Micah Mertes: Even guys can find sweetness in 'Twilight'

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BY MICAH MERTES / Lincoln Journal Star

Any critique of “Twilight” not composed by a girl age 12 and 20 is probably irrelevant.

For whatever its flaws, of which there are many, this is a flick for the tweens, teens and “Twilight” moms. Their love and unwavering dedication have made this movie possible, and, by God, they’re going to cherish it.

Based on the first book in Stephenie Meyer’s megaselling quadrilogy, this faithful adaptation mixes elements of teen romance and gothic vampire melodrama, to mostly watchable effect.

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Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson star in 'Twilight.' (Courtesy photo)

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson star in 'Twilight.' (Courtesy photo)

Here, we meet the smart, mopey high-schooler Bella (Kristen Stewart). She’s just moved from sunny Phoenix to Forks, Wash., a quaint little town where the sun rarely shines. At school, Bella meets Edward (Robert Pattinson), a beautiful, if a little pallid, boy and his equally gorgeous family.

At first Edward’s rude and distant to Bella, but soon enough, romance blooms between the two.

Yeah, life’s pretty good when you’re young and in love. Well, unless one of you is a bloodsucking creature of the night. Yep, Eddie’s no human, but he and his family are the good kind of vampires who only feast on animals, no humans allowed. They refer to themselves as “vegetarians.”

Problem is, Bella’s blood smells extra, extra sweet to Edward. He can hardly restrain himself. And she can hardly restrain herself. I’m probably the 10,000th person to make the teen abstinence parallel, but it’s pretty overt. For this couple, loving means not “doing it.” “Doing it” means homicide.

There’s also some subplot about a trio of bad vamps who are killing the town folk, which leads to an action-packed finale.

There’s an odd, doofy humor to this adaptation that I didn’t catch in the book, something to break the glum tone of an always overcast town, perhaps. And, yes, the special effects are pretty horrid, but so what? 

This isn’t a movie about great effects or spectacular set pieces.

It’s about a boy and girl who are trying to give love a go despite it being in his nature to kill her.

There’s a scene late in “Twilight” in which Edward and Bella dance at prom, alone, outside and away from the rest of their class. She wants to be a vampire like him, to live with him and love him for eternity. But, he tells her, one lifetime of love should be enough.

It’s a sweet, earnest and naive moment, and, despite my best efforts to hate this movie, I was a little moved, and I understood, if only for a nanosecond, what lives in the hearts of tweens.

Reach Micah Mertes at 473-7395 or mmertes@journalstar.com.