There are some films that miss the mark so badly I lose sleep- sometimes many nights worth- trying to figure out what went wrong and who’s to blame. I watch them over and over in order find the answers. The first film in this series was one I was crushed by what the studio offered as representation of this story.
Twilight
I’m a huge fan of the series- read it twice- so I had probably higher than usual hopes for this first installation. Just as the credits started to roll, I was already cringing and ten minutes into the film I was sliding down in my seat- embarrassed enough to tell my friend that I owed him one.The first thing to realize about this series is that it is a love story- classic and timeless. It’s not a vampire and werewolf story. I believe Summit approached this story as a throw away teenage flick and it shows. It served up a very one dimensional film that was only received well because of the legions of fans of the books and the prettiness of the leads. "Twilight" the book deserves much more than this. It is a classic tale which is why it appeals to women of all ages- "Twilight" may be about teenagers but so is "Romeo and Juliet". If you haven’t read it- do.
I will start with what they got right- which most of the cast. Some people seem to have been born to play some roles and Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are two such people. I love Billy Burke as Bella’s father, Ashley Greene even sounds like I imagined Alice Cullen would, Kellan Lutz works well as big and lovable Emmett Cullen, and Elisabeth Reaser is perfect as Esme Cullen. I was surprised they didn’t hire Graham Greene to play Jacob’s father (although he will be playing Harry Clearwater in “New Moon”) but I just love Gil Birmingham in this role anyway. Michael Walsh does a great job as the boy with a crush next door and Anna Kendrick works well with him as the girl who wishes she was the object of that crush. Even the much questioned casting of Taylor Lautner as the young Jacob fits- I do reserve judgment on how well he grows with the character but I agree with Summit’s choice to not recast this role. That would have been too jarring. Taylor can get taller as needed with efx just like Hagrid is bigger than everyone else in Harry Potter.
But I had problems with (didn’t everyone?) Nikki Reed as Rosalie Hale- so not the most delicate and beautiful creature ever born. She looks as though she could go toe to toe with Ida Lupino in any of her many prison movies. Granted, who could play this part? I don’t know- but while I was first watching this movie I kept imagining Rachelle Lefevre(Victoria) and Nikki trading roles. I know it’s more who you know in Hollywood than talent sometimes ( Nikki Reed and Catherine Hardwicke the director are very good friends) but I would be embarrassed to take a role if it was such a bad fit and I’m embarrassed for Nikki everytime she's on the screen. Jackson Rathbone as Jasper Hale actually made me laugh in one scene when he wasn’t supposed to. His character is supposed to look uncomfortable around humans but he looked very much like Edward Scissorhands as he was being introduced to Bella. But after 30 viewings of the film I’ve become used to him. And lastly Peter Facinelli as Dr. Carlisle Cullen bothered me, but I've come to realize that was more a hair and makeup issue- c’mon- too blonde, too white and that lipstick- it was just too too much. And the lighting- he’s actually green in the hospital. I’m used to him in the role now and can’t picture anyone else. Actually, the hair and makeup is bad all around. Everyone is just too white and the lipstick too red. And most times the white face is just on the face, leaving the neck mortally skin colored. Edward often has a five o’clock shadow. Can vampires grow facial hair? I’m thinking not- they are dead after all.
I feel they should take everything that was right with the film, fix the bad, and go back and do it all over again. I feel cheated.
When breaking down all that goes into a movie the first place to always look for success or failure is the script. There is not enough back story- it is all very surface. There are a lot of short cuts taken, theoretically in the interest of a tighter film, but really the whole product just ends up being that- one big short cut. In some projects the depth was in the script to begin with but the director or editor cut it out. Sometimes even the actors muck about with the script, so I always watch the deleted scenes for clues.
There is one scene that was “cut for pacing” as explained by Catherine Hardwicke, that takes place at the diner where Bella asks her father about the Cullens. Here he explains The Cullen family's history in town and relationships with the town’s people which would have brought some much needed depth and roundness. But it was cut in favor of a scene in which the local drunk reminisces with Bella about being the town Santa. Nothing was learned there. It was a waste of time if pacing was really the concern.
Also, there was a scene in the book in which Bella reacts dramatically to the smell of blood during a blood typing lab at school and Edward assists her in the nurses office- I was bothered it wasn’t in the movie- a missed opportunity for bonding and irony ( she’s afraid of blood but falls in love with a vampire, wants to be one). I wondered if Stephanie Meyer, the author, even tried to stand up for her material or was she just overwhelmed by the whole process. Why didn’t they bring up Jasper's extra power? Why didn’t they bring into the group dynamic the fact that the Cullens thought Bella was just another simple mortal and that she repeatedly proved to them that she was above average in many ways- impressing even them and their hundreds of years of experience? This would have given her a relationship with Edward's family members other that of just his girlfriend. So many opportunities for added dimension were never explored. “New Moon” is going to have to spend a lot of time in exposition to make up for the abysmal lack of it in “Twilight”.
