Lost in Limbo

Lol. I can’t seem to stop thinking about the movie.

So I’ve been browsing around for reviews and such. And there are a lot of haters out there!

First category: Vampire lore enthusiasts. Or purists. They’ve been raving about how Stephenie Meyer is committing blaspheme against true vampire lore. Come on, it’s fiction. She has a right to create characters as she sees fit. So their skin sparkle like diamond when touched by sunlight. It’s an interesting idea, and actually contributes to their being ‘the world’s most dangerous predators’.

Second category: Book enthusiasts. They rave about how Rob Pattinson is wrong as Edward, how Kristen Stewart is not Bella, how they wrongly portray the characters and such. To me, Kristen got Bella spot-on, from her pale skin to her obsession with Edward, and her immediate trust. Rob…1st time I saw the movie, I didn’t think he’d make a convincing Edward (something about the hair maybe…just weird), but when I re-read New Moon, Edward’s face was Rob’s, and Bella’s face was Kristen’s, and as with other characters as well (maybe not Jacob, who’s supposed to be tall but thin, and later on fills up. And he was supposed to have his hair in a ponytail in the 1st book…but then again, I’m just nitpicking). Maybe with the exception of LotR (the book was just draggy and boring for me), movies usually cannot live up to the original book. Filmmakers have to sacrifice and alter parts to make a movie sell. They can’t be re-enacting the whole book from the first word to the end.

Second (point five) category: Those who compare Twilight with Harry Potter movies. Mind you, there are a lot of reviewers out there who compare these two movies. Maybe because Rob acted as Cedric Digory in The Goblet of Fire. Maybe. But these two movies are of different genres! HP is about magic and growing up (fantasy), and Twilight is about teenage love with vampire plot as a side dish (romance/thriller?/horror?). And even if you still want to compare these two, just look at HP: the Philosopher’s Stone. The kids were new at it, and budget wasn’t as big as subsequent movies. You could actually see the stiffness in acting, the insequrity. And as the books progressed, they got longer, but the movies had to sacrifice major and important parts to not make the movies long and boring. Plus, the actors themselves said they were experimenting on how to make the flying/speed to work. I’m guessing they did not have that big a budget to work with to make the movie. Give a chance for Twilight to make Box Office list. There are four books at the moment. If people love Twilight and support it, maybe New Moon can be way better than Twilight, just like HP movies.

Third category: People with overactive imagination (I’m among one of them, but I don’t hate this movie :P). They usually have a set image of how Edward and Bella are supposed to look and act like, and they experienced major disappointment when the movie came out. Maybe their perfect image of those characters were shattered. Hey, just go to www.deviantart.com and type in Edward Cullen or Bella Swan in the search engine. You’d be surprised how many self-portraits there are imagining themselves as the characters.

I don’t know about the rest, but the movie’s grown on me. Sure, it’s far from perfect, and sure some of the actors could’ve been better, but give it a chance. The movie is about teenage romance, that’s somehow mature enough that they wanted it to last forever. And it’s about abstinance, something not many teenagers know about anymore. Edward being a vampire is how Stephenie Meyer gave a different take on teen romance. And being an aspiring novelist myself (don’t know when I’m gonna make that happen), having one’s book turned into a movie and subsequently having a boost on book sales due to the movie is more than an author can dream for.

PS: Rob Pattinson sang 2 songs in the soundtrack, Never Think and Let Me Sign. I loved the songs when I heard them in the movie, and when I browsed for the soundrack, I saw Rob Pattinson as the singer. When I googled the name, look who’s face turned out? Edward’s! (I don’t actually keep track with actor names and such). I still can’t put the face with the singing voice together…Doesn’t seem to match. The songs are powerful, if you can understand what he’s singing. Kristen Stewart can sing as well, but it’s…well, youtube for it yourself and be the judge.

Hmm…a third entry in a very short time.

Twilight must have left an impression on me.

I have to admit, I think I’m obsessed.

I took out the second book, New Moon, to re-read, and instead of random faces and places in my mind, Forks and all the characters have a definitive image now. It’s like I get to imagine a sequel to Twilight.

