Few people are ignorant of the book saga Twilight, or haven’t seen the trailers sending teen girls into paroxysms of shrieking and giggling. Well, I am not one of those people. I have read all of the Twilight books, and I have seen the movie, on the opening night. Call me a fan girl, I’ll agree with you. I’m not the only one. Teens, mostly girls, and even adults around the world waited with bated breath to see the movie made after Stephenie Meyer’s #1 best selling four-book series. Roger Ebert says the movie is perfect for teen girls and their grandmothers. I say that Twilight is a beautiful film that Summit Entertainment adapted artfully from paper to a box office smash, and is perfect for the admirers of the books.


Though some roll their eyes at the giggling gaggle of girls lined up to get their pre-ordered tickets for Twilight at the kiosk at Regal Cinemas Hollywood 24 in Chamblee, Georgia, nothing can stifle their excitement. Arriving an hour early, these girls join the already forming line outside of Theater 13, making conversation with their new acquaintance, a 30-year-old woman just as excited as they are, and just as in love with Edward Cullen. Edward, main vampire and heartthrob of Twilight, falls in love with human Bella Swan, and she with him, causing many problems, first of which is the fact that Edward thirsts for Bella’s blood. More complications arise when another vampire clan comes, and another vampire sets his sights on Bella, and not for love. The setting of Twilight, Forks, Washington, is in the Olympic Peninsula, the rainiest place on the continental U.S., providing a lush, green atmosphere that makes you feel cozy in the metropolitan theater, away from the wetness of Forks, but hearing the soothing sounds of the rain.

Adding to the film’s beauty is the cast of Twilight, who turned out to fit their parts quite well, despite apprehensions and speculations from the critical readers, who have their own images of the characters in their minds. One of the most speculated is Kristen Stewart, who plays Bella Swan. Some say her voice is too deep, others say her features are too angular to play the soft Bella, and still others say she is just not right. Because I am one of these people, Stewart surprised me by bringing the character of Bella to life with enviable hair, and a caring disposition. A lot of fans also worried about Robert Pattinson, cast as Edward Cullen, subject of an innumerable amount of admiring Bumper Stickers on Facebook. Myself not included, a few think he isn’t attractive enough, but most worry that he won’t stack up to the extremely difficult task of playing the dream guy of a large margin of teenage girls, the remaining girls’ dream guy being Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), the childhood friend of Bella. Pattinson exceeds others’ expectations, receiving screams of joy from the audience when he appears on screen for the first time. The way Melissa Rosenburg adapted the book to a screenplay also exceeded my expectations, which I admit were pretty low, having seen the trailers and the full scene released at Comic-Con, an annual fan convention in San Diego. Though Rosenburg changed the place where a few scenes happened, and shortened a few scenes, which is expected when you have to fit a 498-page book into a two-hour movie, she kept the significance and purpose of the scenes intact, and the film flows smoothly with well-picked music that supports the harmonious feel of the film. The day after I saw the movie, I bought the soundtrack, which is on the top ten album list on iTunes. The music works well with the dull lighting of the rainy sky of Forks and the compatibility of the characters to make you feel as if the thought of a vampire falling in love with you seems possible, if only for two hours.

Soon to be a cult classic, Twilight will continue to entertain avid Twihards, the nickname for Twilight fans, for years to come. Even though the screaming and squealing of teens exasperate the people around them, Twilight, though not a good representation of the books for some, fulfilled my hopes for the movie, though the books are a better way to experience the story of Bella and Edward. I recommend the movie for fans of the books, but not for those who dislike fantasy and teen romance. Now we just have to wait for the fanfare surrounding the next movie, New Moon, which is already underway, and see if it will satisfy the expectations for the second movie, as Twilight has done for me.