Hide the garlic, ‘Twilight’s’ here

By HEATHER SKRIP

“Twilight,” the franchise that causes frenzies of preteen girls to flock to movie theaters, plays right into the hands of its audience. Not only does the hugely popular series of books cater to these barely teenaged girls, the movie has found a way to do the same thing.

The film follows the conflict between a human named Bella (Kristen Stewart) who falls in love with a vampire named Edward (Robert Pattinson). Eventually, they admit the feelings are mutual and Bella is introduced to the rest of the vampire family. However, a tracker vampire has decided to make Bella his next meal, causing the entire vampire family to rally together to protect her.

The target audience the producers were aiming for was epitomized in the crowded theater full of girls, with the exception of a few bored boyfriends. Once Edward Cullen stepped onto the screen, an audible sigh was emitted from the audience. The reason for this was apparent to any female member of the audience whose eyes were able to take in Edward.

A note of warning though, to movie-goers who have not read the book: You will be lost and confused.

Although the film is simple enough to follow because everything and everybody is introduced properly, the whole concept of why Edward is so important to Bella will seem to fly over your head.

With that being said, trying to find the meticulous differences between the book and the movie will only leave you wanting to scream. They’re there, as in any book-to-big screen film, but none are worth pointing out.

The cast is well comprised, with a few exceptions.

Edward was cast brilliantly enough; the paleness, beauty and every other adjective that author Stephanie Meyer used to describe Edward was apparent in Pattinson. Bella, on the other hand, seemed unfit to play the role.

Being a fan of the book, Bella’s characteristics simply did not fit with Stewart. Everybody else seemed fit to play his or her role.

The special effects are superb because they further showed how unbelievable everything about the existence of vampires is. Edward’s speed, especially when climbing up trees, was amazing, and the great cinematography showed that.

To call the movie cheesy would be an insult to the book that it is based off of.

The characters were well cast, for the most part, and the plot seemed more intense on the big screen.

Fans of the series criticize the film for not living up to expectations, but do the films ever? Look at the “Harry Potter” series and notice the similarities. Great series, decent movies.

If you are a fan of the “Twilight” book series, the film will not amaze you, but it is definitely worth your time to see what it takes to make a teenage girl go insane.