Twilight parents guide

Twilight Parent Guide

Overall C

Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) can't seem to help being curious and attracted to her classmate Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). But as she begins to unravel his secrets, she finds herself drawn into a mysterious and dangerous world full of vampires and bloodthirsty assassins.

Release date November 21, 2008

Violence C+
Sexual Content B
Profanity B+
Substance Use C+

Why is Twilight rated PG-13? The MPAA rated Twilight PG-13 for some violence and a scene of sensuality.

Run Time: 122 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

Bella Swan (Kristen Steward) has moved from sun-drenched Arizona to the rain-soaked coast of Washington state and seemingly lost her sunny disposition (if she ever had one) along the way. Despite the friendly overtures from her fellow students at Forks High School, Bella remains withdrawn and distant from them, as well as her estranged father Charlie (Billy Burke) with whom she now lives.

Her interest is piqued, however, when she meets her new biology lab partner. Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), a pale, mysterious classmate, seems to be not only wary of her but down right repulsed during their first meeting. Rather than let the slight go, the headstrong Belle resolves to confront Edward about his reaction the next time she sees him.

Thus starts a love story that hopes to rival the magical spell cast on readers by the Harry Potter series. The premise, though, is not new. Like Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and the modern musical Grease, novelist Stephenie Meyer’s tale of forbidden love between a mortal and a vampire is all about an unsuitable pairing, at least in the eyes of society. Edward’s outsider image in the school only adds to the anguish experienced by these tortured teens as Bella discovers the dark and gruesome truth about him.

It may be the portrayal of angst that resonates with the millions of fans who’ve bought into the story and waited with, dare I say, bated breath for this movie’s release. Yet from a parent’s perspective this script is worrisome. Bella, portrayed as an independently-minded young woman, develops a dogged attraction to Edward that borders on obsession. Professing her trust in him (not to eat her) is one thing, but pushing the poor boy to the edge of his self-control is another. To maintain their budding relationship, she also lies to her parents and friends, and jeopardizes the identity of Edward’s family. Though Edward refers to Bella as his own personal brand of heroin, it is she who seems to have an unhealthy addiction to the reticent vampire.

For teens determined to see their literary characters brought to the big screen, this adaptation contains only a trio or so of profanities. Showing more restraint and good sense than Bella, Edward breaks away from the pair’s passionate kissing before he loses the willpower to resist her blood. Yet pushed between the lines of stammering, often stumbling dialogue are the murders of at least two residents, a near fatal car accident, bloody injuries from a hand-to-hand struggle, and the dismemberment and burning of a vampire.

While most audience members won’t worry about protecting their necklines when they leave the theater, this script may still expose more dangerous attitudes about young love than most parents will care to lay bare for their kids.

Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Catherine Hardwicke. Running time: 122 minutes. Theatrical release November 21, 2008. Updated

Twilight
Rating & Content Info

Why is Twilight rated PG-13? Twilight is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for some violence and a scene of sensuality.

Forced to move to a new school mid-year is unsettling for Bella, although her new classmates warmly welcome her. Another group of students, however, remain on the fringes of the group. Two youth are sent to the hospital after a near fatal car accident. A group of beer-toting male teens surround a lone girl on a dark street and threaten her. A vampire bites the necks of his victims. Two men are chased, attacked and killed by vampires (deaths occur off-screen). The covered corpse of one victim is seen. A girl is injured by a glass shard in her leg and nearly killed during a brutal fight between two vampires. Bloody injuries are portrayed. Characters are thrown into mirrors, across a room and through windows during the brawl. One character is beheaded, dismembered and burned (without graphic detail). Illustrated depictions of death are seen in a book. Teens host a casino and gamble during a school dance. Characters are shown drinking or with beer cans on several occasions, including while cleaning a rifle. Girls make sexually-oriented comments about male anatomy. Other brief sexual innuendos are contained in the script. A girl wears a low cut dress with the intention of revealing her chest. Teens kiss passionately in a bedroom. Infrequent terms of Christian Deity are used.

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Twilight Parents' Guide

Like many other films, plays and stories, this script is based on a pursuit of forbidden love. Why are these types of relationships often seen as an exciting alternative to the average girl or boy-next-door love story? What problems are implicitly parts of this kind of romance?

Bella continually expresses her trust in Edward. Are there, however, times when trust can be misguided? What responsibility does Bella have to help Edward stay true to his convictions? Do you think she enhances or hampers his ability to honor her faith in him?

The challenge with bringing a well-known novel to the big screen is choosing the actors. What do you like about the performers that were chosen? What do you dislike? Who would have been your choice for the parts? Do you think the screenplay did justice to the book?

Fans of Stephenie Meyer’s novels can find the complete series (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn) at their local library or bookstore.

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Twilight movie is March 21, 2009. Here are some details…

Release Date: 21 March 2009

Twilight arrives on DVD as a 2-disc set. Presented in widescreen, the movie offers audio tracks in Dolby Digital 5.1 (English and Spanish), with subtitles in English and Spanish. Bonus materials include:

-Audio Commentary by director Catherine Hardwicke and stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.

- Five extended and five deleted scenes (with director introductions).

- Three music videos (Muse, Paramore and Linkin Park).

- Comic-Con Phenomenon featurette.

- A seven-part documentary (The Adventure Begins: The Journey from Page to Screen).

Twilight also releases on Blu-ray. The movie is presented in widescreen with audio tracks in 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS-HD Master Audio (English), and subtitles in English and Spanish. This disc provides all of the above-mentioned extras, plus an interactive picture-in-picture feature.

 

Related home video titles:

Other movies in the Twilight Saga franchise include The Twilight Saga: New Moon and Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

Love between a human and another immortal being also blossoms when Winnie Foster falls for a strange young man she meets in the forest in Tuck Everlasting. Though both made of flesh and blood, Landon Carter, the high school bad-boy, and the Bible-carrying Jamie Sullivan might as well be from different realms when they fall in love in A Walk to Remember.

Lead actor Robert Pattinson is no stranger to celluloid worlds of supernatural beings, as he played the role of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

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