A confession: I only made it through about 30 pages of Stephanie Meyer’s book Twilight, the supernatural love story taking the world by storm.  It’s not so much that I can’t like a sappy love story.  Rather, the quality of Meyer’s writing, which is a bit sluggish and derivative, turned me off.

However, director Catherine Hardwicke and screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg have streamlined those troubles in the movie adaptation, focusing more on the characters themselves, rather than the style of narration.

If you’re curious about this Twilight phenomenon, the film adaptation offers a pleasing experience.  Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is a sullen teenager making a move from sunny Phoenix to cloudy Forks, Washington to live with her estranged father. But mending this broken familial relationship isn’t the only thing on her mind. She soon becomes enamored with mysterious student Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). This is likely because Edward is not like the other boys in school, which is an understatement. His skin is pale, his eyes change color, and he’s standoffish to her.

That is, until one fateful moment when a runaway truck threatens to crush Bella against her own vehicle. Suddenly, Edward zooms in and holds the truck off with his bare hands. But he was standing across the parking lot mere moments before the incident. This sends Bella’s curiosity levels into overdrive, and it’s from this moment that she simply must have Edward Cullen. Not simply as a prom date, but to cherish forever. And if you think that’s over the top, when’s the last time someone defied the human conventions of speed and strength just to save your life? You know you’d be hooked too.

The wrinkle, of course, is that Edward is not human at all: he’s a vampire. But he and his family are unique in that, while most vampires are driven by the thirst of human blood, they have managed to quell these impulses and instead survive on animal blood (so no pets for the Cullens, sadly). But this notion is what drives Edward mad in his pursuit of Bella. It’s not easy to not eat people, and Edward fears the tempting scent of Bella’s blood will lead to disaster. But Bella disregards this, and the fact that he watches her sleep (he doesn’t sleep at all, so he needs something to do) and the fact that other vampires are after her blood. In short: she’s nuts!

Bella and Edward’s relationship is certainly an odd one, and maybe it’s that strange nature that has enraptured so many readers. I can see what fans love about the Edward Cullen character. He’s the strong, silent type, and the fact that he’s both protective of Bella and puzzled by her is appealing. But Bella is virtually willing to pledge her undying love and perhaps even her life to this guy after mere moments of admittedly intense familiarity. And while this would make more sense to the teenage mindset, it’s still not healthy!

The future of the film series will live or die based on the quality of the chemistry between the two leads. Based on this first installment, there’s definitely some potential, but it’s not fully realized. Stewart is just fine as Bella, doing a good job of playing the emotionally-detached girl who becomes intrigued with an unusual boy.

But her role isn’t nearly as important as Pattinson’s. Fans have created their own vision of Edward, the personification of perfection. Pattinson certainly looks the part, with a gelled do, athletic-cut shirts and a mischievous smile. But his acting is uneven. There are moments when we become enamored with his character and drawn in to the love story and there are moments when he comes across as boring, a big no-no for such a dynamic romantic lead.

Other than watching a girl fall in love with a vampire, Twilight has little else going for it. Most of the other characters aren’t given more than a look-see, and the film’s modest budget means the special effects are unpolished (mostly a lot of awkward whooshes and wire work). Ultimately, fans should be satisfied in this big-screen vision of their favorite otherworldly romantic saga. But if you’re out of the film’s target demographic, there’s little to suggest that Twilight is going to be worth your while.