They say wine tastes better as it ages, and that’s the case for the “Twilight” saga. PHOTO CREDIT: radiox.co.uk
When I was in middle school in the early 2010s, the peak of the “Twilight” craze, I thought it was stupid as hell. As a die-hard “Potterhead,” I promised myself I would never watch or read it.
Reader, I was so wrong.
Watching the films now for the first time at the age of 21, I have found a surprising appreciation for Stephenie Meyer’s vampire-werewolf-human love triangle‒‒so much so that I think I’m entering the “Twihard” phase that so many of my peers entered a decade (or more) ago.
While so far I’ve only seen “Twilight” and “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” they’ve hooked me. They’re absolutely bananas and I’m guessing they weren’t meant to be funny, but I found myself nearly in tears laughing at some parts, including (but not limited to), “You better hold on tight, spider monkey”; when Bella decides to jump off a literal CLIFF to try to see Edward again; when Edward tries to gaslight her into thinking that he didn’t literally bolt across the parking lot to stop a car from hitting her with his bare hands; when she stands in front of a fan on her first day at Forks High School and Edward has such a visceral reaction to her scent; and, of course, “Bella! Where the hell have you been loca?”
So far, I have to say that I’m firmly team Edward, if for no other reason than I adore the Cullen family and how sweet they are to Bella. I would like Carlisle and Esme to adopt me, please and thank you. But Bella and Edward clearly have some sort of primal connection that, if not acted on, would drive both of them insane.
Jacob seems to know her better, but honestly, I got bad vibes from the fact that he was telling his friends that she was his girlfriend in “New Moon,” and they seem to have more of a brother/sister or best friend kind of thing going on. Maybe I just like the brooding, moody type, or maybe it’s purely because I want Bella to be able to spend a lifetime with the Cullens, but Edward is where her heart lies.
I know how the series ends for the most part just from having been a tween 10 years ago and having spent most of the last decade being pretty active on social media, but I’m excited to find out how it gets there. When does Bella become a vampire‒‒don’t you have to do it when the person is dying? What does it mean for Jacob to “imprint” on Renesmee (which is the dumbest name I’ve ever heard, but I appreciate the sentiment behind it). What happens with Victoria? Once finals are over, I plan on binge-watching the whole series to find out.
Are the movies “good” from a cinematic, film nerd standpoint? Definitely not. But are they enjoyable and fun and reminiscent of a simpler time? Absolutely.
Honestly, it’s a crime that the Rotten Tomatoes ratings for the first two are so low, at 49 and 28 percent respectively. Not every movie has to be Academy Award-worthy. Sometimes it’s enough for a movie to be fun and appeal to tween and teenage (and young adult and adult) girls. I’ve been saying lately that they’re the best “bad” movies I’ve ever seen, and that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed them. They’re bringing me back to the only part of being a middle schooler that I would ever want to relive‒‒becoming obsessed with a random YA series and forgetting about the world around me for a little while.
Clearly, I’ve gotten over the stupid superiority complex I had 10 years ago about being a “Potterhead” and looking down on “Twihards.” I was dealing with my own insecurities at the time and didn’t want to be “like the other girls,” which was unfair not only to “the other girls,” but also to myself. Young girls are put down and made fun of so much for their interests, but why? Why can’t we let each other enjoy things, and why are we made to feel like we’re pitted against each other? God, it’s hard enough being a tween/teen, the least we can do is let them enjoy their vampire stories and not put each other down.
Looking back, I wish I could tell my sixth-grade self to chill the f out, respectfully. I’d tell her it’s okay to like what everyone else likes and that there’s no shame in enjoying things, and that liking one thing or another doesn’t define you as a person. And, in summary, while I wish I could have said this years ago, I can now solidly say that I thoroughly and unabashedly love “Twilight,” even in spite of its (many, and sometimes problematic) flaws.