What is the big deal about Twilight?

That’s the thing, though. Maybe the movie will be shitty, but the books might be pretty good for what they are. Similarly, I hate – with a passion – all of the Harry Potter movies, but I think the books were brilliant and adorable. Besides the ending of the last book, but don’t even get me started on that. :D

You’re just helping make a big deal out of. Geez. Just let people like what they want to like, no one’s forcing you to like it.

Everyone I know who has read the books admits that they are terrible. Nevertheless, many girls* still like them. I’m told that it’s because it’s emotional porn.

*I don’t know of any guys who have liked them.

The books are apparently a vampire themed love story. This type of book has been popular in the past (Anne Rice comes to mind). Yeah, her books were also emotional porn, great term aidje. Maybe that’s why I had a hard time getting past the few first pages, I prefer an adventure over lovey doveyness.

I have no interest in the Twilight books or movie, but I admittedly have some weird fascination with the whole vampire thing. But I loathe Anne Rice. She is creepy and twisted, in ways that I can’t even imagine. Her writing isn’t just… Writing. There’s something weird and gross about her.

I’m with ya on that, DrasticDreamer. Anne Rice sucks. And it seems like every time I pick up one of her books, it has underage teenage cousins in incestuous relationships – what’s up with that!?!

@syz: Exactly. Even if not incestuous, always underage. There are other books with the same theme, but they aren’t written the same. I don’t even know how to explain the way she writes, really. But it’s more of a “there’s something wrong with her head” versus a “wow, this is a well-written creepy book”.

I can’t deal with Twilight. I love vampire novels and I’m going to have to get the first one and give it a read-through to make my opinion more legit, but I found out what happens in Breaking Dawn and really just can’t… no. Just no. I need strong female characters. Bella is not a strong female character.

Which is actually the problem with a lot of romances. For some reason when people write romances they tend to make the ladies wimps and the guys ridiculous. I’d just really like a drippy romance with a strong, sensible woman and a nice, normal guy.

From what I’ve read in EW about the movie, it sounds like they’re upping the action and toning down the unhealthy “OMFG I WILL DIE FOR YOU!!!!11!1!” relationship. I’m going to have to see this movie eventually (probably through Netflix, unless someone invites me to the movies with them and pays for my ticket) because that was exactly my problem with Twilight. It was several hundred pages of Bella angsting and pining for stupid Edward, and then a handful of chapters with plot stuffed in at the end. Even if the movie sucks, it might suck less than the books. I need to find out.

it looks like something that should be shown on the disney channel. Yet all these people on tv are promoting the hell out of it, like its going to be the best movie of the year!

All of the marketing and tabloid coverage leads me to believe that publicists for the movie are trying to fit it as the new thing for 15–18 year olds, a spot previously occupied by… I dunno, awkward handjobs.

I don’t understand why it’s such a big deal either. Aren’t the only people who are excited about it girls between 12 and 17 years old?
edit: ...and wait. Someone said Twilight books. Are there more than one?

@Allie
There are four, I believe. There was going to be a fifth, but an unfinished manuscript leaked and the author got all teary-eyed, talked about how she felt violated, and announced that the book would be neither finished nor released.

edit: Also, to answer your other question, I know some girls as old as 22ish who get excited about it.

There’s a whole bunch of women called “TwiMoms” who are completely bonkers for the books. It boggles my mind that adult women can read these books and see a positive relationship there. I would NOT let my kid read the Twilight series without having some long discussions about how there’s pretty much not a single relationship anywhere in it that isn’t in some way obsessive, abusive, manipulative, or otherwise unhealthy.

… That, MacBean… Is SO disturbing. Ugh.

i agree w/ MacBean. And since I am too lazy to retype this, I’ll just paste a PM I sent to her a while back: I did not care for the Twilight books because I felt that they were too dramatic/full of angst. Without giving away the story, the protagonist falls in love with a vampire. But this “love” is too dramatic and over the top, she needs to be him with 24/7 and also is completely dependant on him. She doesn’t even try to be friends with people in her high school and completely ignores their attempts to befriend her. The whole thing makes me annoyed and brings out strong feelings of feminism and “get a grip woman!” I don’t like the idea of a relationship being your end all to society. For one thing, it’s not healthy! And to think there are teenage girls reading the books and drooling over this one guy, I hope they aren’t going to take cues from the book and decide that their boyfriend is their everything. The whole thing is too dramatic for me

@PnL—I’ve actually read the series for myself since that PM exchange, and I totally agree with you. After I finished, I sat down with the 14-year-old I borrowed them from and had a serious discussion with her about how the Bella/Edward relationship is obsessive, creepy, manipulative, abusive and all-around unhealthy. I told her I’ll never discourage her from liking the series, but I WILL discourage her from thinking that’s the kind of relationship she ought to strive for. Like I point out every time I hear anyone swooning over how romantic Edward Cullen is—my sister has a protective order against her ASAP-ex-husband because he’s done some stuff to her that Edward does to Bella. It’s not cool.

I dont know what the problem is with twilight those are great books!! they arent real!! its not like vampires are real!! I am a big fan of twilight and it is a great love story :D its because of you guys that stephanie meyer isn’t giving out the 5 book I love twilight and so do many other girls and your not going to change our minds!! =p

There’s a problem here. You seem the type that, to be honest, is probably a troll. However, the impulse to respond to this is mighty strong.

While you are correct that vampires are not real, that you cannot recognize the unhealthiness of the relationship involved is disturbing. Also, while you are correct that Ms Meyer isn’t publishing the fifth book, it is because an early copy of the book was leaked to the internet. This is more often the kind of thing a fan does, not someone who doesn’t like the series (and wouldn’t, therefore, bother). More importantly, not publishing your book because someone leaked an early copy is the adult version of a temper tantrum.

oh pixie, i lurve you!

ok maybe your right but still I dont think that I am a troll. you guys just dont understand that the book and the movie arent trying to make make people different its just a story about a human girl and a vampire are deeply in love with each other and I love her books!!!!!

@twilight: O rly?

lurve to uberbatman.

It’s not a story about a human girl and a vampire who are deeply in love. It’s a story about a human girl and a vampire who are completely obsessed with each other. It doesn’t even matter if they’re humans or vampires or purple polka-dotted unicorns. The problem with the series is that it puts an unhealthy and abusive relationship on a pedestal and teaches young girls that a boyfriend who watches through your windows while you sleep and dismantles your vehicle to keep you from seeing your friends is something to strive for.

MacBean, my hero! You got it exactly right.

It’s not just some stupid vampire story, its a story about how 2 people from different worlds love each other so much they would rather die then live with out the other person-as seen in New Moon. Edward is a vampire and he wants to eat bella but she doesn’t care. she wants to turn into a vampire also so that they can be together forever. It’s rally a touching story. At first I thought it was really stupid but then i saw the movie at my friend’s house and now i LOVE it, can’t put it down! I really think it’s more of a girl thing than a guy thing. I think you should watch the movie Twilight, give it a chance.

My subjective view on this is that they took vampires, a really boyish creature and took away all the cool stuff and made it girlish. They focused on the forbidden love stuff…
I prefer the movies where Vampires are still cool, dangerous and powerful as in True Blood or Låt den rätte komma in (Hollywood remake: Let Me In)