"TWILIGHT"
(2008) (Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson) (PG-13)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Moderate	Moderate	Extreme	*Moderate	Minor
Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Mild	Minor	Heavy	None	Minor
Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Moderate	None	Moderate	Moderate	Heavy

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QUICK TAKE:

Drama/Horror: After relocating to a small town to live with her dad, a teenager meets and ends up falling for a teenage vampire who's torn between his love for her and his appetite for her blood.

PLOT:

With her mom, Renee (SARAH CLARKE), remarrying and going on the road with her minor league baseball player husband, 17-year-old Bella Swan (KRISTEN STEWART) is relocating from her home in Phoenix to the small town of Forks, Washington to live with her single dad, Charlie (BILLY BURKE), the local chief of police.

Bella isn't pleased to be the new kid in school, especially since her childhood friend, American Indian Jacob Black (TAYLOR LAUTNER), goes to school on the reservation. Even so, a number of students, including Mike Newton (MICHAEL WELCH), Jessica Stanley (ANNA KENDRICK) and Angela Weber (CHRISTIAN SERRATOS) quickly befriend their new classmate and give her the lowdown on a family of students who pretty much keep to themselves.

Foster kids to local physician Carlisle Cullen (PETER FACINELLI) and his wife Esme (ELIZABETH REASER), they include the oldest kids, Rosalie (NIKKI REED) and Emmett (KELLAN LUTZ), outgoing Alice (ASHLEY GREENE) and the seemingly wound-too-tight Jasper (JACKSON RATHBONE).

Then there's strikingly handsome Edward (ROBERT PATTINSON), who initially seems repulsed by Bella and her scent, but secretly finds her quite alluring. That's because he, like the rest of his family, is a vampire, forever stuck at the age of his initial transformation. And like the others, he's learned to resist his appetite for human blood and instead feeds only on animals.

He and Bella eventually become friends and then something more, even when he tries to tell her he's not right for her, without revealing his secret. By the time she eventually figures it out, she's so head over heels in love with him that she doesn't care, although she obviously can't give her dad or mom -- to whom she talks on the phone -- all of the details.

Of bigger concern than their unlikely mixed relationship, however, is the fact that a trio of rogue vampires -- James (CAM GIGANDET), Victoria (RACHELLE LEFEVRE) and Laurent (EDI GATHEGI) -- have recently arrived and are killing and feeding on the locals. Not only does that threaten to reveal the Cullens' secret, but it also means that Bella's life might be in danger, especially once James gets a whiff of her alluring scent.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?

If they're fans of the novels on which this is based, vampire movies in general, and/or anyone in the cast, they probably will.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13

For some violence and a scene of sensuality.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:

KRISTEN STEWART plays a teenager who's forced to relocate to a small town and move in with her dad when her mom remarries and goes on the road. Unhappy with that and being the new kid in school, she finds herself drawn to Edward despite the way he initially treats her. Having then fallen in love with him, she doesn't care that he's a vampire, but must contend with the ramifications of dating him, particularly in regard to rival vampire James wanting to kill her for food.

ROBERT PATTINSON plays a vampire, forever stuck at the age of a teenager, who initially wants to keep her at a distance to avoid her alluring scent, but similarly finds himself strongly drawn toward her in a romantic sense. Once they become an item, he must protect her, especially from James and his crew.

TAYLOR LAUTNER plays Bella's childhood friend with whom she's reunited when she returns to her hometown. An American Indian, he lives and goes to school on the reservation, and seems to like Bella romantically, but isn't happy to see that she's drawn to Edward.

ASHLEY GREENE plays Edward's foster sister who can see into the future and is accepting of him dating Bella.

JACKSON RATHBONE plays their foster brother who's the newest to join their family and is still battling his desire to feed on humans.

NIKKI REED plays their older foster sister who doesn't like Bella or her romance with Edward, not only because she isn't one of them, but also for fear of her potentially accidentally revealing their true nature.

KELLAN LUTZ plays her foster brother, and the two of them appear to have a relationship of some sort.

BILLY BURKE plays Bella's single father, the local police chief who wants her to be happy, but must deal with several deaths in the town. He drinks beer in several scenes.

ELIZABETH REASER plays Edward's mother figure of sorts, married to Carlisle.

PETER FACINELLI plays her husband, the vampire patriarch and local doctor who's made sure that they only feed on animal and not human blood.

MICHAEL WELCH plays Bella's classmate who befriends and likes her in a romantic sense, but ends up taking Jessica to the prom.

ANNA KENDRICK plays Bella's new friend at school who likes Mike and the fact that her revealing prom dress accentuates her breasts.

CHRISTIAN SERRATOS plays their other friend and fellow classmate.

CAM GIGANDET plays a powerful vampire who, along with Victoria and Laurent, has been feeding on some of the locals. Once he catches a whiff of Bella's scent, he's determined to do whatever it takes to catch and feed on her.

