Why I'm no longer ashamed to watch the Twilight movie
Miscellaneous / / December 06, 2023
The first part of the Twilight franchise was released in 2008. They laughed at the characters and the actors who played them, the story was parodied and considered a stupid and frivolous movie “for girls.” Fifteen years later, the “Twilight” saga is being dismantled into memes, discussed on social networks, and the main character has begun to be considered a symbol of girl power.
Why was Twilight hated?
The frivolity of history
In the story, high school student Bella moves to her father in the small town of Forks. At a local school, she meets a mysterious classmate, Edward Cullen. New friends say that he and his family keep to themselves and that almost nothing is known about them. It turns out that there is a reason: the Cullens are vampires. By falling in love with Edward, Bella changes her life forever. Now the heroine is drawn into a bloody confrontation between vampire clans.
Still from the movie "Twilight"
When Twilight first came out, it was despised called teenage story: plots with vampires and werewolves were then considered, at best, entertainment for teenagers. The original source on which the films were based - Stephenie Meyer's novels - was also criticized. And it's not just about
stereotypes that young adult literature is something frivolous. The "king" of the horror genre (and author of the "vampire" novel Salem's Lot) Stephen King once stated: Mayer's books are very weak because she "simply doesn't know how to write."Readers agreed with him. In their opinion, everything in the novel is absurd. The story is full of logical inconsistencies: Dr. Cullen is too young to be the father of adult adopted children, Edward wears sunglasses, although vampires don't go out into the sun, and his brothers and sisters react so strongly to the smell of blood that they should have attacked someone in school. The public also mockingly called the language the characters used to communicate primitive. Dialogues like “You are my own brand of heroin” or “The lion fell in love with the poor lamb” seemed stupid. “Twilight is for pre-pubescent girls with limited imagination and vocabulary,” wrote on Reddit.
"Wrong" casting and boring characters
Still from the movie "Twilight"
Edward Cullen, played by Robert Pattinson, was called the “sweet vampire” because of his appearance. His accused in “concern with duty and honor.” Edward, on principle, does not drink human blood, and a vegetarian vampire is “just ridiculous.” Haters were sure that Cullen Jr. was made of boring positive qualities. Someone, on the contrary, thought the actor was "ugly" for the role. Fans of Mayer's books threatened that they would not watch the film with Pattinson because of this, and even created a petition against this casting decision. Originally Stephenie Meyer and fans wanted to see Edward Henry Cavill, who usually played romantic handsome men, for example Melot in the drama “Tristan and Isolde” and the Hunter in the musical “Little Red Riding Hood”.
Still from the movie "Twilight"
Bella portrayed by Kristen Stewart ridiculed for the monotony of facial expressions: “eternally open mouth” and lack of emotions on the face. Her called dull, empty and “lifeless” - in fact, “a person without properties.” It is difficult to say what kind of character she has: there is not a single bright feature in it. Stewart’s acting was also rated low: she was nominated three times for the Golden Raspberry anti-award for worst actress, and in 2013, the actress won "reward". Robert Pattinson was nominated twice in the “worst actor” category, and their on-screen couple with Stewart tried to be recognized as the worst acting duo three times.
Anti-feminist message
Still from the film “Twilight. Saga. New moon"
Twilight also took some heat for the way it portrayed women. In her article "Bella Swan's Anti-Feminist Character," writer Reni Eddo-Lodge calls history is deeply archaic. According to the author, throughout the entire story, Bella is described as a passive and fragile woman who stands aloof from events while men solve problems.
Edward takes care of the heroine's safety, protecting her from the powerful Volturi clan. Eddo-Lodge believes: Bella is deprived of any autonomy. Edward in every possible way limits her communication with the “dangerous werewolf” Jacob and ultimately leads her to the decision to get married, although the heroine is only 18 years old at that time. She is so dependent on this relationship that when the Cullens suddenly leave, she becomes depressed for several months. It turns out that her whole life is determined only by her romance with Cullen. “In her free time from Edward, Bella does household chores and prepares dinner for her father,” Eddo-Lodge emphasizes the patriarchal attitudes of the book.
