Stephenie Meyer’s vampire love story Twilight took the world by storm. Everyone was talking about Twilight back when it was released — whether they were saying good or bad things though was a different story. But as far as book-to-movie adaptations go, Twilight is one of the better ones. A lot of the changes made are fairly minor, such as lines being cut or characters being omitted from scenes to help with runtime. But there are still some moments that are very different between the book and the movie, and though they don’t alter the story too much, they’re definitely noticeable.
The Cullen Family Crest Is Only in the Movie
The Cullen family crest is something that was invented solely for the movies, and there is zero mention of it in the books. Each member of the Cullen family wears the crest in some way, Emmett (Kellan Lutz), Jasper (Jackson Rathbone), and Edward (Robert Pattinson) all wear a cuff bracelet with the crest on it. Alice (Ashley Greene) and Rosalie (Nikki Reed) wear it on necklaces. Esme (Elizabeth Reaser) wears it on a bracelet, while Carlisle (Peter Facinelli) wears it on a ring, and eventually, Bella (Kristen Stewart) wears a smaller version of the leather cuff that Edward, Emmett, and Jasper wear.
The crest is meant to show uniformity and loyalty among the clan, and has some sincere meaning behind it. The lion represents strength and ferocity, which is a characteristic of vampires (hence the “So the lion fell in love with the lamb” line.) The hand represents faith and sincerity, and the trefoil at the bottom represents perpetuality, to reflect vampires living forever. It’s quite a clever addition to the film, and a neat little aspect to look out for on your next rewatch.
Bella Finding Out Edward Is a Vampire Is More Dramatic in the Movie
One of the biggest changes from the book to the movie is how Bella tells Edward she knows he’s a vampire. In the book, after being suspicious for a while, especially after Edward saves her from the car in the school parking lot, she gets some extra information from Jacob (Taylor Lautner). Jacob tells her local folktales about the “cold ones” and why the Cullens have never really been welcome in Forks. This leads to her taking out books on vampires and doing research on the internet. The night Edward saves her from the men in Port Angeles is when she tells him her suspicions. On the ride home from the restaurant, she simply tells him she knows that he and his family are vampires, but that she doesn’t mind.
The movie reveal is a lot more dramatic, and results in the famous “Say it!” line. It takes place in the misty, atmospheric woods, and Bella simply begins to list off all the things she’s noticed about him that support her theory, such as the fact that his skin is pale white and cold and that he never eats or drinks. She tells him she knows what he is, and he urges her to say it, “out loud.” He then carries her up the hill into the sunshine where he shows off the way his skin sparkles, and then delivers a hearty monologue as he shows off his super speed and strength to try and scare her off. But Bella is undeterred and tells him that the only thing she is afraid of is that she is going to lose him.
Bella’s Friends Are Practically Non-Existent in the Movie
In the books, Bella is not quite the loner that she seems to be in the movies — in fact, she has a close-knit group of friends with whom she’s regularly seen with. But in the movies, they’re basically background decorations, there to provide Bella an introduction to the Cullens and their strangeness. Other than that, they’re not all that prominent in the movies, which makes sense given cuts had to be made to fit a runtime, but perhaps Bella wouldn’t be as much of a meme had the movies actually proved she had friends.
The ‘Twilight’ Movie Follows a More Condensed Timeline
In the book, Bella moves to Forks in January, whereas the movie has her move to Forks in March. While two months doesn’t seem very significant, the longer timeline in the book allows more time for Bella and Edward’s relationship to develop. It allows more time for Bella to adjust to the town, as well as learn about Edward’s true identity. The events of the book are much more drawn out over the span of its 500+ pages. The movie is a mere two hours, meaning a shorter timeline was necessary to still tell a properly flushed-out story. It’s not entirely distracting or noticeable, but it does cut down valuable time that could have better developed Edward and Bella’s relationship.
Bella Cooks in the ‘Twilight’ Books (And This Actually Means Something!)
In the movies, Bella and Charlie (Billy Burke) are regulars at the local diner, as it’s Charlie’s favorite place to eat. The waitress even informs Bella that she used to go there all the time as a child. However, in the books, Bella cooks all of her and Charlie’s meals at home. That may not seem like a difference that is worthy enough to mention, but it does say something about who Bella is as a person. Bella reveals that as a child, she often felt she had to be responsible for both herself and others, which is why she’s so keen on cooking for Charlie, especially when he reveals he doesn’t know how to cook. It’s clear that Bella fiercely loves and protects the people closest to her.
Waylon Forge Does Not Appear in the ‘Twilight’ Books
Waylon Forge (Ned Bellamy) is actually a character that was created solely for the movies, and does not exist within the books. He and Charlie are old friends, going way back to when Bella was a child and even before. He’s a victim of James (Cam Gigandet), Victoria (Rachelle Lefevre), and Laurent (Edi Gathegi), and his murder is what alerts the Cullens of James’ dangerous coven.
Edward and Bella’s First Kiss Is Steamier in the Movie
Another moment that is very different from the books is that of Bella and Edward’s first kiss. In the book, after professing their love for one another in the meadow, and Edward piggybacking Bella back to her truck in his super-speed fashion, he tells her there’s something he wants to try. The kiss is meant to be chaste on his end, but Bella reacts feverishly to it and him, and kisses him back with more passion. However, it’s still relatively tame in the book compared to the movie. The movie opts for a steamier scene between the two, and takes place in Bella’s bedroom, where she’s wearing nothing more than a t-shirt and underwear. Also, it’s important to note that he reveals to her beforehand that he’s been watching her sleep for a couple of months now. He still says the same “there’s something I want to try,” line and Bella is still the one who escalates the kiss to a more passionate level, so it isn’t all that different from the books aside from the change of scenery.
Victoria Doesn’t Show Up at Prom at the End of the ‘Twilight’ Book
The end of the first Twilight film sees Victoria watching Bella and Edward at the prom. In the book, she doesn’t so much as have a line, let alone show up at the prom. Had she shown up, Edward or one of his siblings would have been able to sense her presence. This scene was simply added to set up the next movie, New Moon.
“Hold on Tight, Spider Monkey”
Finally, the iconic line “Hold on tight, spider monkey,” was not in the book, and was added only to the film. For such a hugely talked about and mocked line, it’s surprising it’s only a part of the movie and is non-existent in the book. But still, we’re glad it exists in some form, because what would this movie be without this line?
