For it's 15th Anniversary, it's Time to Admit: Twilight Could've Been Good
As a millennial, Twilight did manage to have a hold on me with the first two books and films, but my interest did wane and I had never watched the rest of the franchise. Until now.
Upon the 15th anniversary of the first film, I was generously gifted a copy of the brand new steelbook set of the entire franchise on 4k Blu-ray (thank you so much Fons PR and Lionsgate!) for review. And with this opportunity, I will be taking it upon myself to review the Twilight franchise as a whole upon finally watching all five films.
Let’s start out with the physical collection itself; the steelbooks are each beautifully designed and come in a collectors case. It’s a marvel at all that a franchise of mid-aughts fame was able to get a 4K re-release in such a well made package. If you are a huge fan of the franchise, it is definitely worth checking out. Each film comes with the standard Blu-ray, the 4K HD release, and a special features disc. My one note is that the Breaking Dawn discs only have English sound available in the Dolby 7.1 setting, so make sure you have the right equipment before purchasing. I was a bit disappointed that I wasn’t able to watch those discs because of my current setup.
Onto the movies themselves. If you have somehow avoided the plot of Twilight for the past 15 years, the franchise revolves around a vampire named Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) who falls in love with a human teenager named Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart). The drama evolves naturally as Edward clearly wants to eat Bella, but he loves her too much, so he can’t! Bella also wants to become a vampire more than anything so she can live out her life with Edward forever and ever. But more on that later.
In my humble opinion, the first Twilight movie is perfect. And it’s easy to understand upon revisiting the film, why we were all so enamored by it when it was first released in 2008. Edward and Bella’s love is a certified melodramatic soap opera. It’s forbidden, and though the religious undertones are definitely there, on the surface it’s purely intoxicating. We have this mysterious man who is as hot as Robert Pattinson who is willing to do absolutely anything to protect and love an average white brunette with absolutely no hobbies or interests. We never once learn what Bella loves outside of Edward (she doesn’t even appear to like her friends very much), but I don’t think any of us care. Bella is clearly underwritten so that the audience can project themselves onto her and live through her experience and that is exactly why Twilight works so well.
The first film is a perfect will-they-won’t-they romance accompanied by a banger soundtrack and campy, over-the-top performances from the entire cast. There is no way to watch this movie without cackling at Robert Pattinson and his expressions of pure pain around Bella. When we first see the whole Cullen family walk into Forks High School, we all know they could never do that without getting constant looks and questions considering they are all clearly 30+ years old —and have concerning expressions at all times. The baseball scene is a cinematic masterpiece that drives the plot to its climax and introduces the cartoon vampire villains of our dreams who really have no reason to be so intent on hunting one single human. And yet they persist and launch the plot of the remaining four movies.
Temporarily putting aside our own acknowledgement that the primary relationship in the film is by no means healthy or realistic, in terms of entertainment value: setting a classic style vampire —with a few added rules—in an early 2000s teen romantic drama is brilliant. It’s an interesting concept that will pull in romance lovers and goth teens alike and Edward is so enchanting that he was able to capture an entire generation of teens (and moms!), even until this very moment in 2023. The setup of a hot vampire who cannot eat his girlfriend naturally produces so much conflict, and throw a love triangle with a werewolf in the mix, you are all set.
Which brings me to my ultimate conclusion about the Twilight franchise: I think everything after the first film is a huge let down. And with all of that considered, I am most disappointed because I believe it could’ve all been as captivating and exciting as the first installment if it had maintained its original setup and premise.
What is so exciting about Twilight is the romance meets supernatural element, and with that knowledge in mind, the rest of the franchise fundamentally lacks romance. The extreme edge of our seat tension from the first film all but disappears from New Moon forward. It quite literally disappears when Edward leaves Bella for months on end, leaving her to bond with Jacob, a character that does not have the same level of tension and urgency as Edward. It’s clear this plot point is meant to further develop the love triangle aspect of the franchise, it really just leaves the audience (and Bella) craving for Edward to come back. It feels more like a waiting game than the introduction of conflict between the main lovers.
The end of the first movie leaves us with Edward and Bella dancing at prom in the gazebo covered in lights to Iron & Wine’s “Flightless Bird, American Mouth,” one of the most romantic songs ever made. This scene had me in full sobs during this watch back as it is able to capture the effervescence of teen love so warmly and lovingly. It’s proof that at its heart, Twilight honors the desires of young women and takes them seriously, no matter what they are. Though the specifics of the series become problematic and deserve criticism, there is no denying what these books and movies did for teen girls at the height of their popularity. But that sense of longing and forbidden desire is gone by New Moon and never comes back.
The rest of the franchise really finds Edward and Bella in a place where the spark and fire of their romance is sacrificed for forced plots. The central focus of the story becomes fighting off the Vulturi whose extreme interest in Bella is not exactly ever justified. Sure, she could expose everyone as vampires and so they see her as a threat, but it’s nothing so big and serious that it needs to be the focus of four full movies. And it should have never come at the expense of the romance.
With Breaking Dawn, we finally get the wedding of Edward and Bella and their highly anticipated first time having sex, a rare look at their love for the rest of the franchise. Once Bella becomes pregnant, the movies become about how Edward has essentially come to ruin this girl’s life. She is on the brink of death and hides all of her circumstances from her father who she claims to love; all to have a baby who only puts her life in more danger. In my eyes, Breaking Dawn is a warning that once you get pregnant and have a child, your romance is over! To quote another teen girl masterpiece, you will get pregnant and die!
But the end never had to be like this. While Bella and Edward want a child, Stephanie Meyer did not need to force that step in their relationship to come immediately, nor did she need it to be the literal death of Bella. Bella is finally changed and becomes a vampire as a result of this death, but I would argue it would have been infinitely more interesting to have taken this route earlier so the couple could thrive in their love for one another. Bella did not even need to die in order to become a vampire. Why must we make her suffer for a movie and a half to get what she wants?
Ultimately, New Moon, Eclipse, and both parts of Breaking Dawn lose what makes the first film so magical. We want the joy and the romance and the spark that brings this relationship to life. We want to see Edward risk it all for Bella at every turn, but not in a way that leaves her in the dust and him off-screen for hours. Romance films do need conflict within a relationship, and this is complicated by the supernatural aspects, but I do think there was a way to have these conflicts without the sacrifice of showing us the ultimate build up of love and sexual tension.
While I do mourn what the Twilight sequels could have brought to the table, I do dearly treasure this perfect time capsule of early 2000s’ teen girlhood. These books could not have been written at any other time in history, and thus the movies could not have been made at any other time. The sense of devotion and loyalty in the relationship between Edward and Bella is exactly what some of us needed to see at 13, even if it was all fantasy and did not live up to any feminist ideal. We still deserved to have our desires showcased and honored for the world to see on a massive scale. With the release of the anniversary box set, I do hope we can all at least remember and revel in what this franchise meant to so many during the time, no matter how flawed.