The same thing happens with secondary female characters, who seem to not exist separately from their partners. Esme almost never leaves the house and cannot imagine life without Carlisle, Rosalie is inseparable from Emmett, and Leah is sad when Sam disappears without a trace. “It turns out that women here exist only to fall in love with men,” write curators at the University of Washington's Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in an article about weak "Twilight" heroines.
Why audiences loved Twilight
Twilight has become a symbol of girl power
Still from the film “Twilight. Saga. Dawn"
In recent years, the image of Bella Swan has been actively rethought: from a weak heroine dependent on her lover, she has turned into a strong one. Critics pay attention to Bella's desire to take fate into her own hands - we are talking about the decision to turn into a vampire - and is praised for her realistic choice of clothes, comfortable, discreet and minimalistic. This brings the audience closer to the heroine and makes them identify with her. The most important thing: in the final part of Bella takes an active role and acts as an advocate. Thanks to her superpower to repel attacks from other vampires with the power of her thoughts, the girl saves her family. And finally, Bella manages to reconcile werewolves and vampires: by the end of the story they coexist quite amicably.
The Twilight phenomenon is called feminist. According to Los Angeles Times critic Betsy Sharkey, the authors of the saga managed create a real girlpower story in a romantic wrapper and talk in simple language with a young female audience about what worries them: first love, friendship and life choices. Same position adheres to Kate Muir from The Guardian. She believes that the release of this vampire story paved the way for other films aimed at girls and young women - “The Hunger Games”, “Divergent” and “Wonder Woman”. “Twilight broke the stereotype that films about girls would not be in demand,” the journalist quotes the words of the director of the first part of the saga, Catherine Hardwicke. Interestingly, the first Twilight is still considered the highest quality film in the franchise. Other films directed by men have lower ratings. Kate Muir is confident that this makes the saga an important achievement for women in the industry.
Pattinson and Stewart have had serious careers
Still from the film “The Lighthouse”
The actors themselves played a significant role in this amazing transformation from hatred to love. “Twilight” is no longer their only notable role; they are fully established in the profession. Robert Pattinson has acted a lot in independent films: he played an ambitious aspiring artist in the satire of Hollywood “Maps to the Stars” (2014), a star photographer in the biopic about American cinema icon James Dean “Life” (2015) and a caretaker slowly losing his mind in the horror film “The Lighthouse” (2019). And recently Robert joined the DC universe and played the brave Batman in the film of the same name. The actor proved that he is capable of both serious dramatic roles and superhero images.
Still from the movie "Spencer"
Kristen Stewart's filmography has also been replenished with works in good auteur films. The actress played the writer’s wife in the film adaptation of the cult novel of the beat generation “On the Road” (2012), the heroes of which travel around the states in search of themselves and freedom. In the psychological thriller Personal Shopper (2016), Stewart's character explores the depths of the subconscious and communicates with spirits deceased, and in the biographical drama “The Dangerous Role of Jean Seberg” (2019) - helps black Americans fight for their rights. The biopic Spencer (2021) reveals that her marriage to Prince Charles cost Princess Diana her mental health. In addition, Stewart also stars in more mainstream stories: in 2019, she played a charming secret agent in reboot of "Charlie's Angels", and in 2020 - a girl in love in the cute Christmas rom-com "Happiest Season" (2020). This list demonstrates that Kristen can handle any role, including bright and strong heroines.
In life, the actress conveys the same thing as on the screen and advocates for women's rights. Stewart criticizes stereotypes about “rude and aggressive” feminists and believes that there is no “one correct” feminism. Kristen slams the pressure on women who are “expected to always be nice and funny,” including actresses. In his interviews, Stewart spoke, which considers the requirements for women’s appearance to be sexist. And at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, she took off her shoes right on the red carpet and walked along it barefoot. mass media counted this is a sign of protest against local rules that do not allow participants to wear flat shoes.
Watching movies for girls is no longer embarrassing
In a world where attitudes towards femininity are changing, and traditional brutal masculinity is being replaced by a new masculinity, gender is not a barrier to any entertainment. Including to watch movies made “for girls.” The most recent example is the film "Barbie", which were waiting not just teenage girls. That's why memes with characters rolling their eyes and saying "It's better than Twilight" is genuinely funny and relevant.
