The tumultuous love story between Bella Swann and Edward Cullen dominated the pop culture landscape throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s. Played by future Oscar-nominee Kristen Stewart and future Batman Robert Pattinson, Bella and Edward mesmerized audiences worldwide as the protagonists of the much-maligned but simply irresistible Twilight Saga.
Based on Stephenie Meyer’s four-film series, The Twilight Saga produced five movies that critics and audiences loved to hate. The film series has some surprising highs and some truly embarrassing lows, cementing its place as a genuine phenomenon and a pioneer in the young adult explosion that would take over Hollywood in the early 2010s. If viewers accept them for what they are, the Twilight movies make for suitable and nostalgic entertainment thanks to their unintentional cringe dialog, bizarre worldbuilding, and electrifying chemistry between its leads. And while no one can say the Twilight movies are “great” per se, some are quite worthwhile and rewatchable, while others are outright inept.
‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ (2011)
Director: Bill Condon
Breaking Dawn – Part 1 has little to no redeemable qualities. Not only is the plot nonsensical, but it’s also slow to the point of being comatose. Bella’s pregnancy is just not interesting, despite some impressive acting from Kristen Stewart. The film spends long stretches of time doing nothing, making for a rather dull viewing experience. The infamous birthing scene is the film’s only glimpse of bravado, and even then, it’s not shocking enough to stand out. The choice to split the final book in half was terrible, resulting in a first film that seems to exist just to prolong the franchise’s success. Overall, Breaking Dawn – Part 1 is simply boring, tedious, and unintentionally funny, qualities that are never good for a movie.
‘The Twilight Saga: Eclipse’ (2010)
Director: David Slade
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse has more action than its predecessors, but it all amounts to nothing. The final battle against the newborns is clumsily staged and lacks any sense of excitement. Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World) does her best to make Victoria a worthy villain, but her performance is notoriously less menacing and magnetic than Rachelle Levefre’s. To make matters worse, everything that happens prior to the battle is lethargic and frustrating, with the Bella-Edward-Jacob terrible love triangle growing old extremely fast. Eclipse is ultimately bloated yet still boring, an ironic mix that added further fuel to those who claimed the franchise was among the worst in the new millennium.
”The Twilight Saga: New Moon’ (2009)
Director: Chris Weitz
Immediately upon its release, and for several years afterward, New Moon was ruthlessly criticized for its depiction of Bella’s broken state of mind after Edward’s abandonment and what was perceived as weakness on her part. However, in hindsight, the film does a fairly good job depicting depression and capturing teen angst, particularly during the much-mocked “Possibility” scene. Beyond that, New Moon marks a distinct departure from its predecessor, adopting a more blockbuster approach instead of the decidedly small-scale teen romance from Twilight. Scene-stealing performances from Michael Sheen (Good Omens) and Dakota Fanning (The Alienist) further contribute to its entertainment value. It also tries to deal with more mature subjects, and while the results are decidedly mixed, it still deserves props for trying.
‘Twilight’ (2008)
Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Twilight’s impact on pop culture cannot be overstated. The film defined an entire generation, capturing the subversive, if not necessarily disruptive, emo spirit of the mid-2000s and giving teenagers worldwide something to obsess about. Twilight is a visually distinctive effort from director Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen), taking advantage of its small-scale story to deliver a surprisingly ambitious take on the teen fantasy romance that effectively revived the then-dying genre. It turned Stewart and Pattinson into bonafide modern icons, launched a thousand copycats and a much-discussed franchise and became the only film series able to compete with the other generation-defining phenomenon of the 2010s, Harry Potter. Today, Twilight remains singular and quite rewatchable, thanks to its mesmerizing central performances, hypnotic score, and the unintentional silliness of the whole thing.
‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ (2011)
Director: Bill Condon
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 includes all the action that its flur predecessors didn’t, and it does so all with an imaginary, 9-minute battle sequence. Who cares if it’s actually a vision? It’s by far the coolest and most interesting thing the series ever did, raising the stakes by killing beloved characters, keeping tensions high, and providing satisfying catharsis for fans.
