Come on, 'fess up. Are you a Twilight hater?
The latest installment of the series, Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I, was released over the weekend, and raked in more than $283.5 million worldwide ($139.5 million in the United States alone, that's the fifth-best opening weekend ever).
Surely a sparkly movie that made $283.5 million in a weekend can't be wrong, but if you talked to a Twilight hater (including many professional film critics - Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune said that watching Twilight made it seem like "time itself begins to crawl backward"), you'd be surprised at the virulence of their contempt.
But why all that hate? Erika Christakis of TIME Magazine thinks it's all about hating the female fantasy:
Why is it that female fantasies are such a source of derision and fear? The male species is allowed all manner of violent, creepy, ludicrous and degrading movie tropes, and while we may not embrace them as high art, no one questions them seriously as entertainment, even when sometimes we probably should. (Violent imagery is, after all, associated with violent behavior.) You want to saw someone in half or put their head in a vice? Showcase naked strippers as a fake plot device? Pair a beautiful and successful career woman with a slovenly, unemployed man? Pretend you are Wolverine? Go right ahead. We know you can’t really be serious. But watch a tender wedding night between a virginal, undead superhero and his teenage, human bride, and the scolds come out in force. Are parents worried that their teenage daughter actually wants to be impregnated by a 100-year-old vampire who can crush a headboard with his hands (and perform an emergency C-section with his teeth)?
Maybe part of the reason critics deplore these movies is not only because they are so unfamiliar with kooky heterosexual female fantasies but also because they don’t really like what these fantasies say about men.
Link | See also The 7 Harshest Critics' Jabs at Breaking Dawn
@dev:
Having just visited some forums about D&D earlier today, I can tell you that male fantasies can be every bit as passionately ridiculous as female ones.
As somebody who has always found vampires to be fun simply for the fact that they're oversexualized, I was totally shocked to find out that somebody wrote a love story about a chaste vampire. Vampires books were written back when pornography wasn't allowed, neck biting was metaphor for intercourse. Mormons shouldn't be allowed to hijack their mythos and tell little girls it's their dream to quit high school to run away and make babies with a guy who gives you validation. Plus...Edward and Bella's relationship is missing something really important to any good relationship. namely, a sense of humor?
That being said, I think the perspective here is really interesting. I had not considered the "Twilight" story through the lens of female fantasy. That angle explains a lot, and also why I have not put much thought into "Twilight" thus far.
Quite interesting.
The book tells girls that their lives have no meaning unless they find a perfect man and this is not only absolute rubbish, but very dangerous. Meyer preys on the insecurities of young girls in order to profit.
All this aside, I found the books poorly written and populated by unsympathetic and, frankly, boring characters.
Being completely taken care of and overshadowed by a man is such a lazy and indulgent fantasy.
I mean really. Most boys don't sparkle.
I agree with the subject of the article to an extent; there should be equality between movies of male fantasies and female fantasies,but the reason haters hate Twilight is that it's a really-REALLY-really bad movie.
I knew it was going to be bad from seeing the trailer. It just had that 'WB' and 'CW' sheen to it that spells awful. I had no idea how bad when I finally watched it( only with Rifftrax of course). The acting, writing, directing, pacing,etc.,etc.-everything- is mind-numbingly bad, bland, idiotic and juvenile.
It's like it's made for really stupid and superficial people who never saw a real, quality film and wouldn't understand one and probably hate it if they did see one.
And I understand that it's made mostly for pre-teen and teen girls - but y'know, so was Princess Bride, Labyrinth and Legend in the 80s and those films were great! Hell, Lost Boys was better than Twilight fer god's sake!
Sure, lots of women like it. But 50% of the population is below average. Lots of people like nacho cheese that you dispense with a pump at the convenient store.
Something deserves praise if it elevates; if it just caters to the lame, then it doesn't matter how many tickets it sells--it still sucks.
Twilight and the Vampire Dairies are just TWEEN female mindless SCHLOCK. Even when I was a teen and would've has options, I'd have ignored or hated this thing.
Lowest common denominator prevails in this day and age. See Jersey Shore.
secondly, even if it is female fantasy: i do also frown upon certain movies which have only the purpose of delivering the goods to men. that's what intenet porn and privacy are for. movie tickets are are too expensive for pure hornyness, at least for me. i'd like to get some lasting impression for my money.
This is why I hate being a female.
Not to mention the writing is awful and Bella is a Mary Sue to the max.
