Part of Shocktober
High school student Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), always a bit of a misfit, doesn’t expect life to change much when she moves from sunny Arizona to rainy Washington state. Then she meets Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), a handsome but mysterious teen whose eyes seem to peer directly into her soul. Edward is a vampire whose family does not drink blood, and Bella, far from being frightened, enters into a dangerous romance with her immortal soulmate. Translated into a gazillion languages with 435,175 billion copies sold (joking), a big Aughts sensation returns anew — and without sequels in tow.
This film which launched its stars to massive popularity also allowed them to become two of the most discerning and interesting actors of their generation (here’s looking at you LOVE LIES BLEEDING and THE LIGHTHOUSE). Move over JK Rowling. This is the less-problematic YA fantasy we all deserve.
“TWILIGHT stands as a powerful, darkly stylish depiction of teen female desire. So, why do I remember it otherwise? That might have something to do with the film's overwhelmingly poor reviews, most of them written by men, which largely dismissed TWILIGHT as fodder for the girly masses…. The film takes teen emotions seriously, portraying them without judgement. That approach is perhaps what threw off so many of the film’s critics, so quick to look down on the intended audience.” —Anne Cohen, Refinery 29 “TWILIGHT — directed with savvy humor by Catherine Hardwicke — turns vampirism into a metaphor for teen lust.” —Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer “Works as both love story and vampire story, thanks mainly to the performances of its principals. Pattinson and Stewart want to convince you that their characters are an undead freak and the girl who, against all logic, loves him. Yet they do it not by selling you on what makes Edward and Bella so different, but by finding their flesh-and-blood humanity.” —Michael O’Sullivan, Washington Post