RACHELLE LEFEVRE and EDI GATHEGI play his fellow rogue vampires who kill others and clash with the Cullen clan.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

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Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

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OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

The following is a brief summary of the content found in this dramatic horror/romance film that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of a slang term for breasts, while a handful of other benign expletives and colorful phrases are present. Some sexually related comments are made, a teenage couple (he fully dressed, she in a t-shirt and panties) briefly fool around on her bed, and a teen girl shows a lot of cleavage in a prom dress.

Violence consists of vampires killing humans (seen from a distance) and vampires battling each other, resulting in one's death and a human being injured, with some bloody results. Those scenes and moments of potential peril (and the overall vampire content) might be unsettling, suspenseful and/or scary to some younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material.

Bad attitudes are present, as is some tense family material, while some behavior might be enticing for some kids to try to imitate. Alcohol is present in several scenes, while a drug comment is made as a metaphor.

If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.

For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there are varying amounts of handheld, shaky and spin around camera movement at various points in the film.

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ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE

Charlie has beer.

A miscellaneous guy has an open bottle of liquor.

Some guys throw cans of beer to one another while surrounding and intimidating Bella.

Edward tells Bella that her scent is like a drug to him, adding that she's like his own personal brand of heroin.

Charlie puts two 6-packs of beer onto the lap of Jacob's dad (in his wheelchair) for them to watch a sporting event on TV.

Charlie has two beer cans in front of him while cleaning a shotgun.

Charlie has a beer.

BLOOD/GORE

A student driver of a truck has a slightly bloody cut on his forehead after an accident.

We see bare dead feet as a gurney with an otherwise covered dead body is wheeled past Bella.

A few old drawings show sketches of primitive surgery.

An imagined view shows a traditional vampire biting into a woman's neck (we don't see the impact, but do see a little blood on the vampire's mouth).

Bella has some blood on her hand after James attacks her. After the latter throws her and Edward aside, Bella pulls a large shard of glass from her jeans-covered leg (that's bloody). James then bites her arm, leaving bloody marks there.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE

Edward initially appears to have a bad (and repulsed) attitude toward Bella and her scent, but we later learn that's because he's torn between his attraction to her and his desire to drink her blood.

Bella walks down an alley at night when two guys enter from the other side and then start following her when she turns the other way. Two others then join the first two and surround her. She knees one in the crotch just as Edward zips up in his car, gives the four guys a menacing look, and they don't put up a fight.

Rosalie isn't happy with Bella or that she's Edward's new girlfriend. At one such moment, she ends up shattering a glass casserole dish in her hands for being so angry.

James and his companions kill humans for food, don't act nicely toward the Cullen clan, and then James and Victoria try to hunt down and kill Bella to feed on her.

FRIGHTENING SCENES

Scenes listed under "Violence" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material.

A vehicle accidentally swerves and slides toward Bella, with Edward suddenly there to protect her by stopping the truck with his hand, denting the door.

Bella walks down an alley at night when two guys enter from the other side and then start following her when she turns the other way. Two others then join the first two and surround her. She knees one in the crotch just as Edward zips up in his car, gives the four guys a menacing look, and they don't put up a fight.

A few old drawings of supernatural beings might be unsettling or scary to very young viewers.

We see a flashback to Carlisle biting Edward's neck (with him writhing in pain from the "venom"), but we don't see the actual contact (and this was done to save the teen's life from dying from influenza).

Those afraid of heights might not like a scene where Edward zips up a very tall pine tree with Bella on his back (and they end up standing/sitting on limbs at the top).

During a baseball game out by themselves, Edward's family and Bella are confronted by the bad vampires. Edward's family is cautious, and things get tenser when James catches a whiff of Bella and then comes at her, resulting in a standoff.

Bella sprays pepper spray into James' face and tries running away, but he flies over top of her, lands in front of her, and then throws her across the floor, sending her sliding hard into a post. He then causes her some sort of intense pain, but Edward then shows up and knocks him across the room. James then returns that action and the two then fight, bashing and throwing each other around, including with Bella in one instance. She then pulls a large shard of glass from her jeans-covered leg (that's bloody). The two vampires continue fighting, with James then biting Bella on her arm, beginning the infection process, while Edward finally gets control of James, appearing to bite him on the face. His vampire family then shows up, holds James, and Alice then breaks his neck. They then apparently burn his body (we see the fire, but not the burning).

Some viewers might worry about Bella after James has bitten her, beginning the infection process. Edward then has to suck the venom from her arm, but runs the risk of sucking her dry due to his vampire nature. Carlisle then has to tell him to stop.

GUNS/WEAPONS

We see Charlie cleaning a shotgun (that he whips shut hearing that Edward has arrived - a joke on the part of the film of him being an overprotective dad).

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR

Phrases: "I'm down with the kids," "You're the bomb," "You're news baby, front page," "Butt-crack Santa," "Chick thing," "It sure as hell is not," "Freaking out," "Seriously dude, it's creepy," "Your mood swings are kinda giving me whiplash," "A freak," "Let's not play with our food," "Just keeping it real," "You better hold on tight, spider monkey" and "I suck."

