Twilight

By Ash Shaw

- Book       

- Movie

Genre: Young Adult/Romance/Fantasy

Age Group: It is suitable for people 13 years and over, but is probably aimed more at females.

Book Review

Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight, book number 1 of 4, is a story about a young girl named Isabella Swan who falls in love with a vampire named Edward Cullen. The first instalment in the series shows the hurdles both Edward and Bella have to overcome in order for the two of them to be together. It is written in the viewpoint of Bella and switches between her internal monologue about Edward Cullen and his family and also her more awkward and self-conscious reactions to those around her. Meyer took a bold leap for her first novel by writing in the first person (Bella’s viewpoint), but she has definitely pulled it off. I was immediately drawn in because I felt more of a personal connection with the narrator and I felt this throughout the rest of the story. As a reader I was able to not only see, but also feel how self-conscious and awkward she is and if this was written in the third person I don’t think it would have the same effect on the reader and might detract from the story itself. Her characters, both main and otherwise, are all well-rounded and thought out and each has their own personality which adds more to the story. Overall, even though the romance side of the book is somewhat corny at times (as most romance novels are), Twilight is packed with enough drama and action to override this. Even those who are cynical about romance, especially between two teenagers, will be able to overlook the corny bits. It is suitable for people 13 years and over, but is probably aimed more at females.

Movie Review

The movie adaptation of Twilight does not differ too drastically from the book. All of the characters look just like they are described in the book, even if they are not what I had pictured in my mind. Bella (played by Kristin Stewart) is more sullen than the book describes, however, Stewart plays this character well and is able to capture every other emotion described in the book. Edward (played by Robert Pattinson) is the perfect match for Edward and he plays the part brilliantly. As the Cullen family are all vampires, they are supposed to pale, but in the movie their skin tones are a little too overboard. All of the big, dramatic scenes have been included in the movie and the special effects are believable for the most part. I thought they did a great job for the scene where Edward reveals to Bella why he cannot walk in the sunlight. My favourite scene is the one where Bella tells Edward that she knows what Edward is. It is full of tension and latches onto the people watching and pulls them into the movie and right there with Bella and Edward. This movie is definitely a must-see for those who like suspense, romance, drama and action all in one.

Comparison

It’s a very close decision between the two but the book definitely wins out over the movie, only by one star though. This is partly because there is always just that little bit of extra detail in the book and partly because I just enjoyed reading the book that little bit more than watching the movie. For a movie adaptation it is definitely the best by far that I have seen in the respect that have followed the book’s details and characters very closely, probably for the readers sake, which is another thing that I appreciated about it. They have thought of not just the people wanting to see the movie, but also of those that have previously read the book. I saw it twice at the movies because I am one of those people who pick apart movie adaptations if I love the book, so the first time I went I picked it to shreds and then I re-read the book. The second time I saw the movie I actually just watched it as a movie and not as an adaptation and it was then that I was able to fully appreciate it and recognise how much thought the creators put into it and how closely they have followed the book. I always think it’s best to do this if you are like me, a loyal bookie!