Twilight

As you may have already heard, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has been moved to release in summer of 2009 instead of December 2008 due to Warner Bros still dealing with the repercussions of the Writer’s strike which began this time last year.

But don’t fret you wizard lovers; it’s not all doom and gloom, I am here to discuss something positive that has resulted from all of this - the film that has taken its slot TWILIGHT.

Twilight is an action-packed, modern-day love story between a teenage girl and a vampire, based on the #1 New York Times Best-Selling series by Stephenie Meyer.

Twilight is about Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart – Panic Room, The Messengers) who has always been a little bit different, never caring about fitting in with the trendy girls. When Bella goes to live with her father in little town of Forks, Washington, she doesn’t expect much of anything to change. Then she meets the mysterious Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire/Order of the Phoenix). Edward is a vampire, but he doesn’t have fangs and his family is unique in that they choose not to drink human blood. In no time at all, they are swept up in a passionate unorthodox romance.

But what will Edward & Bella do when a clan of new vampires, come to town and threaten to disrupt their way of life? One of which you may recognise as Volchok from TV Show The O.C.

TWILIGHT is a cultural phenomenon, with over 350 fan sites dedicated to it and has been chosen as Amazon’s “Best Book of the Decade…So Far”.

So with this in mind, many fans can be quite particular with regards to casting their charming heart-throb Edward. When Pattinson was casted many fans were outraged, saying he looked like a gargoyle. But Patterson was eager to prove them wrong. Once the trailer was released many fans changed their opinion of him and were left speechless.

There are discussions on the Internet about this film being the next Harry Potter, but they are in two completely different leagues. The only connection this film has to Harry Potter, is that Twilight has taken its scheduling slot and it stars Rob Pattinson whom played Cedric Diggory in the previous two Potter films.

One thing that intrigues me about Twilight is how it focuses more on the characters rather than the special effects etc. Immediately in the trailer the intensity of the relationship between the two protagonists, is shown as such a powerful element - understanding why fans wanted the perfect cast for their long time love for the novel.

As with any film an important element to entice viewers has to be a great soundtrack, and with the help of Alexandra Patsavas the music supervisor for The O.C., Greys Anatomy and Gossip Girl it seems obvious it is a good one.

With the likes of Linkin Park, Muse and Paramore with ‘Decode’ and ‘I Caught Myself’ which was specifically written for the film, this soundtrack will have you addicted. And as if it wasn’t remarkable enough that Rob Pattinson jumped from a small role in Harry Potter to his own leading role in such a short time, he is also a talented musician. He has contributed a song to the soundtrack called ‘Never Think’ (kinda has a Damian Rice feel to it). The rest of the soundtrack can be seen below.

Growing up the phenomenon of the Buffy/Angel relationship, it wouldn’t surprise me if Bella and Edward become this generation’s the ‘it’ vampire/mortal couple.

Twilight is the first book in a series of four, so far, so if you find an infinity with the film, you may be seeing more.

The film comes out this week in the US, but us lucky ones in the UK will have to wait until December 19th.

Look out for my review of the first book, where I’ll be discussing the concept, whether the book always is better than the film!

Soundtrack listings:

1. Muse — Supermassive Black Hole

2. Paramore — Decode

3. The Black Ghosts — Full Moon

4. Linkin Park — Leave Out All The Rest

5. MuteMath — Spotlight (Twilight Mix)

6. Perry Farrell — Go All The Way (Into The Twilight)

7. Collective Soul — Tremble For My Beloved

8. Paramore — I Caught Myself

9. Blue Foundation — Eyes On Fire

10. Rob Pattinson — Never Think

11. Iron & Wine — Flightless Bird, American Mouth

12. Carter Burwell — Bella’s Lullaby