Twilight. . . the Experience.

Okay, I admit it: I saw Twilight on the first night it was out. But in my defense, I see most movies on their first night. I was very curious about the phenomenon that spawned the movie and how the movie might live up to the hype surrounding this bestselling series. I am sad to report, I was not impressed or engaged.

Not much about this movie drew me in. . . not the characters, not the plot (which by ordinary movie standards was abysmally predictable), nor the special effects. But the experience of viewing was probably made worse by the reaction of my fellow movie-goers. . . many of whom were young girls and had obviously read the books. They laughed wildly at places in the movie that were not especially funny, making me wonder what I'd missed. It was clear that their reaction was an alchemy of the reader's experience AND the movie-viewer's experience. Judging from their reaction, they generally loved it.

Not to be a party pooper, but I think this film had the same problems all romances brought to the screen have. It's hard to appreciate a very "emotional" story without access to the inner workings of the characters. It's hard to provide that access adequately on film; directors who can do it are amazing and very rare. The rest substitute long "meaningful" silences and moody stares and angst-filled expressions for feelings that could/should be better portrayed.

Just because it's seen as a "young adult" story doesn't mean it shouldn't be treated seriously-- which is very different from trying to make it "serious." The director here seems to have confused the two. Adults by the hundreds of thousands had read and enjoyed these books, but I doubt they'll enjoy the movie the same way. Comparisons to the Harry Potter series and movies are natural; audiences found the HP movies dead on and fascinating in their faithfulness to the descriptions and the characterizations. Why couldn't this movie have been as good?

Add to this, the very strange hairdo's and ultra-serious expressions of those who are undead and the inexplicable (largely unexplained) reaction of Edward toward Bella. . . the nose holding, scowling, and avoidance. . . and you have unintentionally comic elements that undercut the story. It plays out more like a high school play with inside jokes than a real drama.

It would have made a lot more sense to me if there was an explanation for Edward's overwhelming reaction to Bella, like: vampires can have one and only one mate and recognize them by their smell, or there is a bonding rage at a certain age, or even that Bella smells familiar to him-- like someone he loved in his human days and lost. As it is, we're stuck with an fantastically potent attraction that is somewhat mystifying. Is he crazy about her just because she smells TASTY? Ewwww. Not having read the books, this was the only conclusion I could draw.

What did you think of the movie? What about the characters in the books made them so compelling for people? I can't help thinking now it's just nostalgia for teenage angst. And wouldn't nearly 100 years of teenage angst have matured Edward past that?

Wouldn't the moviemakers have been smarter to focus on the larger ideas that are at the center of human life-- the search for truth, for honor, for belonging-- truly heroic stuff that may have been present in the books, but somehow didn't make it into the movie.

Will somebody who's read the books and seen the movie respond with a critique, too? Enlighten us!