Come on. People hate it because it's a cheesy drama about a sparkling vampire. Guys don't hate it because girls love it, which is what she's saying, which is ridiculous
How can you look at her and not see the next head of the Volturi? She's a runaway train of id.
It'd be funny if it weren't so creepy.
- paternalistic ("*THE* female fantasy"),
- full of strawmen (are there other movies that are targeted specifically at female experience, which are nonetheless appreciated by men? Obviously, yes. Even some including vampires, I'll guess, based on how much I appreciated some of the A. Rice Mayfair Witches /books/.)
- condescending (a quick look at the reviews suggests that people seem to dislike the bad dialog, bad acting, but she nonetheless blames it on failings of the viewers who don't share her views)
- hypocritical (so having eye-candy for men is absurd, but she'll gush over Robert P's looks?)
- revealing about her own past (the weird 'guys demanding oral sex in a high-school parking lot' tangent)
No, I hated the movie because it moved like a very slow train-wreck, to be sure to include enough religious propaganda...because the dialog was absurd and unrealistic...and *in spite* of some of the eye candy for men (and in spite of the supposed male-appealing violence).
I hated the movie because the acting was horrendous. (Well, not all of it. The "father" vampire actually does a fine job. And R.P. isn't a bad actor. And Bella's mother does a good job with bad lines.)
I hated the movie, but was disappointed (seeing it in Manila) to not hear one person in the theater express a hunger for diniguan afterwards.
(Now, I'm off to read everyone else's comments, to see how redundant I've been.)
The craziest D&D people I've met, you wouldn't let get close enough to hate. :)
I just don't think the story is any good. I've seen the first 2 movies and yeah, that was much more than enough.
I'm all for the female fantasy so long as it's good... such as True Blood.
1) Stalking and emotional abuse should not be shown to be a good thing. Especially since these are supposed to be written for the young adult crowd.
2) She has no purpose. Her goal in life is to be a boys shadow.
I hate Twilight because it has bipolar and conflicting themes and characterizations, dialogue is terrible and sometimes repeats narrative that already happened, thus watering down any mystery for readers to find.
Bella is 1-dimensionally infatuated-yet-remarkably-emotionless vehicle into which female readers can insert their psyche, a complete Mary Sue, pursues her relationship with an inconsistent lover to the detriment of everything else in her life but doesn't suffer a pints worth of guilt or consequence unless it directly involves Edward or werewolf Calvin Klein jeans model.
The only thing I will praise Meyers for is getting more young girls to pick up reading. It's her franchises only redeeming contribution to our culture. At least these youth will pick up better literature eventually for taking an interest.
The story is filled with juvenile wish-fulfillment, selfish manipulation and ruthless self-aggrandizement, all wrapped up in a package delivered by a cypher clearly intended to make the reader or viewer take on that persona for the duration of the fantasy.
It's a terrible lesson for adolescent girls (hook up with the stalker monster and let him do all the work rather than making something of yourself), and the writing and acting is mostly abysmal.
There are plenty more romances out there that have substance and female protagonists with agency that are much more satisfying. That's why this woman loathes Twilight.
Here's a suggestion... if you don't like it... DON'T READ IT — if you hate the story.... DON'T BLOODY WELL GO AND SEE THE MOVIE, leave it to those who do like it. Perhaps all you haters need to find something to do with all the spare time you seem to have — instead of obsessing over the Twilight books and movies perhaps a little charity work is in order. Come on all jokes aside, it's all being taken way too seriously!! Olga from Sydney Australia
That said, I've felt I could relate to the female character and the direction of the films. I don't look at the movie as being a "role model movie." I see Bella as insecure and obsessive. Isn't that a unique description that sets her apart from all you strong ladies? She comes from a broken home and her mother clearly revolves around her husband. Again, don't you have a friend with a mom like that, perhaps who turned out like her mom?
For my part, I can relate with getting dumped, being melancholy, and deciding between what's good for me and what's dangerous. It's a classic choice many women make. Having chosen my own Jacob to marry, I look back at that time when I had that passion, the lust, the confusion in my life. Tweens? Hah, I wish. I call it my 20's, and these movies bring back that energy. A true escape and one that you want to experience. That time in my life was so exciting.
The movies are also well done. The acting is good, the soundtracks are good, the cinematography is decent. The dialogue, which could incite laughter in its silliness, I can forgive in the same way I forgive George Lucas when I watch Star Wars. It's all in good fun.
And finally, if you're really concerned that Bella isn't a good role model, you can always explain to your daughter that Bella could end up damned, with a vampire-made c-section, unable to enjoy life as she is now walking dead. :)