Twilight DVD Review

Twilight

http://www.twilightthemovie.com/

On DVD: March 21st, 2009

Rated PG-13 for some violence and a scene of sexuality.

Running time: 122 minutes

Catherine Hardwicke (dir.)

Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan

Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen

Billy Burke as Charlie Swan

Ashley Greene as Alice Cullen

Nikki Reed as Rosalie Hale

Jackson Rathbone as Jasper Hale

Kellan Lutz as Emmett Cullen

Peter Facinelli as Dr. Carlisle Cullen

Cam Gigandet as James

Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black

Anna Kenfrick as Jessica Stanley

Michael Welch as Mike Newton

Christian Serratos as Angela Weber

Gil Birmingham as Billy Black

Elizabeth Reaser as Esme Cullen

Edi Gathegi as Laurent

Rachelle Lefevre as Victoria

Bonus Features: Disc one includes commentary by director Catherine Hardwick, and stars Kristan Stewart and Robert Pattinson, extended scenes and three music videos. Disc two includes an extensive seven part making-of documentary, deleted scenes, trailers and clips, and a look at the film from comic-con.

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Twilight DVD Review By John C.

**1/2 (out of 4)

Last year’s surprising smash hit film adaptation of Twilight finally arrives on DVD today. Having not read the books, only hearing about them, I did not find watching the movie confusing, unlike with some other book adaptations. I don’t really need to tell you what it’s about, because you probably already know the story of forbidden love in Forks, Washington between deer-eating vegetarian vampire Edward Cullen, (Robert Pattinson), and mortal girl Bella Swan, (Kristan Stewart).

I know I am not the audience that is into Twilight, but the audiences that are, will likely be overjoyed to see the book come to life and be even happier to now have the film in their collections. It is actually a lot better than I thought it would be. I never thought I would be saying this, but I am actually mildly recommending Twilight, and not just for its intended audience. The film was interesting enough to keep me watching and better yet, it kept me awake. The only big problems with Twilight is that in adapting an insanely popular bestseller, the effort comes off as slightly pedestrian. While they could have made a spectacular looking film, they chose to go with more cheesy and campy special effects. It is also about twenty to thirty minutes too long. So, I am giving it a strong rating of 2 1/2 stars, but just one notch below three.

If you are a Twilight fan then you should get the two disc edition, to keep on your shelf beside your multiple copies of the Twilight books and the soundtracks for the movie.

The two-disc set comes packed with bonus features, that would make any Twilight fan want to rush out and get it. Disc one includes commentary by director Catherine Hardwick, and stars Kristan Stewart and Robert Pattinson. It also includes extended scenes and three music videos. Disc two includes an extensive seven part making-of documentary, deleted scenes, trailers and clips that were used to promote the movie theatrically and a video showing a bunch of screaming and obsessed fans at comic-con. People say the guys dressed up as the Watchmen are crazy. Well, this video shows the female counterpart of comic-con, when they aren’t just the guys girlfriends who are dressed up as a super heroes closest female companion. Twilight is an important staple in pop-culture and it’s footage like this that makes us realize just how popular it really is.

So my verdict is go out and buy the set if you are a fan, and if you just want to see what all the hype is about, then rent the film. Who knows, you might like it.

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Twilight DVD Review By Erin V.

**1/2 (out of 4)

This is the movie adaptation of the book by the same name, Twilight, by Stephanie Meyer. Fans of the book series, will most definitely want to see, (if they haven’t already), and will most likely enjoy, this movie version.

It follows the beginning of the forbidden love story between Bella Swan, (Kristen Stewart), and Edward Cullen, (Robert Pattinson). The fact that she’s a mortal, and he’s a vampire, (who controls his urges and feast only on deer), makes their relationship difficult at times. Needless to say, this is a love story, and a fairly good one at that. This being said, there are also some action and suspense scenes in here as well, regarding the evil vampires, who do not control their urges, and prefer people to deer. The special effects are not the best that they could have been, and seem like they belong more in a movie from 15-20 years ago. Also, they seem to like to show them off. i.e., Edward can move around really fast, so that he is just a motion blur. We see him get out of his side of the car and zip around to the other side to open Bella’s door. He moves around really fast in places where it seems unnecessary, like this...

I actually liked this movie more than I had thought I would. I haven’t read the books, and did not see this in theatres. Reluctant even to check it out on DVD, I am glad that I did. It is a fair movie, that while a bit long in parts, (I found), was entertaining enough, and had some rather nice moments in it. I also checked out some of the extras on the DVD, and there are a lot, especially on the two-disc edition, which will make fans very, very happy.

Overall, this movie belongs in the collection of any fan, and others will probably want to rent it at least, even if just to see what all of the hype is about. It will probably be remembered as a part of pop-culture for years to come.

