Amazon.com The big-screen adaptation of Twilight, Stephenie Meyer's bestselling vampire romance, is aimed squarely at its key demographic: teen girls whose idea of Prince Charming is a brooding, pale, undead teen who could kill you instantly at any moment. Such a prince is more fascinating than frightening to new girl Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), who moves to the rainy-gray town of Forks, Wash., to live with her dad (Billy Burke), the local sheriff who's puzzled by a series of "animal attacks." On her first day at school, Bella appears to (visibly) nauseate her lab partner, Edward (Robert Pattinson). Turns out the scent of her blood is this vampire's "brand of heroin," and his struggle not to kill her causes an irresistible pull toward her. Whether he's attracted for the normal reasons or because she smells especially sweet to him is vague in the book and even less clear on-screen; nonetheless, Bella falls hopelessly in love with Edward, which sets her on a dangerous path when a few nomad vampires show up in town, one particularly keen on tracking the human. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen), Twilight is full of funny moments--not all of which are intentional--and the casting, from Stewart to Bella's self-absorbed friend Jessica (Anna Kendrick) is spot-on. The weakest link, unfortunately, is Pattinson. While he certainly looks the part, his Edward could have used an extra injection of testosterone (Pattinson, who is British, used James Dean as a model for his American accent). In scenes where he growls about the temptation to kill those who would harm Bella, or flitting around a forest warning her how dangerous he is, he comes off more like a whimpering puppy than a debonair monster. The good news is, his chemistry with Stewart (particularly in their big kissing scene) is palpable, which, let's face it, is really what matters to Twilight fans most. --Ellen A. Kim Twilight at Amazon.com Twilight books Visit our Twilight store Twilight soundtrack Stills from Twilight (Click for larger image) Product Description Bella Swan has always been a little bit different, never caring about fitting in with the trendy girls at her Ph nix high school. When her mother re-marries and sends Bella to live with her father in the rainy little town of Forks, Washington, she d sn't expect much of anything to change. Then she meets the mysterious and dazzlingly beautiful Edward Cullen, a boy unlike any she's ever met. Edward is a vampire, but he d sn't have fangs and his family is unique in that they choose not to drink human blood. Intelligent and witty, Edward sees straight into Bella's soul. Soon, they are swept up in a passionate, thrilling and unorthodox romance. To Edward, Bella is what he has waited 90 years for--a soul mate. But the closer they get, the more Edward must struggle to resist the primal pull of her scent, which could send him into an uncontrollable frenzy. But what will Edward & Bella do when a clan of new vampires--James, Laurent and Victoria--come to town and threaten to disrupt their way of Additional Features The special features for Twilight kick off with an audio commentary with director Catherine Hardwicke and stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. There's some mumbling and groaning from Stewart (one gets the impression that Stewart is quite similar to her reserved character in the film), some standard behind-the-scenes observations from Hardwicke, and a lot of awkward self-deprecating remarks from Pattinson (of their big kiss, he opines: "This is quite difficult 'cause I have a really flat head, and so it's quite difficult to get a correct angle."). What's funny is Pattinson stumping Hardwicke with some basic plot questions, like "Why doesn't James just kill [Bella when she's packing at her house]?" While Hardwicke and Stewart attempt to answer, Pattinson doesn't appear satisfied. The deleted and extended scenes include an additional dream-sequence kiss (rightly cut because it took away from the buASIN: B001P5HRMIVSKU: GGV.B001P5HRMI.GCondition: GoodBinding: DVD
