Teen vampire film doesn’t have much bite

The idea behind "Twilight" is irresistible -- it is easy to see why the books on which it is based are so popular.

The potential is there for a standout movie, which is why the one in theaters now is such an opportunity missed. If only it were made better -- better directed. Better written. Better acted. Better filmed.

Stephenie Meyer's series of four books have sold millions of copies because they effectively blend three genres -- the teen romance, teenage angst and vampire story. That's a potent combination, ripe with possibilities for exploiting the sexuality inherent in the vampire myth. In the case of "Twilight" -- the first of the four books -- a teenage human girl falls in love with a vampire teenage boy, and he with her, and vampirism becomes an analogy for adolescent desire.

Should he bite her neck, or not? Refraining becomes a metaphor for teen abstinence, for delaying the horror of adulthood. Unfortunately, the film has neither cast nor crew to give this premise its due.

Kristen Stewart stars as Bella, the new girl in a small, rainy, Washington town. After some bad exposition ("Who's that? Who's that? Who's that?), she learns that the pale yet darkly mysterious Edward is cute but unapproachable. Immediately intrigued, she winds up -- no surprise here -- as his lab partner in biology class.

It's a good thing he is there, because biology is apparently the only class she is taking.

We can tell they are attracted to each other, because they stand around as if posing for underwear ads, only with their clothes on, and their efforts at conversation sound (and frankly, look) constipated.

"If you were smart, you'd stay away from me," Edward grimaces, and although Bella is supposed to be bright, she falls for that old line.

Edward is played by Robert Pattinson, who was previously known for playing Cedric Diggory in the Harry Potter movies, and he isn't particularly notable in those films, either. Here, he has chosen to speak with a complete lack of inflection, which matches Stewart's similarly emotionless vocal patterns.

Bella, at least, is attractive and sometimes funny, so it is easy to see what Edward likes about her, but his hold on her is a mystery. He always has a comical look of pain on his face, and his only personality trait is a mood that swings from bad to worse. He is polite, as if we are supposed to take the way he holds doors open for her as a sign of his undead inhumanity. Maybe she likes his weird hair.

Director Catherine Hardwicke overplays nearly every scene, tilting the camera, filming from unnaturally low angles, using slow motion and in general overdramatizing all situations. Her goal seems to be to mirror the inflamed emotions of her characters and audience with overheated filmmaking, but she does not realize that the passions are already there. Magnifying them through directorial tricks only makes them look silly.

Hardwicke does one other thing that is an annoyance from the first frame to the last. She shoots every scene in a sickly blue light. Blue is fine in movies and it has its place and meanings, if used judiciously. But like everything else in the film, she overdoes it. "Twilight" looks as if it were shot through a bottle of Aqua Velva.