This Was the Biggest Problem With the ‘Twilight’ Movies
No, it’s not Taylor Lautner’s ‘New Moon’ wig.
The Twilight Saga, based on the books written by Stephenie Meyer, follows 17-year-old Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) as she uproots her life in Arizona to live with her father, Charlie (Billy Burke), in small-town Forks, Washington. There, of course, she meets the dazzling, enchanting, and vampiric Cullen family — Edward (Robert Pattinson), Alice (Ashley Greene), Emmett (Kellan Lutz), Esme (Elizabeth Reaser), Carlisle (Peter Facinelli), Jasper (Jackson Rathbone), and Rosalie (Nikki Reed) — and her life is forever changed, both by her introduction to the supernatural and her epic love story with Edward. While the films are great in their own way that somewhat differs from what makes the books so beloved (and we won’t be hearing your misogynistic, anti-Twilight spiel here), the biggest problem with the films is that they fail to fully capture the magic of Bella’s relationships that make both her human and vampire lives so fascinating and endearing.
‘Twilight’s Biggest Problem Is Most Noticeable With Bella and Edward
Obviously, as the saga is about star-crossed lovers who work against the nature of their species to come together and fall in love, the five Twilight films do spend quite a bit of time developing Bella and Edward’s relationship. However, it is simply not enough. In many ways, the films forget that the central plot of the books is Bella and Edward’s love story. To make the movies more intense and theatrical, the supernatural elements take center stage, causing severe and irreparable harm to this central relationship. So much of their story is left out (like the beloved blood-typing scene) — all the moments of bonding where they realize how much they love each other or how similar they are despite being born nearly a century apart. So much of their story is changed, too; one moment in particular in the first film, where Bella confronts Edward about being a vampire, is so unlike how it happens in the book that it changes quite a bit about the relationship and their dynamic. In the book, when Bella finds out Edward is a vampire, it’s during a casual conversation on their way home from Port Angeles, showcasing that while their blossoming relationship and their connection may not be considered normal, it feels perfectly normal to them.
The films continue by leaving out nearly all of Bella and Edward’s good moments, as Edward is relegated to the role of Bella’s fierce (and often unlikable) protector. We see very little of what either actually gets out of this relationship, as the films failed from the very start to showcase the deep bond they develop in such a short span of time that makes Bella eager and ready to throw away her humanity and join his world as soon as she possibly can. Frankly, if you hadn’t read the books before watching the films, it’s hard to root for Bella and Edward — especially with Jacob (Taylor Lautner) in the picture, at least until about halfway through Eclipse.
The Infamous Love Triangle Is Unbelievable in the ‘Twilight’ Films
Likewise, we missed out on so much of the development between Bella and Jacob that solidified their friendship. (Yes, we can still believe Jacob was her best friend, but that’s because her other friends, including Alice, received even less focus.) Losing this development made how their story played out unbelievable and a little perplexing, particularly as Jacob forcibly kissed Bella, and yet she forgave him. Their connection felt weak, especially in comparison to what we were seeing of Bella and Edward, which ultimately hurt the Twilight franchise as it attempted to exaggerate and capitalize on the famous love triangle between Edward, Bella, and Jacob. Even in the books, Jacob never feels like an option when Edward is in the picture — meaning New Moon is the only time when the romantic aspect of Bella and Jacob’s relationship is believable. To try to make a real love triangle with these characters, we needed more — more development, more connection, and more of them in general. Instead, the third film, Eclipse, which is the height of the so-called love triangle, wastes too much precious time on Riley Biers (Xavier Samuel) and building Victoria’s attack.
This Problem Impacts Bella’s Relationships With Other Characters in ‘Twilight’ as Well
Outside of the romance, we also missed out on so many of the series’ pivotal and defining relationships. Alice and Bella, for instance, is the fan-favorite friendship we were most brutally robbed of seeing outside of a select few moments. But, perhaps more importantly, we also missed out on Bella’s relationships with the regular humans in her life. From Jessica (Anna Kendrick) and Angela (Christian Serratos) to Bella’s own mother Renée (Sarah Clarke) and Charlie, very little of what we saw throughout the films emphasized the importance of these relationships — specifically, the significance of what Bella would be losing if she decided to become a vampire. With her parents, it’s extremely unsettling because Bella is supposed to be incredibly close to them, having become a caretaker for both of them at different points in her life. But, it’s also quite frustrating to see her relationships with her human friends cast aside as they are a very clear example of everything Bella will be losing and what she’s giving up to be with Edward and be a vampire. As such, there’s no weight to Edward’s pleas for Bella to stay human and live a long, human life, as it doesn’t feel like she actually loses anything in the end. If we had seen more of these relationships, or even just received moments that were more substantive, it would have been different and would have told a better, more honorable story. Ultimately, the biggest problem in the Twilight franchise is losing sight of what really mattered, which is Bella’s relationships with those around her. Prioritizing the supernatural element for a more theatrical take sacrificed so much of what people loved about the books (and what made the books so popular in the first place). If the supposed Twilight TV show does come to pass, let’s hope they take the time to dig into what really matters about this story.
