New On DVD: 'Twilight'

'Twilight' (PG-13)When the clock strikes midnight Friday, fans of "Twilight" will be flocking to store shelves to buy a DVD copy of the holiday movie season blockbuster, which to date has earned more than $373 million worldwide.

The amount is considerably less than the take of a "Harry Potter" movie, yet the frenzy over "Twilight" coming to DVD appears to be as hot as the boy wizard's cinematic tales.

One thing the two film series have in common is that they're based on hit novels. But while "Harry Potter's" book audience spans across the board, the massive fan base behind author Stephenie Meyer's multimillion selling "Twilight" book series is mostly made up of teen girls and adult women.

That's baffling after seeing the film adaptation of "Twilight." True, the romantic plot is the backbone of the movie, and that definitely caters to females -- but overall, the story has a very broad appeal with other elements. With its foreboding atmosphere, fast-paced action and supernatural thrills, "Twilight" is hardly the chick flick that reports make it out to be.

The first of four movies planned for Meyer's books (the first sequel "New Moon" is on the fast track for a Nov. 20 release), "Twilight" tells the story of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), a disenfranchised teen who moves from Phoenix and her mother to Forks, Wash., to live for a time with her estranged father. And while she's been reunited with a childhood friend, Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) and easily attracts friends at her new high school, Bella seems to have no interest in befriending anybody until she spots Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson): a shy, mysterious member of a family living on the outskirts of town.

Initially ignoring the new girl in town, Edward eventually warms up to Bella, albeit with a great deal of restraint. Edward, as it turns out, is from a family of vampires, which throughout time, have existed by feasting on animals. But Bella has a distinctive scent about her that Edward finds hard to resist, and falling in love will only make her more vulnerable and a possible victim.

Director Catherine Hardwicke, who was at the helm for the acclaimed drama "Thirteen," clearly has an eye for teen dramas and with "Twilight," she makes the cast relatable with the right mix of angst, drama and humor without dumbing down the material.

Another advantage Hardwicke has is Meyer's unique world of vampires, who don't sleep in coffins, can be out in the open during the daytime (although they can't be in daylight, which is why the overcast state of Washington is a perfect hideout for them), can hold jobs and go to school just like everyday people. The difference, of course, is that they have super-human strength, eternal life, and, like humans, must feast for nourishment. The Cullens choose to be "vegetarian" vampires by disciplining themselves to eat animals instead of humans, unlike some of their contemporaries -- and there's a trio of them attacking residents of Forks and Bella is next on the list.

Pattinson -- who played Cedric Diggory in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" -- brings an undeniable sense of cool and is charismatic in the difficult role of Edward, but the same could hardly be said for Stewart. The emotional range she's given to work with is far less than Pattinson's, which is maybe why her character comes off as wooden and one-dimensional. She mopes around most of the movie, appears disgruntled and is just plain uninteresting.

Thankfully, "Twilight" is dragged out of the doldrums by an outstanding supporting cast, as Hardwicke gives each of them ample time to develop personalities. Edward's "family members" -- they're really just an eclectic group of different people shepherded by caring vampire couple (Peter Facinelli and Elizabeth Reaser) -- are all lovable in their own ways, as are Bella's group of high school guy and girl friends. An affable Ashley Greene as vampire Alice Cullen is an also a standout as is Taylor Lautner as Jacob -- Bella's childhood friend -- whose role will grow considerably in "New Moon."

The standout of the trio of human-hunting vampires is Cam Gigandet who is menacing as James, an animal who will stop at nothing in his quest to capture and kill Bella.

Among the DVD bonus features are multiple production featurettes and music videos, but the features fans will likely sink their teeth into are the extended and deleted scenes. The scenes, introduced by Hardwicke, were mostly cut for pacing purposes. But considering that some of the lines from the book were featured in those scenes, fans may beg to differ.

Some of the scenes would have worked in the film, but others feel too familiar to what's already in there. A couple of scenes that should have made it include one that gives Facinelli and Reaser a little more screen time; and another that shows a steamier side – but perhaps too steamy for tween audiences -- of the evil vampire trio.

Other disc bonuses include features that key in on Meyer, which chronicles "Twilight" page to screen; and a look at the book and movie's rabid fan base at San Diego ComicCon last July, which even included "Twilight" moms.

'Bolt' (PG) While Walt Disney defined the world of hand-drawn animation, Pixar Animation studios, which eventually became a partner with the famed studio, no doubt bowled over the family movie giant with the release of the computer-animated classic "Toy Story" in 2005. Of course, every major studio has tried to topple the works of Pixar since with its own brand of computer animation, including Disney, with mixed results.

There's no doubt, however, that Disney has bolted to the top of computer-animated heap with "Bolt," their latest animated production that rivals the concept of Pixar's "The Incredibles." Fresh and fun at every turn, "Bolt" would be a best in show winner if there were an movie dog competition.

The concept is genius: Bolt (voiced by John Travolta) is a white American Shepherd with a black lighting bolt logo painted on his side, is the star of an action television show with his human counterpart, Penny (Miley Cyrus). But the confusion sets in for the dog when the cameras stop rolling. That's because, thanks to slick and perfectly timed special effects on the set, Bolt thinks that he has crime-fighting powers for real. And the lack of his perceived powers becomes a real problem when he accidentally gets shipped away from the production and is forced to fend for himself in the real world.

"Bolt" begins with a spectacular action sequence, and the fun rolls with top-notch animation throughout. The great thing is, "Bolt" isn't all about its bells and whistles. Underneath it all is a wonderful coming of age tail, er tale, as Bolt eventually discovers his true self.

Travolta is perfect in the voice role of Bolt, bringing a sort of wide-eyed innocence to the character that makes the canine feel real; and Cyrus' voice is barely recognizable in the movie but is very effective nonetheless. Susie Essman also brings a touch of class to the movie as Bolt's friend, Mittens, a sly alley cat whose scrounges out a living on the streets.

And while Travolta, Cyrus and Essman bring the movie heart, the humor in "Bolt" comes in a laugh-out-loud hilarious turn by Mark Walton as Rhino, a half-crazed hamster who also believes that Bolt's powers are real. The amazing thing is, while his co-stars have stacks of major credits, Walton -- whose principal job in the movie business is as an animator -- nearly steals the show with his voice role. After "Bolt," there's no doubt Walton's bound to score some plumb voice work.

DVD Features: "Bolt" is available as a single DVD, and as a Blu-Ray disc and DVD pack all-in-one. The features in the combo pack include "Super Rhino," an all-new animated short featuring Rhino; deleted scenes; behind-the-scenes featurettes; Cyrus and Travolta music video "I Thought I Lost You" and more. (Walt Disney Home Entertainment)