool edginess. Twilight was more like a bodice-ripper for teens in which the romance is everything. Twilight was filled with more languid, longing stares than action.

So what surprised me most was that it really wasn't a vampire story, it was a teen romance that just happened to involve someone who needs blood to live. Author Stephenie Meyer completely rewrites vampire lore without so much as a knowing wink to all that came before. So her vampires have a reflection in mirrors, can walk in the day (so long as it's cloudy), don't appear to have pointy fangs, seem unbothered by garlic, crosses or holy water, need to be torn limb from limb and burned to be destroyed, and they sparkle in sunlight. All that was quite a shocker to a vampire fan like me.

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Seeing the film was a bit like going to a midnight show of Rocky Horror. The obsessive fans squealed at the first appearance of each character and at lines from the book (someone who read the book pointed out that direct quotes from the book drew the loudest response). All that made the film-going experience fun. Although I have to confess that I could not share the obsession. The film was glossy, the leads highly attractive, and their young passion had an infectious quality but I could only muster casual interest in the film. I may have also been biased by the fact that I had just recently seen Let the Right One In , a Swedish vampire film about two twelve-year-olds who develop a strong bond, and one of them happens to be a vampire. That film made the vampirism a peripheral element as well but it handled it in a way that still allowed it to deliver on the horror genre elements and that made it more appealing to me.

Twilight (rated PG-13 for some violence and a scene of sensuality) looks to please a certain segment of the books' fans and that demographic seems willing to see the film over and over again. It's the a similar demographic to Titanic , and it's a group that is capable of delivering not only big opening weekend box office but a longer term devotion that will pay off over time and on into the DVD release. Director Catherine Hardwicke, whose first film was the more realistic teen drama Thirteen , enjoys stories dealing with adolescents and has a certain feel for that environment. She has captured a certain aspect of the book's romance with accuracy. But as someone who's not a big fan of romantic movies, Twilight held little appeal for me. I can see what about it appeals to its fans but it's just not my cup of tea... or blood. I would much rather see Let the Right One In again and revel in that film's blend of horror, romance, and coming of age themes.

Companion viewing: Let the Right One In, Underworld, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (movie or TV series), The Lost Boys

Corrected: March 28, 2024 at 4:17 AM PDT
Companion viewing: "Let the Right One In," "Underworld," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (movie or TV series), "The Lost Boys"