Well, for one thing, I found it to be rather dull and lacking in genuine conflict. As the story begins we learn that Bella Swann (Kristen Stewart) is moving in with her father in the small Washington State town of Forks, which seems to be in a perpetual state of cloud cover (perfect for vampires who like to avoid direct sunlight). She is stand-offish, clumsy, and really does not fit in with the rest of her classmates, in particular the Cullen clan of odd adopted kids who seem to come and go as they please. Among them is Edward (Robert Pattinson), the pretty, single one of the pale-faced clan.
There are a ton of characters introduced during the two-hour movie, but Bella and Edward are the only ones that matter, although the screenplay seems to want you to believe the others mean something (I guess that comes in the sequels). Anyway, Bella and Edward exchange long, lustful glances that seemingly last for hours (if you cut them out, the movie would probably struggle to make it to the hour mark). Before too long Edward is outed as a vampire, but one of the nice kind who doesn't drink human blood (described as being a "vegetarian"). This only attracts Bella more; apparently she likes pale, icy skinned boys that wear lipstick (he is wearing lipstick, right?). As it turns out, Edward likes her, too; she smells like a good meal, one that he has been watching since she was young, going so far as to slip into her room to watch her sleep (which makes him sound like a creepy stalker, and he is also considerably older).
This romance goes on for awhile. They exchange glances, endure awkward visits with the family, and come close to going too far (oh, the overtones). We get to see Edward demonstrate his abilities like running, climbing, and the way his skin gets glittery in the sunlight (oohh, pretty!). The dating scene goes on and on, with no conflict arising until we are past the mid-point, but by then it's too little too late. Not to mention the attempt to add a larger scope with some mentions of treaties with Native Americans with the added mention of wolves (hmmm, related to the Underworld rivalry?).
A trio of meat-eating vampires arrive on the edge of a thunderstorm while our good vampire clan play baseball (I know, I thought it was silly, too). A bad vampire gets a whiff of a human snack and the hunt is on. This is what passes for conflict in the world of Twilight. (Why is it called that again? They can come out during the day.) The inevitable confrontation comes, and considering this is a series, guess who wins? We get some dancing and a conclusion that is a tease for the next film while having no impact here.
Article comments
1 - Jessica
Sorry to say, you're right! Not about it being a bad movie, but about you not being the target audience. It's a vampire romance, based in high school... It's meant for romantics, and girls/women who have that perfect image of what a man should be. Only Edward is not a man he's a vampire, so completely unobtainable, until a plain, average girl comes along and captures his heart. It's every girls dream!