Forgive me in advance, but you're going to read the writing of a fanatic beyond this point. Be warned.
The year was 2009, and I was searching through the titles of my mail order book club to see want books to get into. I read the description of “Twilight” and liked it and put it on my “to read” list. A few months later, “New Moon” popped up — and its premise sounded even better — reminding me to get the first book. It went on my “to read” list. The same patterns followed with “Eclipse” and “Breaking Dawn.”
A year later, a coworker and her two oldest children went to see “New Moon” in the theaters. Once I realized movies of the series I had been dying to read but putting it off came out, I watched bootleg copies of the first three movies before finally buying all the books in 2011 and reading them in two weeks. A “Twilight Saga” Fan was born in me then.
“Twilight” is the story of 17 year old Isabella Swan who moves to Forks, Washington to live with her father — the town Sheriff — from Phoenix, Arizona after her mother got remarried. There, she meets and falls in love with Edward Cullen — a boy who is seemingly an 17 year old adopted son of the good Doctor Cullen and his wife. He's actually a vampire living with a coven who drinks animal blood instead of human blood.
I didn't like Edward Cullen. He treated Bella in a hot and cold way for almost half the book! It just didn't seem like he loved her as much as she loved him.
But it was still an exhilarating read. I liked learning more about the world of vampires in Stephanie Meyer's eyes, and I liked the stories and personalities of the many secondary characters in Edward's and Bella's lives. It was utterly ordinary — which ironically made the story more interesting because how can a ordinary story with a ordinary girl with an ordinary life suddenly become something more.
The hottest, most unattainable guy in school suddenly can't stay away from you? What girl didn't dream of that once or twice when they were in high school???
The movie was awesome! I didn't like that it was changed from the book, and it had a blue-ish/gray picture throughout to me. The Cullens weren't even pale like traditional vampires! But the budding teenage love scenes and the action scenes were cool.
“New Moon” is about the vampire Edward Cullen leaving Isabella Swan — to keep her safe from their enemies and himself — so she can have a chance at a normal human life. Bella is devastated, but finds comfort and love with a new suitor, Jacob Black, the 16 year-old Indian son of her father's best friend. He also has a secret: he shape shifts into a werewolf.
Bella is extremely annoying in this second installment of the “Twilight Saga.” She keeps going back and forth between her love for Edward and sadness over his leaving her and her growing love for Jacob. Its not that I didn't identify with her sadness over Edward leaving — because the book described her pain flawlessly, and captured it perfectly — but I just couldn't understand why she couldn't be happy and grateful that she had someone better in Jacob.
I mean, their fathers were best friends, they've been in each others lives since they were kids, they were both human (sort of) balancing supernatural aspects in their lives, and she was generally physically attracted to the guy! Team Jacob and Bella Forever!!!
The movie was exactly the same as the book.
“Eclipse” is not only about the battle to destroy the Cullen coven and Isabella by an army of newborn vampires, but also the battle between vampire Edward Cullen and werewolf Jacob Black for Bella's heart.
This was my favorite book in the “Twilight Saga.” The insults Edward and Jacob threw at each other were so funny! And I almost switched to Team Edward when he left a note for Bella saying something like, “Take care of my heart, I've left it for you.”
But, I think this third installment really showed how stupid and one track minded Bella was because Jacob pulled out ALL the stops on her to be with him instead — and she kept refusing! Even when she finally realized how much she really loved him — she still gave him up for Edward.
The movie almost completely captures Bella's indecision about choosing Edward or Jacob — but it cut out key scenes of her anguish for scenes focusing more on the temporary newborn vampire Bree Tanner's experience in Seattle. But, it was still very epic. The battle for Bella's heart was hella intense by the time the climax of this movie came about.
“Breaking Dawn” is about the marriage of Isabella Swan to vampire Edward Cullen, the birth of their half-human/half-vampire daughter Renesme, and finally, Bella's death/transformation into a vampire.
This was the most intense book of the “Twilight Saga.” Bella finally marries her vampire Edward and Jacob is left behind scrambling to figure out where he still fits in her life. Which turns out — Jacob's heart is meant for Bella and Edward's half-human/half-vampire daughter Renesme.
