And so the lion fell in love with the lamb... (Twilight [2008] (DVD))

Member Name: thehonesttruth

Product:	Twilight [2008] (DVD)
Date:	05/06/09 (22 review reads)
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Twilight

Cast : Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Ashley Greene, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Kellan Lutz, Peter Facinelli, Cam Gigandet, Taylor Lautner, Anna Kendrick ,Elizabeth Reaser

Directed By: Catherine Hardwicke

Writers: Melissa Rosenberg (screenplay), Stephenie Meyer (novel)

Rating: 12A

Twilight is based on the book by the same name, written by Stephanie Meyer. The book itself is the first in a series of 4, all of which focus on the relationship between Bella Swann, an ordinary if slightly clumsy teenage girl, and the mysterious Edward Cullen.

When Bella's mum, Renee remarries and has to travel to help her new husband start a career, Bella decides to avoid all the travelling and settle down in Forks, Washington with her dad Charlie, a local police officer . Forks is a big contrast to the life Bella is used to - instead of sunshine and crowds where she can achieve her hearts desire, to blend in and not be noticed, she now finds herself in a rainy little town where the big news story is her .

Thrust uncomfortably into the limelight because she's the new girl in town, Bella finds herself pursued by classmates wanting to be her new best friend, or, in the case of some of the boys, more . One boy seems to not be interested in her though - the mysterious and incredibly handsome Edward Cullen. But then, according to her classmate Jessica , Edward isn't interested in ANY of the girls in Forks .

It's more than disinterest though - in fact, he seems to have taken a strong dislike to her, strong enough to try and change his class schedule so he doesn't have to sit beside her, and even to leave town for a few days .

However, he returns, and it's lucky he does - when snow falls in the rainy city of Forks, it quickly ices over, and Edward is just in time to save her from being hit by a truck. But wait - wasn't he the other side of the school yard when the car appeared ? How did he get there so quickly, and how did he manage to stop the truck with his bare hands? He seems to warm up to her a little after this though - although he does warn her he's dangerous .

However, Edwards speed and strength weigh on Bella's mind, and other thinfs, such as his ever changing eye colour and mysterious absence on sunny days make her wonder if there might not be some truth in Edwards words . After hearing some camp fire tales of old Native American legends, Bella does a little research, and after ruling out radioactive spiders and kryptonite. , she reaches a shocking conclusion - Edwards a vampire. Things click into place - and she realises that the rest of Edwards strangely beautiful family are also vampires. Luckily for her though, they're 'vegetarians' feasting only on animal blood. However, not all vampires are like this, and as Bella's romance with Edward progresses, and encounter with some less friendly vampire puts Bella's life in danger ....

The film progresses at a nice pace - slow and steady at the start to establish the characters personality, and fast paced and dramatic at the end . The characters really tie in with the way they are presented in the book - Kristen Stewart plays Bella as clumsy, socially awkward, and almost martyr like in her determination to make things safe and easy for everyone she cares about - exactly as she comes across in the novel .

Robert Pattinson plays Edward perfectly- brooding, conflicted, torn between his love for Bella and his thirst for her fragrant blood, protective and yet wanting to protect her from himself too .

Ashley Greene, playing Alice was another perfect piece of casting - perfectly portraying the delicate, pixie-like, graceful Alice we know from the book .

All the casting is excellent, and of course, with the vampires all being beautiful in the book, they have some pretty attractive people in this film - certainly I enjoyed a very pleasant time staring at some gorgeous men and women. But the best casting of all has to be Cam Gigandet as the hunter James - predatory, with almost slinking movements and a definite air of threat in his eyes - he's perfect for the role!

The action is accompanied by a wonderful soundtrack, including Muse ( whom author Stephanie Meyer credits with inspiring her when writing the novel) , Linkin Park, Paramore, and even a couple of songs written and performed by Robert Pattinson himself. The songs are mostly soft rock, well selected, and fit with the scenes they are used in . One of my favourite pieces of music in the film is piano tune called Bella's Lullaby - I love the softness of it . I also love the inclusion of Debussy's Clare de Lune , and somehow the films mix of classical music and soft rock works well .

I really enjoyed this film - it stayed very true to the book, the cast were excellent and really managed to convey the emotions and feelings of the characters, the scenery was stunning, everyone was pleasing to look at, and it contained elements of wonderful romance, fierce passion, and life threatening danger all at the same time .

If you liked the books , you'll like this too. If you didn't like the books, there's a good chance you'll like this too. Definately worth a watch .

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