'Twilight' produces dim reaction

@SL_body_copy_ragged:Audience texting -- and whether or not there's any going on during a film -- seems to be the new success meter for young adult films. There was a lot of eyes-down, thumbs-a-typing texting going on during "Twilight."

While it's true I couldn't read any of the tiny screens lighting up the theater like little twinkle lights, I'm guessing that most messages were of disappointment. As someone who hasn't read the book the film was based on, I can safely say that I was expecting a lot more from the story. And as someone who has learned over time to read an audience, I believe the target audience -- teen girls and their moms -- were left wanting.

A popular book usually has no chance on being treated well by a movie, and the few times that a movie has matched the excitement of the book, it had to divorce itself from the page. A movie is visual, a book is mental; it's extremely disheartening to see the movie in your head destroyed by Hollywood. And speaking of movies in my head, anyone who's taken English 101 will recall the professor pounding into your head the "Show, don't tell" rule of writing. I think the basic issue with "Twilight" is that the filmmakers broke the golden rule. They told us about a bunch of stuff that was in a book.

They told us that Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is from a broken but loving home, and when her mother and stepfather decide to leave Phoenix, she decides to go live with her real father in gloomy and rainy Washington state. Once there she has a moment or two of issues being the new kid in school but then triumphs by being pretty cool.

She meets some other cool kids and then meets the pale faced Cullen family, who seem to be too cool for school. After many scenes of moody looks and stares, she makes contact with Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) who disappears when it's sunny, is cold to the touch, and could easily win any staring match. She does a Google search, reads a book and figures out he's a vampire.

Here the story should take a turn but doesn't. Bella doesn't care he's a member of the undead and falls deeply and utterly in love. Edward has never smelled blood so intoxicating (literally) and falls for Bella as deeply. Luckily, the Cullens only suck the blood of animals -- please, they're not monsters! They meet each other's family (awkward) and try to figure out how this is going to work, until a trio of trespassing vampires upsets the balance.

If I were to take away the famous book by Stephanie Meyer and just view the film as any other, I'd have a whole host of questions about its plot. Why is a movie about teenagers and vampires so slow moving? Why does a movie about teenagers and vampires have only one bite scene and one action scene? Why do Bella and Edward fall in love so quick and so completely. Did he cast a spell? Besides the moody looks and the obvious lust between them, did I miss something? And about the staring, why so much screen time devoted to it?

Shouldn't Edward know how to navigate the Bella relationship by having dated other high school girls in the past? Shouldn't he be a "player" by now? And, I mean really, wouldn't he be over high schoolers by now?

Why is her mind the only one he can't read? What's so bad in her background to make her jump to such a drastic decision? I could certainly go on, but I think the collective mood by the loyal "Twilight" fans is that the moviemakers better "bring it" for the next installment.

Going by the insider giggles and knowing laughs during moments of the film that didn't deserve giggles or laughs, I could only assume the book readers had something on me that the film failed to produce. It reminded me of sitting with others who are good friends and them telling tales from their youth in shorthand. All I can do is nod and smile at what must be good stories.

They should quickly change out the writer and director for the next film. The book fans deserve much better; the sequel should be big and exciting -- and scary! How can anyone make a film about vampires and not have it at least a little bit spooky?