Twilight Was Over-Hated
In the late 2000s to the early 2010s, The Twilight Saga was an incredibly popular book turned movie series. Despite it being a profitable phenomena, being a fan of the series was looked down on. It was a running joke to make fun of people who enjoyed the series. Twilight was also heavily compared to other series coming out, targeted at similar age demographics. Everybody is entitled to their own opinions, but Twilight was over-hated.
- Artistically and cinematically beautiful
The Twilight movies are aesthetically pleasing. Even those who do not enjoy the characters or the storyline can enjoy the beautiful imagery on screen. The blue hue overlay in the first movie was a unique component that I have yet to see utilized in the same way since. The moving shots through the woods are engaging and instantly transport viewers into the fictional world.
- The soundtrack is unbeatable
Every movie in The Twilight Saga has a soundtrack that is curated perfectly. They fit the theme, are fun to listen to, and are overall well made songs. Even the score is absolutely gorgeous— like “Bella’s Lullaby” by Carter Burwell.
- A great escape
These books and films were not meant to be revolutionary. It is simply a story of a teenage girl thrown into a world of vampires and werewolves, forced to navigate her new mythical life as well as the relatable issues of human teens. They are great escapes from the stressful world we live in.
- Fantastic acting
The actors included in the films are incredibly talented. Some of the dialogue they deliver is a bit awkward, it made me impressed they were capable of getting even one take done without laughing. These actors truly threw themselves into their roles and brought the books to life.
- The CGI was great
Particularly for the time, the CGI was amazing in these movies. There was a lot that had to be done, especially for the werewolves, to make it come across as realistic on screen. It always makes me laugh when I see a behind the scenes picture of the werewolf scenes where the actors are in green morph suits so they can edit the wolves in later.
- Realistically imperfect characters
None of the characters in The Twilight Saga are perfect. It may make it more difficult to root for them, but it makes it easier to relate to them. Even immortals, with infinite time on their hands to learn, make mistakes and are not omnipotent. Despite their identities as vampires or werewolves, these traits humanize them.
- Unfair comparisons
The internet was flooded with memes comparing Twilight’s protagonist Bella Swan to The Hunger Games’s Katniss Everdeen. Though these were both globally popular books turned movies in the Young Adult genre at the time, the books were completely different. Twilight takes place in modern time and the story itself is a fantasy/ romance. The Hunger Games is a dystopian series that takes place years in the future. The main characters in these two series are not on equal playing fields. I enjoyed reading and watching both of them, but never once did I think to compare the characters. Bella Swan is going to look weak compared to Katniss Everdeen. Bella is an ordinary teenage girl, balancing a new life with romance and her responsibilities as a teenager, like school and work. Katniss Everdeen never got to be a child. She is forced into a position where she is the sole provider of her family. She has to risk her life every single day to keep them alive— even before entering The Hunger Games arena.
- Imperfect story
The Twilight Saga’s storyline is not perfect. There are some details that a decade later still haunt me (how can a vampire procreate with a human?) These imperfect details make the movies more fun to rewatch. After viewers and readers know what is going to happen, they can analyze the story deeper. No story is perfect.
What do you think? Was Twilight worthy of the hate it faced? Was it over-hated? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
ashleyohare 