Another student playfully pulls a chair out from under Mike, sending the latter to the floor.

Jessica shows cleavage, and then a lot more in a prom dress she's trying on, happily stating that it "makes my boobs look good."

Some fancy driving moves (backing up and doing a 180 spin without stopping, etc.) might be enticing for some teens to copy.

A miscellaneous guy has what looks like a facial piercing.

Edward's family plays baseball during a thunderstorm (to mask the loud crack of their hits with the sound of thunder).

JUMP SCENES

A teenage girl screams during a tale of wolves and vampires (she isn't hearing that, and does so while playing with a boy).

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)

A heavy amount of suspenseful and ominous music plays in the film.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)

None.

PROFANITY

At least 1 slang term for breasts ("boobs"), 1 hell, 3 uses of "Oh God" and 1 use each of "Oh my God" and "Swear to God."

SEX/NUDITY

About a story for the school paper, Bella jokes about Speedo packing, with added comments about that being Olympic size on such a skinny guy.

An old friend of Charlie's is referred to as "Butt-crack Santa" (apparently for a view from the past, not seen).

We see James shirtless.

Jessica shows cleavage, and then a lot more in a prom dress she's trying on, happily stating that it "makes my boobs look good."

Edward states he can read minds, but not Bella's, pointing out those around them in a restaurant are thinking about money and sex, repeating that, and then says "cat" for a man (possibly meant sexually referring to a slang term for female genitals).

Rosalie shows some cleavage.

Bella's mom asks her (on the phone) if she's met a boy. Bella says she has, with her mom then asking, "Are you being safe?" (presumably referring to safe sex).

Edward shows up in Bella's bedroom, they passionately kiss on her bed and then lie back on that (with him on top of her), but he then leaps backwards off her, saying he can't continue (she's in her t-shirt and panties -- we don't see the latter, but see a lot of bare leg). They then end up cuddled on the bed, with her falling asleep on his chest.

We see Laurent with the front of his shirt open.

Bella shows a little cleavage, while Jessica shows more her in prom dress, something Bella points out.

Bella and Edward briefly kiss at the end.

SMOKING

None.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES

We hear that Bella's mom remarried and is going on the road with her new husband (a baseball player), thus meaning Bella is moving from Phoenix to the small town of Forks to live with her father who she hasn't seen in a while. She adds that it's a good thing, but then adds "I think."

Hearing that James will likely follow her to her house and thus endanger her father as well, Bella lies to him, saying she has to move out or else she'll be stuck there just like her mom was in the past (she does this in hopes of it ultimately ensuring his safety).

Bella learns (via a phone call) that James has her mom, and he tells her to meet him alone or he'll harm her mother.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT

The legend of vampires.

Girls who fall for the "bad boy" type.

Star-crossed lovers.

Being the new kid in school.

VIOLENCE

A deer runs through the woods, chased by a vampire that isn't seen until the very end when it catches the deer (no blood).

Bella accidentally opens a truck door into Jacob (he's unhurt).

Bella accidentally knocks a volleyball over against Mike's head (he's unhurt).

Another student playfully pulls a chair out from under Mike, sending the latter to the floor (he's unhurt).

A man runs through a mill and then outside where he's attacked by the bad vampires (the violence and killing occurs in the far distance and thus no details can be seen).

Bella slides on the ice and lands on her butt on the sidewalk.

A vehicle accidentally swerves and slides toward Bella, with Edward suddenly there to protect her by stopping the truck with his hand, denting the door. The driver of that truck has a slight, bloody cut on his forehead.

The bad vampires surround a man on his boat and kill him (the murder is not seen).

An imagined view shows a traditional vampire biting into a woman's neck (we don't see the impact, but do see a little blood on the vampire's mouth).

We see a flashback to Carlisle biting Edward's neck (with him writhing in pain from the "venom"), but we don't see the actual contact (and this was done to save the teen's life from dying from influenza).

Rosalie isn't happy with Bella or that she's Edward's new girlfriend. At one such moment, she ends up shattering a glass casserole dish in her hands for being so angry.

Bella sprays pepper spray into James' face and tries running away, but he flies over top of her, lands in front of her, and then throws her across the floor, sending her sliding hard into a post. He then causes her some sort of intense pain, but Edward then shows up and knocks him across the room. James then returns that action and the two then fight, bashing and throwing each other around, including with Bella in one instance. She then pulls a large shard of glass from her jeans-covered leg (that's bloody). The two vampires continue fighting, with James then biting Bella on her arm, beginning the infection process, while Edward finally gets control of James, appearing to bite him on the face. His vampire family then shows up, holds James, and Alice then breaks his neck. They then apparently burn his body (we see the fire, but not the burning).

Bella's mom reports what she was told happened to Bella, falling down a flight of steps and then crashing through a window, and we see an imagined flashback view of that happening.

Reviewed November 18, 2008 / Posted November 21, 2008

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