Let us see how a popular and infamous series really holds up. On January 14th, 2024, I finished my watching of the Twilight movies with the fantasy romance film The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, based on the book by Stephenie Meyer. Directed by Bill Condon, it takes place in Forks, Washington. Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner, it is rated PG-13.
Bella and Edward have come a long way since their human and vampire romance began. Now, it seems like they are finally ready to be happy, with Bella a friend to both vampires and werewolves. However, thanks to a misunderstanding, the evil vampire leaders, the Volturi, are coming for them. They need to gather all the help they can if they truly want a happy ending. How will this turn out? Can they avoid any bloodshed?
Both the book series and the film series of Twilight has been one of the most hated and most loved stories ever since it was made. So how do I feel about all of this? Let us start with the plot. Twilight has some of the dumbest writing I have ever encountered. Rewriting the vampire mythos and changing things up does sound inventive, but it leads to things like instead of sunlight being lethal to vampires, it makes them sparkle. We are also supposed to root for a romance that feels unhealthy with characters who are not likable in the slightest. This last movie is slightly better than the rest, having a cool final battle. Until they found a way to ruin that with an uninspired cop out. If you think the story is bad, wait to hear about the characters and performances.
Bella Swan might be one of the worst characters ever made. We are supposed to feel for her and see her as a good person, but all she does is make selfish decisions and act in some of the most stupid ways imaginable, down to pointlessly risking her life time and time again. What does not help is Kristen Stewart’s performance, which is so bland and emotionless that it is amazing anyone would want to befriend or date her. Edward Cullen also lacks emotion. If it was just the vampires, I could see that as intentional, but given the other characters who do not act like this, Robert Pattinson clearly just did not try. This is the same actor who nailed the role of Batman in The Batman. He is not likable either, as despite all his talk that he does care about Bella, he is completely fine with dating her despite all the danger that puts her in. Jacob Black is at least likable, but he joins the crowd in acting totally emotionless. I have never seen such a bland group of characters in my life, with almost everyone else joining in on that regard. The only exceptions are one of Edward’s sisters Alice and Bella’s father Charlie, portrayed by Ashley Greene and Billy Burke respectively. They both seem like likable, good people and are also enjoyable to watch thanks to their actors legitimately trying with their performances. Sadly, the greatness of these two cannot make up for the rest of the horrible characters and actors.
As I mentioned, this series has so many problems that prevent it from joining with much better fantasy stories. Surprisingly though, I recommend all these movies. They are so horribly written and acted, that they become hilarious to watch. I had a fun time mocking them and adding them to the list of classic “so-bad-it’s-good” experiences. I suggest you check these movies out if you just want to have a good time without considering the intentions of the story too much.
Twilight was written to be a series for teen girls to enjoy. While I do not think it is a good one for them, it does fit with a problem I want to address. For years now, women have been victims of sexism in regards to how they are treated and not getting equal pay at work. While it has improved greatly, things are not moving fast enough. Regardless of gender, it is our moral duty to help all we can. Fighting for equal rights, donating money to charities that will move things along, or making sure there are programs in place making sure employees can work their way up through management mean a lot more than doing nothing, no matter how small. Women have shared this planet with men for all time, and they deserve our respect just as much.
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