Twilight

Twilight

by Jennifer Davies
(South Mountain, Ontario, Canada)

I am 32 and, at first thought, you might think that a woman my age would not be into such a film. But I love the naturalness that this film has, and how it captivates its audience by making things such as werewolves and vampires really exist. They are not monsters that hide away in the darkness of caves or castles. They are people living amongst us in work, school, and play. They have feelings and families just like everyone else.

Edward is a vampire who falls in love with an ordinary high school girl named Bella. She is also close friends with Jacob, a boy from a native reserve who turns into a wolf. For every vampire, there tends to be a wolf, and the story continues on into a love triangle between the three of them. Bella is also an object of interest for wolves, vampires, and regular students of the local high school. She is, however, just an ordinary girl who would do anything for the ones she loves, even give up her life. Who wouldn't do that for love? Anyone?

I say nicely done to turning a four book series into films. As we all know, books tend to have a lot of information. I believe that the writers, producers, and directors did a great job with Stephenie Meyer's book of the Twilight series and look forward with great anticipation to the release of Breaking Dawn, the final installment and conclusion due to be released in theatres on November 18, 2011 from Summit Entertainment.

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Sep 20, 2010
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Nice ad PT 3
by: Anonymous

Another thing worth examining is the semantics and syntax of the plot description, e.g.:

"Edward is a vampire who falls in love with an ordinary high school girl named Bella."
OR
"Bella is an ordinary high school girl with whom Edward, a vampire, falls in love."

The main issue I have with the original is that when the first four words of a sentence (or paragraph, or book) are "Edward is a vampire," well, unless the ante gets upped a great deal, like "Edward is a vampire who only eats flies," or something like that, those last four words create a great deal of tension because the reader really wants to know "Why?"

When your sentence (or paragraph, or book) starts with Edward the vampire and ends with Bella the high school girl, it's a downhill slope.

Once you have a basic sentence that contains what you're trying to say, then you can add all that color and description and goodies that make the audience interested. Like so:

"Bella is an ordinary high school girl who attracts the affections of Edward, a mysterious classmate who, unknown to Bella, is secretly a vampire."
Now that's something I'd like to know before second base, am I right?

This last is a positive (well, it really isn't that funny, but it should illustrate my point) example of a question to the reader. It is generally a good idea to avoid hypothetical/rhetorical questions along the lines of the one at the end of the second paragraph if the reader can easily say no or is likely to do so when it is clear your answer would be yes, or vice-versa. This risks alienating the reader - it highlights a major difference of opinion between you and s/he and, after all, s/he is reading your review because s/he feels your opinion is close to hers/his. This sort of alienation can and will lose you readers. Just something to think about.

It's late and I'm getting tired, so I'll wrap this up. The final paragraph contains most fully your opinion. Omit material like "books contain a lot of information," since your audience is likely to know that book-screen adaptations aren't necessarily successful. Stick with "Twilight is very good for a movie based on a novel," or "The book doesn't hold the movie back," or "The story fits neatly within the corners of the silver screen."

Anyway, hope this helps, if anyone actually reads it. I'm gonna save it since I forget these elements as well from time to time and it never hurts to have an extra reminder of sorts.

Sep 20, 2010
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Nice ad PT 2
by: Anonymous

I want to pause for a moment and remind the reader that I am not criticizing the movie or the author's opinion of it. I am providing feedback regarding the article and although my opinion of the subject matter may be somewhat critical, I'm not here to hurt anyone's feelings.

I just realized that this is a review of all three Twilight films. I was planning to say that I felt there was too much iteration of the plot, but given the above, it may be in order. However, instead of rattling off story points, which is rather dry, include something with each that you feel about them. Example:
"...and the story continues on into a love triangle between the three of them."

Now tell us why this matters. This is the question one should consider whenever relating a fact like this in an opinion piece. This review isn't about the movie; it's about your opinion. The opinion you're writing just happens to be about the film. Possibly:

"...Jacob's appearance heralds the arrival of another set of denizens in Bella's rapidly expanding world - werewolves. A rival for Bella's affections, Jacob provides the third corner for a love triangle that pits he and Edward against each other, mirroring the conflict between vampires and werewolves everywhere. This affords enough drama to propel the viewer headlong into a stunning climax."

Please keep in mind that I'm just making this up. xP

Sep 20, 2010
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Nice ad.
by: Anonymous

At first thought, I would think that you are exactly the type of person who would like this movie. You are the target audience. I, admittedly, am not, however this isn't really about the film. It's about the review.

The naturalness of the supernatural seems to be a big plus to you. Are you saying that the film has successful special effects? Does seeing the supernatural in everyday situations give it a greater sense of reality? The meshing of the ordinary and the extraordinary is a pivotal attribute of all fantasy stories and more besides. What sets this one apart? What does this film have that other similar stories do not?

One finds the answer in the second paragraph: Edward and Bella. Their relationship is the central and most salient feature of the Twilight series. One might say these characters define it. Similarly, the actors playing these parts define the films. So... how were they? Were their performances believable? Convincing? Were they right for the roles or might it have been better to cast individuals with more ability behind their dreamy eyes? Or were they distractingly attractive (or unattractive)? Did they simply play the parts given them or did they become them?
The latter can be difficult to determine, but if you've read the books, you should be able to tell. Here's an example: say you're discussing the film with a friend, and s/he asks, "Who's Edward?" Is your first answer "the main character," or is it "Robert Pattinson." This is not the best example because of all the hype surrounding the film and Mr. Pattinson. Perhaps "Keanu Reeves is Neo" versus "Keanu Reeves plays Neo," or "Harrison Ford plays Han Solo" versus "Han Solo's Harrison Ford." This method works best in one-off films to which the actor is not tied and typecast, but I hope I've explained the general idea clearly. Ultimately, of course, this is a matter of opinion and there is no wrong answer.

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