Still from the movie "Twilight"
“In Hollywood, there was a general belief that movies and books made for men and boys were considered universal, while things made for women and girls were somehow perceived as ‘other.’” speaks Founder of Women and Hollywood, Melissa Silverstein. “Twilight” showed that products “for girls” can also appeal to everyone. If 13 years ago on the Internet seriously discussed, whether real men can watch the saga, then today’s viewers do not have such questions. Male bloggers enjoy watching these films and post your reactions to the network.
Years later, Twilight is still riding a wave of popularity - and now quite positive. The network is flooded funny memes with the heroes of the saga: users without malice make fun of over how the younger Cullens skip school every sunny day, Carlisle looks the same age as his stepchildren, and Edward plays the piano non-stop. They ironize that Bella was able to get pregnant from Edward, although he is “technically” dead, and discuss that he, who killed male criminals, can be considered a pro-feminist. Tik Tok filled videos about parties in the “twilight” aesthetic and how repeat in “killer skin” makeup. And the bloggers do marathon viewings of the saga, analyzing the characters of the central characters.
Why is Twilight criticized now?
Racial prejudice and an overly white cast
Still from the movie "Twilight"
Today, there are still complaints about history, although they have become more constructive. Twilight has been criticized for its stereotypical portrayal of indigenous peoples in America. The La Push reservation, where Jacob lives with his father, is a real place inhabited by a tribe of Quileute Indians. Native Americans for decades oppressed: they were killed, their children were taken away, they were deprived of their traditional culture in an attempt to make them “civilized” and were exposed as a “primitive” people. Independent publication Film Daze writesthat the authors of the book and films make Jacob exactly such a hero - they liken him to an animal. The hero has difficulty controlling his emotions; he often appears half naked before turning into a wolf.
Additionally, while several indigenous people starred in supporting roles, unlike the Cullens, Leah and Emily, Sam was not given full-fledged storylines. Lautner, who played Jacob Taylor, has very distant ties to the Indians. The actor announced this only after the release of the first part. According to Shea Vassar of Film Daze, this does not excuse the creators of Twilight. “The problem is the story itself, which they adapted for the screen. It had to be changed so that the Indians looked human in it. Ideally, find something written by indigenous peoples themselves,” writes journalist. Vassar also points out that Stephenie Meyer did not ask permission from the Quileute tribe to use their culture in her story. And during the filming of a promotional video for the film, the team invaded to the reservation territory and did not pay any compensation to the Quileutes.
Still from the movie "Twilight"
It is known that the director of the first film, Catherine Hardwicke wanted make the cast more inclusive and insisted that Alice be played by an actress of Japanese descent. However, Mayer did not agree to this and stated that the Cullens' skin should be white. As a result, of all the “non-human” characters there is only one dark-skinned vampire - the antagonist-murderer Laurent. The second (and last) black character is Bella's classmate Tyler, who hits her with a car in the first film. Today's viewers condemn such a racial choice: it turns out that “bad” dark-skinned heroes are opposed to “good” white ones. For example, white Cullens always behave in an exemplary manner and do not drink human blood. Another interesting detail: the book hints that Jasper, when he was a man, fought on the fields of the American Civil War in the army of the Confederate supporters of slavery.
Romanticization of grooming
The saga is criticized for what it shows unequal relations. In the story, Bella is seventeen, and Edward's real age is more than a hundred years old. The characters have vast differences in their life experiences, and this makes Bella vulnerable to manipulation. “A hundred-year-old man pretends to be a high school student and stalks a teenage girl because he likes the smell of her blood? It’s very similar to how grown men groom young girls to use them for sex,” writes NBC News.
Still from the film “Twilight. Saga. Dawn"
One of the lines of the last part is Jacob’s “imprinting” on Bella’s daughter Renesmee. In fact, his uncanny attraction to the girl seems like a romanticization grooming. “It feels like the hero is waiting for Renesmee to grow up so he can sleep with her,” They say critics of the portal Screen Rant. According to them, most likely, this plot device was invented as an explanation for why the main character and Jacob were not meant for each other. The move is unfortunate and creepy at best.
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