Woo Hoo!

That's the sound we used to make in high school when we were having a particular kind of fun: the wind-in-your-hair-on-a-roller-coaster kind of fun.  And it's the sound I had to hold in last night between eleven at night and one in the morning, when I finally got to watch the movie Twilight.  My husband rented it for me as a surprise on the day it came out, and my son slept peacefully (only waking up to nurse once and then falling promptly asleep again, God bless him) while I watched it in the dark with my headphones on.  I was so pumped when it was over that I washed the dishes and then lay awake until two.

I've heard criticisms of the movie from readers who were disappointed, and I respect those criticisms.  When you love a book, it's hard for any film version to measure up.  (I let loose on that topic in my last post.)  Personally, I think these filmmakers nailed it.  Bella is exactly what she should be: beautiful but not conspicuously so, unassuming and grave yet passionate.  And I liked Edward even better than the vision in my head, which almost never happens.  He is mysterious and sexy with just a little creepiness around the edges and the perfect mixture of protectiveness and vulnerability, which I preferred to the book's depiction because I found it more subtly rendered.  (For all of Stephenie Meyer's gifts as a storyteller, she tends to overwrite; one thing I enjoyed in watching the movie was not having to stumble over unnecessary phrases or descriptions that dragged out sufficiently crafted sentences.)

The atmosphere of the film struck me as edgy yet beautiful.  In fact, the settings and vistas were so close to what I imagined that I almost gasped at times, particularly when I first saw Charlie's house.  I suspected for a moment that the director must have telepathic abilities of her own.  (The resemblance between our visualizations is more likely due to Meyer's intensely specific writing, which, though occasionally overdone, is undeniably vivid; there are indeed two sides to every coin.)  The dialogue--natural and at times wonderfully awkward--and the soundtrack--eerie, exciting, and enchanting by turns--were perfect.

The only detail I didn't enjoy was the moment when Bella sees Edward in the sun. Meyer describes the setting as an open field, which would have provided a more distinct contrast to the close, shadowy woods where Bella and Edward start out.  I also didn't think the effect used in this scene makes Edward look "beautiful": just grainy, like he's been dusted with glittery sand that I wanted badly to brush off and make him clean and handsome again.  

I will eagerly anticipate seeing the rest of the series; I'm even tempted now to watch Breaking Dawn when it comes out.  The only danger of liking a movie so much is that I might never read the book again, but I doubt that will happen, especially when--God willing--I have teenaged daughters of my own.  This morning, I'm sleepy, but it was worth it.  I'm grateful for any story--whether in book or movie form--that can entice me to forget (almost) that I'm nearly 30 years old and a mom and keep me up until two a.m.  True, being grown-up and a mom brings its own kind of fun, but I'll always snag an opportunity to have that old (or should I say young?) kind of fun again.