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Twilight DVD Review By Nicole

**1/2 (out of 4)

Based on the book of the same name, Twilight is a fable about chastity. The story follows Bella, a lonely 17 year old girl who moves from her mom’s place to live with her dad in Forks, Washington, (which is a real place). She has to go to a new school, and there she meets Edward, a mysterious boy with a secret. He is a vampire, but not the kind that eats people. He and his family are “vegetarians”, meaning they only eat deer. (This is not graphically depicted.) The aboriginal people know about the vampires however, and one boy, Jacob, tries to warn Bella about Edward. Bella trusts Edward. She likes his cougar-like superpowers, such as running fast, climbing trees, and being able to appear as if out of nowhere. However, Edward has to be able to control his animalistic instincts around Bella, because he finds she smells like lunch. In the end though, Edward finds the strength in him to protect Bella.

The romance between Bella and Edward is touching. My favorite scene is when Edward is playing the piano for Bella, (Robert Pattinson is a musician and composer, as well as an actor). The song he is playing is both beautiful, haunting, and mysterious, which fits Edward’s slightly disturbed, but very likable character well.

The special effects in this movie could have been done a lot better. However, the scenery in the temperate rainforest is beautiful, and makes one appreciate and want to conserve this unique ecosystem. I also really liked the storyline surrounding the native people, as I am a fan of native legends.

The extras on this DVD are plenty. The first disc contains extended scenes, audio commentary by director Catherine Hardwicke, Kristin Stewart, and Robert Pattinson, and three music videos. The second disc contains a seven part making of documentary, deleted scenes, a behind the scenes pass to the Comic Con convention, and more. Fans of Twilight will not be disappointed, and should buy this DVD.

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Twilight DVD Review By Maureen

**1/2 (out of 4)

The Twilight DVD will please fans of the vampire romance books by Stephanie Meyer and film fans alike. The story of a forbidden love between human Bella Swan, (Kristin Stewart), and vampire Edward Cullen, (Robert Pattinson), is surprisingly romantic. Perhaps it’s because we’re no longer used to seeing a chaste romance and old fashioned courtship between young lovers on the screen anymore. My favorite scene in the movie is when Edward is playing a white grand piano for Bella in his home. The piece he plays is beautiful and the whole scene very romantic and sensual.

The darker side of the film has to do with the evil, ‘non-vegetarian’ vampires who kill people and set their sights on Bella. The scenes where Bella is being attacked are violent and not for the under 13 crowd. Parents need to take note of the PG-13 rating no matter how cute their under 13 daughters think Edward is.

The special effects in this film could have been a whole lot better. The acting was fine but the real star of this film for me was the music score, in particular the piece Edward plays for Bella.

I’m usually not a fan of anything to do with the subject of vampires. However, I found this film to be quite watchable, though a little too long at 122 minutes. Fans of Twilight will want to own this DVD so they can watch Bella and Edward over and over again. The two disc set is full of extras that are well worth the price of the DVD. This is definitely worth adding to your collection if you are a Twilight fan.

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Twilight DVD Review By Tony

*** (out of 4)

As we observed in the crowds lining up for the theatrical release, the target audience for Twilight is almost exclusively teen girls. They will be thrilled with the treatment of Stephanie (sic) Meyer’s book by screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg and director Catherine Hardwicke, with an attractive cast and a crew dominated by women and evocative soundtrack featuring original music by Carter Burwell and some good songs including one by the male lead, Robert Pattinson.

Bella Swan (Kristin Stewart) has been living with her mother in Phoenix AZ since she was little. Her mother has remarried and is moving to Jacksonville FL, so Bella goes to live with her father in Forks WA which is in the misty temperate rainforest of Olympic National Park. Despite warnings by her classmates and native friends, Bella is strangely drawn to Edward Cullen (Pattinson). The Cullens are vampires who, despite their taste for human blood, have chosen to prey on wildlife (compared to vegetarians who replace steak with tofu). As if from a planet with much stronger gravity (like in the original Superman comics), they can run up trees and jump really high and far. Like X-mutants, they each have unique special powers. Edward can read minds and zip around like Dash of The Incredibles. Unfortunately, there are other vampires in the area who have murdered people. When one of these gets a craving for Bella, the Cullens have to protect her.

Wary of the incredible hype and oblivious to most of the gothic vampire lore of recent years, we were not expecting much from this film. In fact, it is not bad. The cast is pretty good and though essentially cheesy the story builds with enough suspense to keep up interest to the end. As a bonus–despite their mutual attraction, Edward’s fear of getting too close to Bella lest he eat her makes their relationship chaste enough to appeal to social conservatives. With muted colors that reflect the overcast climate and pallor of the undead, the film is very pretty to look at, not only for the scenery but also most of the cast, particularly the Cullens, who seem to have just stepped off a fashion runway.

There is a lot of extra material on the DVD that we have not had a chance to check out. There is running commentary by the director and two leads, some extended and deleted scenes, some music videos and trailers, and lots of documentary material on the making of the film. There is also some cringe-inducing Comic-Con [comic convention] footage, where the writer, director, and much of the cast played down to the screaming crowd.

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Consensus: The Twilight DVD will be an essential addition to any fan’s collection - especially the two-disc. For others, this movie is worth checking out. It is entertaining enough to be worth the watch. **1/2 (Out of 4)