Was it Summit’s fault for not allotting enough money or shooting time? In the extras on the DVD the tight shooting schedule came up a lot, which explains why some scenes are just second rate. Kristen Stewart tends to mumble and sometimes you can’t understand her on the first go around. More takes would have helped. And those special effects- wow- very “Land of the Lost”. Again, I slunk further into my seat when Edward threw Bella on his back for that first trip up the mountain. I saaw on the DVD that filming the special effects for this scene was a painful process- the actors had to straddle a wire as it was pulled along a line up the grade. So much discomfort for them to do, so much discomfort for us to watch. Please oh please, Summit, spend more time on these effects in future films.
As, I said earlier, the tone of the film was badly set as the opening credits started to roll. The scene of Bella in her mom’s car on the way to the airport, the shot of the airplane taking off are so “B” stock footage looking bad- we did not need to see this. We can figure out for ourselves how she got from Arizona to Washington- her step father even says they have a plane to catch. Again, if time was such an issue, this is not where they should have spent it. The air to ground shot of the landscape of Arizona is a nice idea but I don’t like the shots they chose. The beginning should have gone from Bella and her mom at the car to a swooping shot lowly across some flat Arizona geography to rising up over the mountains and clouds of Washington. Boom- "Twilight".
But, what really killed any chances for "A" territory for me was the music. Now before you stone me to death, I’m a big fan of the soundtrack CD. But some of the choices made to accent key moments were what sunk this film from an “A” to a “B”. About 10 minutes into the film, Bella walks into her biology class passing a fan that shoots her distinctive aroma directly up Edward’s nose. The whole scene is dragged down by the distractingly bad spaghetti western score. This is where I first sunk in my seat and apologized to my friend. Music can make or break a film and it definitely does damage to this project. I also object to the rifts that were chosen to punctuate the scene where Edwards pushes the van out of harm’s way. When he gets up and leaves, the music is just second rate, tacky, again I cringed and sunk lower into my seat. By the end of the movie I was sitting on my neck! My final musical complaint is the choice of piece for Bella’s lullaby. I would love to hear the other choices not taken, which included a piece by Robert Pattinson. He did have 2 very good and well placed songs included in the film, “Never Think” one he wrote along with Sam Bradley, played and sang, and one he sings and plays, “Let Me Sign”. In Carter Burwell’s “Bella’s Lullaby” there’s not really a whole tune that can be hummed here. Parts are really lovely and haunting but mostly it’s “Chopsticks”. More than 30 viewings have not changed my feelings here- I cringe at these parts every time.
So, the fault lies with Summit. They hired the producers (a long list) who hired the director Catherine Hardwicke and the screenwriter, Melissa Rosenberg. It also lies with Stephanie Meyer for letting her material be stunted. The producers also hired the hair and makeup and stunt coordinators or they at least were in charge of those who hired them- and they found their their work acceptable. Ultimately it’s the producers who are responsible for the whole finished product- that’s why the ‘best movie’ academy award is given to the producer of the winning film. There are too many areas that are bad to focus on one to place all the blame. In the making of “Twilight” not enough of the right people in the right places took this story seriously enough to give it the right treatment.
Why, you ask, if I am so disappointed with this movie have I seen it so many times and will continue to watch it many more? Because I look at the movie “Twilight” as I would anything new in my life. I might have had high hopes for it in the beginning, but have come to realize that if I want it in my life I must accept it as it is. I cannot change it now, but I will continue to hope that the next one will meet my expectations.
I very much look forward to the opening of “New Moon” in November of 2009.
PS- I mentioned Rachelle Lefevre earlier- she played Victoria in “Twilight” and will play her again in “New Moon” but has been replaced in “Eclipse”- which is very Victoria intense. Bryce Dallas Howard, Ron’s little girl, has taken the roll and I am very disappointed in this decision. Rachelle has stated that she was shocked that Summit fired her and Summit has issued statements that Rachelle has only herself to blame. I can’t help thinking that Bryce wanted to be a part of the series (what young actor doesn’t?) and asked daddy to get her the role. It’s the only answer that makes sense if you read both Rachelle’s (http://news-briefs.ew.com/2009/07/29/twilight-rachelle-lefevre-stunned-by-summits-recast-of-victoria-for-eclipse/) and Summit’s (http://news-briefs.ew.com/2009/07/29/summit-entertainment-fights-back-against-rachelle-lefevre/) statements. We will know for sure if Ron Howard either directs or produces a feature for Summit in the near future.
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