Firstly, let it be known right up front that I haven't read the uber popular series of books upon which this film was based. Secondly, I realize that I'm hardly this movie's target demographic. Having said that, I thought Twilight was moderately entertaining. It probably helps that I haven't the emotional attachment to the source material that most die hard fans have. Furthermore, I went in fully aware that Twilight is more of a love story than a blood soaked vampire saga.

In Twilight, a perfectly cast Kristen Stewart plays Bella, an intelligent but slightly withdrawn teenage girl who, after moving to the hazy, overcast town of Forks, Washington to live with her father, is almost immediately bitten by the love bug. The object of her awkward affection is handsome Edward, a fellow student with a bit of a secret. When these two first meet, a courtship seems unlikely as Edward's behavior is completely erratic in Bella's presence. Quickly though, the two form a strong bond, and before long, Bella learns of Edward's extraordinary nature.

At it's heart, Twilight is a romance. A tale of forbidden love in the grand tradition of Romeo and Juliet. It should be noted however, that this film is more John Hughes than William Shakespeare. With it's themes of teen angst and social clicks, there are times when Twilight actually reminded me more of Pretty in Pink than Romeo and Juliet.

Twilight is far more involving as a love story than a vampire flick, and I suspect that's a big part of the appeal. Edward's respectful refusal to bite love sick Bella (an obvious metaphor for premarital sex) is a big part of the reason women are so drawn to this character. Furthermore, there's a kind of moral center at the heart of this story. In the world of Twilight, author Stephenie Meyers is suggesting that no one – even a vampire – is inherently evil. Her lead bloodsuckers opt to feed on animals instead of humans – a story trait that also appeared in Joe Dante's 80's werewolf opus The Howling.

The vampire aspect of Twilight is fairly tepid. There's no real sense of danger. Yes, there are a few villainous bloodsuckers in the picture, but they're not nearly scary enough. As for Meyers' protagonists? Well, at times they don't even seem like vampires at all. They cast reflections, they're not afraid of crosses, and they stay awake 24-7. Heck, they can even go into the sunlight and not catch fire – granted their identity will be exposed as sunlight creates a gold colored shimmer on their skin. To say that this is a completely new spin on the vampire mythology would be a gross understatement. It's all a bit watered down in an obvious attempt to appeal to a specific audience. And that's fine. I suppose at the very least, Meyers deserves props for doing something a little bit different with the genre.

Kristen Stewart is terrific here. She doesn't over do it. Furthermore, it's easy to see how her Bella makes friends even though she hardly puts forth the effort. Robert Pattinson does an admirable job filling in Edward's shoes. There are times when his dialogue delivery leaves a bit to be desired, but it's doubtful that fans will even notice. They'll be too busy staring at him to care. What's the appeal? I'd say it's that brooding, tortured artist thing he's got going (think James Dean or, more recently, James Franco).

As a team, Stewart and Pattinson prove to have dynamite chemistry even though their relationship is a tad rushed in this film adaptation. They spend a big portion of Twilight staring deeply into each other's eyes, and even though it's all a bit repetitive and excessive, these actors will most likely convince you that they'd do anything for one another.

Twilight was directed by Catherine Hardwicke, a film maker whose tackled teen angst before (see Thirteen). Rather than paint Meyers' story on a large canvas (as Chris Columbus did with Harry Potter), she's opted to keep this tale of forbidden love fairly intimate. It's hard to tell if this was an aesthetic choice or if the budget dictated it. Whatever the case may be, it's a hit and miss affair. Hardwicke proves to be quite adept at shooting the beautifully dreary Forks locations, but the biggest feather in her cap is in the casting. True, many of the characters in this film–including Bella's high school buddies, the mysterious Jacob, Edward's pappa Carlisle, and a trio of traveling bloodsuckers--are slightly underwritten, but each does the best with what they have and I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of them in future installments.

Hardwicke falters in her ability to build tension. The climax of the picture is sort of a let down. The big vampire fight pales in comparison to a similar bout in the 80's chic bloodsucker gem The Lost Boys. Similarly, there's a baseball sequence in Twilight that's supposed to be cool, but mostly it's just silly. Add to this poor make up effects (in particular, Peter Facinelli's Carlisle looks ridiculously lame with his pasty white skin), cheesy special effects (seriously, the technique incorporated to make it look as if the vampires can move at fast speed is incredibly dated), and a severe lack of sufficient scares, and you have a picture that's servicible but not quite worth the hype it's generating. But then again, I'm not the target audience.

In the end, Twilight isn't a bad movie. It has attributes worth noting, but it isn't as involving or as complex as Interview With a Vampire and it isn't as hip as HBO's imperfect but immensely entertaining (and strangely similar ) True Blood. It also can't hold a candle to 80's cult fave Near Dark. As a love story though, Twilight is a great reminder of how grand passion can be, especially in high school. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little interested in seeing where these characters are headed.

On a side note, I'm told that the Swedish import Let the Right One In is the definitive vampire tale to see this holiday season.