Twilight

     I don’t think that we will ever fully escape the pop culture phenomenon that is Twilight, and with it being a hot topic again, I figured it was time to revisit the 2008 blockbuster and see how well it holds up in 2020. Okay, where do I begin? I have some major issues with this film, but I think my biggest issue with it is that Bella Swan is absolutely the worst protagonist to ever be presented in such a mainstream film. My main issue with Bella is that she makes no decisions for herself. Throughout the entire film everyone else decides her fate for her, and when she finally does want to make decisions for herself, it is simply because she thinks that it will help her relationship with Edward. It sends a bad message to anyone watching. She is also rescued at every turn of the film. She presents no real value to the film except for being the character that needs everything explained to, which brings me to my next issue, the exposition. There is so much exposition in this film and they decided that the audience was not smart enough to figure things out on their own, so they just spew it all out to you. Throughout the entire film you are told every plot detail through some form of Bella’s nonsensical narrations, or a different character explaining something to Bella.

            Now, I do not want it to seem like I am just trashing this film. It does feature some good aspects. For starters, the soundtrack is excellent. Such great choices of movies. It also features some excellent cinematography and overall, it is a gorgeous looking film. The baseball scene is also particularly good. Unfortunately, those aspects are not nearly enough to save this film from the abysmal acting on display. I love Kristen Stewart. I love Robert Pattinson. I think they are two extremely talented actors and they have a long list of films in which they have excelled. That is not the case here. I don’t want to put the blame solely on them, as the screenwriter and director really did them no favors, but at the end of the day, the effort is on them, and they look as if they just didn’t try here. I know that they can do better, so it was disappointing to see them turn in such a terrible performance.

            I know that this film spawned a franchise that went on to make a lot of money, and I do recognize its status as a pop culture phenomenon, but that does not mean that it is good. I did not want to just rip this movie apart, but I had to be honest with myself, and this is a very flawed movie. As far as YA novel adaptations go, this one was aesthetically pleasing, but overall hollow. Official Rating: 1 Star.

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