It reads like a totally different kind of book once Bella is finally transformed into a vampire. It’s like, in “Twilight,” Bella was balancing her primary human life with vampire life. In “New Moon,” she was balancing her primary human life with wolf life. In “Eclipse,” she was balancing her primary human life with vampire and wolf lives. In the first half of “Breaking Dawn,” she was bidding farewell to her primary human life while integrating into a vampire life and balancing wolf life. In the second half of “Breaking Dawn,” she balances a primary vampire life with wolf and human life.
“Breaking Dawn” really takes the readers on a whole new and exciting reality for Bella's fans. The girl who becomes a wife, has her virginity taken, has a baby, dies, becomes reborn as a vampire, and saves her entire family and friends with her super power! She really is the heroine of the entire saga.
What surprised me was that a forth of the first half of the book was told from Jacob's perspective — not Bella's (as it had been since Twilight). Then, his imprinting on Renesme. It made sense because at first I wasn't going to read “Breaking Dawn” since Bella made her choice — and it wasn't Jacob. So why did I need to read more?
But my curiosity about what Stephanie Meyer had in store next for these characters after “Eclipse” intrigued me. And Stephanie must have read my mind — because in the beginning pages of “Breaking Dawn,” Bella remarks on how she didn't want Jacob to think that she had just danced off into the sunset with Edward and forgot about him — which is what I thought “Breaking Dawn” would be about actually.
When I read that Bella thought that, I felt like Stephanie was speaking directly to Jacob fans through the character Bella's thoughts. I wanted to read about what was in store for Jacob and the wolves now that Bella had officially chosen Edward. Him imprinting on Renesme was weird — but it worked out for him.
Now he had a comfortable way of still being in Bella's life. I loved how Stephanie Meyer brought together everyone. The vampires and wolves were finally friends. The humans we were exposed to from “Twilight” were still valued and included in the harmony. Renee is ignorantly happy in Florida, Charlie gets Sue and Bella now has 2 wolf step-siblings (who are also part of Jacob's pack), all Bella's high school buds are blissfully ignorant in college — its all good.
Even one of the new cast of vampires gets a happy ending (i.e. Kate and Garrett). And, the Volturi are defeated. I actually wanted a battle though — I almost threw the book down when nobody fought in the end! What a let down!
But, Stephanie brought almost every character to a happy ending — well, all except Leah and Irina. Life will forever suck for them (Irina more so cause she dies!). Turns out, “Breaking Dawn” wasn't just a book for Bella and Edward fans — but a book for vampire fans, the human character fans, Jacob fans, and wolf fans as well.
The movie of “Breaking Dawn” part one was beautiful. Just beautiful. It captured Bella's emotions throughout her experiences perfectly. Just as the book did.
I was so sad for Jacob throughout this. He matured so much – yet he was still holding on desperately to love he felt for the girl who chose someone else – his enemy – over him.
I loved the things they added (a fight with the wolves) and how emotional this saga really was. I also really liked how accurate the gory parts of this movie were. Her drinking the blood, and even though some of the delivery of Renesme parts were taken out of the movie version, it was still pretty disgusting, and gory, and heartstoppingly scary.
The “Breaking Dawn” part two movie felt like a completely different kind of movie – just like the second half of the book read differently than all the other books. It captured all the emotions, drama, and evolution of characters – plus gave justice to all the other characters that were introduced as well.
And the twist the director Bill Condon added brought more fans to the series and kept the current fans on the edge of our seats!
I was very glad they did that cause that pissed me off in the book that they didn't do it! I only wish they could've done more with Bella's shield – and the movie wasn't so rushed. It felt too fast-paced and vital parts were missing that could've made it an even more perfect ending for the saga. But, it was still an epic cinematic end regardless.
Personally, the mantra for the ENTIRE Twilight saga should've been, “The Twilight Saga; It all begins…with a choice.”
So of course on Sunday, October 21st I had to go see the tenth anniversary screening of the first movie which was released back in theaters! I saw it at Crocker Park's Regal Cinemas. Attendees got a free promotional poster, a bonus showing of ten years since clip beforehand, and just a really cool experience to be back among other fanatics like myself.
