DVD Review: Twilight 2-Disc Special Edition
Rob Pattinson in Vampire Teen Romance Flick Hits DVD Market by Storm
Apr 3, 2009
On March 21st 2009, a sound was heard that made millions of heads turn, a sound which periodically reappears every few movie seasons. Though this occurrence didn't get too much in the way of television coverage, the origin of this particular sound was quickly explained, when it was discovered that Twilight, the extremely popular adaptation of the Stephanie Meyer novel, became available on DVD and Blu-ray.
The sound in question was the scream of millions of teenage girls, shouting in glee at owning a copy of their favorite movie.
All kidding aside, the film itself, which met with relatively decent reviews and mixed responses from the audience, managed to gross almost 200 million dollars at the box-office, not bad for a non-Disney, non-summer release.
Brief Overview of Twilight
(Note: For a full review of the film, feel free to click here for the theatrical review)
The story, that of young Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) who moves in with her dad in Washington State, and meets Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), a mysterious but attractive outsider at the local school, is a familiar tale. Though this wouldn't normally be an issue, it just so happens that Edward is a 108-year old vampire with the appearance of a 17-year old, living with a family of vampires, in the small town of Forks.
And so, in true Romeo and Juliet fashion, these star-crossed lovers must learn to deal with their mutual attraction, while dealing with the logistical problems that come with a vampire/human relationship. Add to this the arrival of a trio of ruthless bloodsuckers at odds with the local pacifistic vamp family, and the movie has all of the makings of a good thriller cum love story.
Twilight 2-Disc DVD Analysis
At a glance, the 2-disc edition of this DVD is literally custom-made to satisfy its core audience, the mid-to-late teen market. Filled with some music videos by Linkin Park, Muse, and Paramore (said videos having probably been watched countless time by the same viewers on MTV), as well as a passable audio commentary by director Catherine Hardwicke and main stars Stewart and Pattinson, it is likely this film will mark the first time such a young market will be expected to pay attention to the bonus audio, just to get another serving of the dreamy Pattinson.
The extended scenes offered as part of the features on Disc One won't exactly wow viewers (hence why they were deleted), most of the "bang for the buck" comes out of Disc Two, which offers a very detailed, concise look at the making of Twilight.
The seven-part documentary covers pretty much the gamut of all things related to the film, from the author's involvement, to the casting, as well as the special effects, there is enough here to satisfy the most curious of Twilight fans.
It's best to skip the Comic-Con footage entirely, unless you are really into talking heads at a panel discussion, which in this case is interrupted by the mostly female crowd in attendance.
All in all, Twilight 2-Disc Edition makes for a decent addition to the DVD library of any teen romance or vampire fan, and is sure to be the first of many possible sequels, a return to the profitable well for many DVDs and box sets to come.
The DVD gets a 7 out of 10, for knowing how to cater to its most obvious market.
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