Which brings me to thinking, how do authors react to their books turning into movies? Of course, those that are portrayed well and make tons of money are definitely rewarding, but what about the characters? I’m very sure when an author writes, the characters are living and breathing for them. That’s what makes a story work and believable. To have a definite face of an actor, is it a letdown or a vision coming true? And storylines sometimes get changed here and there to make a movie sellable. How much does an author accept those changes?

That being said, it’s one of my far-stretching life dreams. To write a novel, and to have it made into a movie. Sure, I’ve written and directed dramas, satire and short features before, and sure, having my vision realized had been rewarding and frustrating at the same time, but we’re talking about a whole feature movie here. I have lots of ideas, and in particular, Adrian and Rina. Even though not living and breathing yet, and with no definite faces, they are a small part of me. There’s nothing to stop me from writing, actually.

Other than myself.

I have a confession to make.

I went to see the movie. Again. Today.

Second time round was WAAAAY better than the first. Partly, there’s no one snoring loudly the same row I was sitting (to think that I paid for Gold Class to avoid all this misery…sigh), and also, I found out the conversations were not clipped because of censorship…the film roll quality just sucked. When I watched it today at Signature, Gardens, the quality was slightly better. Some parts were still clipped though, but not those that got me so frustrated yesterday.

Ah…I’m just a sucker for vampire stories (lol. Pun intended).

And I meant what I said. Stephenie Meyer made the take on vampires refreshing. And the chemistry between Bella and Edward was palpable. Sure, some parts were slightly lacking, like when Bella bled and all the vamps were supposed to be drawn to and tempted by the smell but was not portrayed that well, but surprisingly, they managed to pack everything into a 2-hour plus movie without making it seem rushed. Pace was good, not too fast but not slow. Could’ve delved deeper into the conflict areas, but then again, the story is about the building of a relationship between Bella and Edward, so it’s basically a teenage love story, not gore and all blood.

And the way the vampires did not change when they feed, and no sudden protraction of fangs (even the bite mark was like normal human teeth), are among the things that made this movie different. Hell, the vamps can even expose themselves to sunlight!

All in all, I approve of this movie. Two thumbs up. This is from my point of view. Some people may not like this one so much.

Spoiler alert (Is it even possible, since the movie was based on a novel?).

Just got back from watching Twilight. I got mixed signals from the movie. It’s not like I totally fell in love with it that I have to immediately watch it, but it’s not a letdown either. I actually don’t mind watching it again. And I definitely do not regret paying for that Gold Class seat. Which means a lot.

It’s rated PG13, and for crying out loud, did they have to cut off EVERYTHING that may suggest something, or anything? Conversations were clipped away, jarring the whole experience.

That out of the way, I actually fell in love with the book by Stephenie Meyer. Can’t remember exactly when I bought it, but it must’ve been earlier this year. I was looking for a vampire-based novel, and Anne Rice’s books were…well…Victorian. The author’s interpretation of vampires is totally different from the typical vampire lore. Their skin turns glittery like a diamond when touched by sunlight instead of them turning into dust. Among other things. No coffins. No religious mumbo jumbo. There are a lot of haters out there, who want their vampires to be vampires. But I find Ms Meyer’s take refreshing. In short, I love the story.

And like all good storybooks that are made into fullscale movies, I love the movie. I’m not being vain, but my imagination is strong and realistic. That’s why I love reading fantasy novels. I usually don’t feel like I’m reading. Instead, I actually live the book. And I lived these particular books. So when I see them as a movie, it strengthens the images, giving the characters actual faces. Kinda like this Harry Potter business.

OK, so the movie can actually pass as a typical teenage coming to age story, minus the singing and dancing. It’s a bit on the serious and dark side, but not exactly the slasher kind. It’s about the powerful relationship between Bella and Edward. And the chemistry the actors showed…

Well then. I don’t even know what I’m getting at. Just felt like writing after seeing the movie. Wouldn’t write it if I didn’t get any impression from it, now, would I?

So, whether to promote others to watch it or not…. It’s a definite must-watch, even if only to get a refreshing view on vampires, but I’m not quite sure about Malaysian cinemas…too much censorship over nothing. It’s PG13. Girls get pregnant at this age!