I can usually read this type of book in an afternoon or short weekend. It was in this spirit a couple years ago that I picked up and first read 'Twilight' by Stephanie Meyer. I actually didn't even realize Twilight was being made into a movie until I stopped by B&N and saw the last book in the series was out. A hyper-excited girl-child gushed details about the upcoming release all the way to the register after she and I reached for the same book, accidentally forming an instant and unshakable literary bond in her mind.
So, for those of you who haven't decided whether to jump into the emo vampire world of Stephanie Meyer quite yet, I decided to write a review of the book, movie (which I recently saw... twice) and the soundtrack. Let me now mention that I am not actually a HUGE fan of the series, but I enjoyed the books and ended up with the full multimedia experience through no fault of my own.
The Twilight series is easily classified as an urban fantasy, seeing as how there are vampires, werewolves, mind readers, etc running amuck. One of the better aspects of SM's series is that these things never really become common-place and give the plot lines a smidgen of realism, which I like. The first books revolves not so much around vampires as the withdrawn heroine, Bella and her head over heels infatuation with a boy she soon finds out is a.. *gasp* well, you know.
The stories in general are seemingly a reflection on teenage love vs. adult love. There are several parallels drawn throughout the series to the doomed pairs in Wuthering Heights and Romeo & Juliet. The author even uses exerpts from HEathcliffe that make him seem vampiric. I was impressed. I didn't really like how Meyer tied up the series with a happy ending and no major death or dismemberment. Vampires + Werewolves should equal some bloody naughtiness. The ending was so anti-climatic I stared blinking and unbelieving at the last pages of "Breaking Dawn" and ended up re-reading them for fear that I'd missed the big ending. But alas, everyone ends blissful and smooching in a meadow. (sorry if i spoiled it for you)
It's an absolutely appropriate story for teenagers or for anyone looking for a book with some interesting characters, some historical scenes - a la Anne Rice back story, some mushy unending infatuation, and of course a happy ending. It reads very fast (one of my favorite things) and easily keeps your attention throughout the series. I've lent Twilight to several people since the 'craze' started only to have them beg the rest of the books days or even hours later. Best of all, the books have all been published, so you don't have to feel stupid waiting for the next installment of a YA vampire novel like an anxious teenager.
Twilight the movie. When I heard the movie was coming out, I wanted to see it. It is one of those inevitable things that if I've read it, I must see how bad they ruin it. Speaking overall, they didn't do too horrible a job. I did enjoy the tortured sanpaku eyes of Rob Pattinson as the lead pale face- he was quite the visually entertaining Mr. Darcy/James Dean hybrid with his stylishly messy hair and worked over American accent. Kristen whatsherface was a little harder to swallow, but the pair had chemistry on camera which made up for some of the high school theatre production over acting. Some scenes were bordering on campy... Edward looking like bad seafood was coming back to haunt him when he meets Bella in class for the first time. (Seriously.. did no one in editing think that was too much?)
The supporting cast was amicable EXCEPT for the kid playing Bella's werewolf friend, Jacob. I know the movie was supposedly low budget (around $30 million) but couldn't they have sprung for a better wig? His "native american" do looks more like dime store dracula with a widow's peak. I hope they fix that casting whoopsie before the sequel.
Anyway, I blackmailed my husband to seeing it with me over Thanksgiving weekend and my Mom tagged along too. They both pronounced it tolerable without ever having even heard of the book, and my husband with the added prejudice of knowing it was a love story about teenage vampires. My sister in law talked me into taking her to see it this past weekend. I didn't enjoy it as much the 2nd time around, as I kept picking out the character flaws in the actors. Also, we saw it on a Friday night (stupid, stupid) and ended up verbally abusing a group of tweens with cell phones and no parental supervision. I did, however, pick out Stephanie Meyer's cameo in the diner the 2nd time around. I also noticed that the soundtrack seemed pretty badass, so I swung by Best Buy and picked that up a few days ago.
Twilight the Soundtrack is great. Muse sings the first track, SM credits them with inspiring a lot of the plot action in the series, so I was glad to see they made the cut. Paramore, Perry Farrell (of Jane's Addiction fame), and Collective Soul all contribute good tracks. There are a few artists I had never heard of, but that quickly made my playlist. I adore the track Full Moon by the Black Ghosts. There is also a whiny coffee shop tune that I realized from the jacket is actually sung by Rob Pattinson, the lead. Interesting, but easily skipped. The only regret is the Linkin Park track oddly jammed in the middle. Its out of place on an otherwise well put together cd.
So overall, I would give the Twilight Bonanza a B+, mainly for the books and soundtrack. The movie isn't bad, but braving the tween army in the theater definitely lessened the experience for me. (I guess I shouldn't really bitch since that's who she originally penned the series for.)
I do hear that SM is now writing an installment with all the action rehashed from the first 4 books, but from Edward's POV. I read a little of the rough draft off of her website and it seems like an interesting concept. I wouldn't easily give up my cash cow either.
Beware... the film sequel, New Moon, is already in pre-production. So Twilight doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. Just go see it. You know it will eventually come up in conversation if you know anyone with a vagina, so you might as well be informed.
<3j
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