Twilight series gives forbidden love a new cachet

A storyline that played on the allure of eternal love has kept legions of Twilight fans returning to the theater to see Edward and Bella on the big screen.

This week, the fourth and final installment of the films based on Stephenie Meyers’ trilogy of novels about the world of vampires heads to cinemas.

Twilight — Breaking Dawn, Part 2, sees the romance between the 106-year-old vampire Edward Cullen and the ordinary American teen Bella Swan continue with Bella enjoying life as a vampire.

As CBC’s Zulekha Nathoo reports, the idea of an ordinary girl caught up in an extraordinary love story appeals to a generation of young fans.

And the spinoff has been new interest in works about forbidden love, like 50 Shades of Grey, and new forays into the world of vampires, such as True Blood.
Twilight follows the story of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), a teenage girl that moves to the town of Forks, Washington to live with her father. It is in this very town that Bella encounters the mysterious Cullen family, and more importantly among them, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson).

Bella eventually realizes that Edward and his family are vampires, and before long, she finds herself in the crosshairs of many dangers.

As the starting point of the series, most of the movie is dedicated to establishing the characters and their relationships.

To start off with positives, I thought the Cullen family in general was very interesting. The family dynamic is unique, and the concept is something that I wish was the main focus instead of the rather infamous romance plot.

That actually brings up a key argument that I want to make about this series as a whole. The story of Twilight isn’t necessarily bad, I just think we’re witnessing things through the wrong eyes.

It would’ve been far more entertaining and engrossing if the audience kept the story through the perspective of the Cullen family. It would actually make for a great sitcom show.

Honestly, I dreaded watching each one of these movies. It took me two days to get through each movie because I would have to take a break and clear my mind.

The truth is these movies were not tailored for me and a lot of other people, and that’s okay. These movies know what they are and try not to be something else. They’re like those dollar store romance novels that your single aunt reads.

The acting is rough, the dialogue can be cringey, and the romance struggles to have a believable substance to it.

The Twilight movies have their issues, but there is still a small amount of entertainment that can be found within these dumpster fires.

At least now I can say that I’ve watched every single one of these movies and given them a fair chance.