The hype surrounding the Twilight book series is a phenomenon that’s rarely, if ever, been seen before. I’m not talking about people lining up at midnight to get a book – that happened with many of the Harry Potter books and likely others. No, I’m referring to the level of adulation/lusting for a particular character, Edward Cullen, by the teenage girl population (and others, I’m sure). Heck, at my preview screening, there was even a pre-show tribute band called The Bella Cullen Project that sang – you guessed it – all Twilight-related songs, many of them dedicated to just how much they loved Edward.

Such is the level of fervor over Edward that the actor playing him, Robert Pattinson, has become a teen idol despite being a little-known Englishman whose biggest role was as the ill-fated Cedric Diggory in – whaddya know? – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. And all this before Twilight fans have even seen the movie. Hotly-anticipated films, especially ones based on popular books, often can’t live up to such expectations. Can Twilight?

Time will tell with fans (though judging by the squeals at my screening, they approve), but as a Twilight novice/film lover, director Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen, Lords of Dogtown) has succeeded in making a film that deftly intertwines both a love story and vampire elements. For the uninitiated, Twilight is the story of Bella (Kristen Stewart), a junior in high school who moves to the surprisingly-not-fictional Forks, Washington to live with her dad, Charlie (Billy Burke), who also happens to be the sheriff in the small town. On her first day of school, she immediately becomes enamored of Edward, though the feeling initially doesn’t appear to be mutual.

Edward and his “family” (supposedly all foster kids) are the outsiders at the school, so when Edward slowly but surely starts getting closer to Bella, their relationship is viewed with wariness by everybody around them. Soon enough, Bella learns why Edward has such superhuman skills as lightning quickness, extreme strength, and the ability to read minds (although not hers for some reason) – yep, he’s a vampire (and if that’s a surprise, I can’t help you).

The refreshing parts about this story, as the book’s fans have known for years, are the slight changes from your stereotypical vampire tales. These bloodsuckers don’t die when the sun hits them; no, they hide from the sun because their skin sparkles like diamonds, which would give them away in a heartbeat. Also, Edward and his “family” are vampires that have learned to (somewhat) control their natural urges. They “only” kill animals, never humans, though that doesn’t mean the right human can’t spark their interest.

Consequently, there’s very little for vampire purists to, um, chew on in Twilight. Attacks are either kept off-screen or happen very quickly, and the biggest action sequence doesn’t happen until the close to the end. Twilight is first and foremost the love story of Bella and Edward, and it lights up the screen. The chemistry between Stewart and Pattinson is undeniable, even if the extremely pale skin and ruby red lips of Edward initially makes him look like an alien. As the story progresses, Pattinson transforms into just the type of person all those fans wanted for Edward. One can see why the character is considered so magnetic.

Of course, all of this is greatly helped by Hardwicke and writer Melissa Rosenberg, Rosenberg, who’s worked on a number of TV projects, but whose most recent work includes writing and producing the series Dexter, obviously knows her way around making a monster seem attractive. Both do a strong job of ensnaring the viewer, making sure the Bella/Edward dynamic is the focus almost all the time.

There are some negative points, though. Hardwicke tries to push the relationship too quickly, as she utilizes extreme close-ups in some of Bella and Edward’s early meetings, a technique that’s a little too on the nose (literally and figuratively). The action-packed dénouement of film also feels a tad off, as it’s at odds with most of what preceded it. Not that the ending doesn’t make sense in the grand scheme of things – it just might have helped if there had been more action prior to that point.

But overall, Twilight finds that rare territory – a film that can and should appeal to both men and women equally. It’s likely to be dismissed by more than a few people as just for teenage girls, but they’d be missing a vampire film that knows how to get to the heart through more than just the jugular vein.