Is This The Year Twilight Breaks?
Being as it’s the end of the year, it’s generally customary to either make or examine predictions, whether you make them or someone else does. And thus, I’m looking at one prediction I found, the suggestion that this is the year that Twilight oversaturation reaches critical levels and everyone says they’re done with this dreck forever. From Kyle Brady:
5. Twilight Oversaturation [Fantasies]
Movies, books, incessant devotional commentary, and a forthcoming comicbook series – all for a concept that is, at best, an unfinished series based on half-baked ideas, or, at worst, an intellectual property mashup of prior works. Twilight has been raved about, hated on, and the focus of arguments for so long that its monetary success is unlikely to continue much longer. The devoted fans will continue to purchase whatever publishers or studios churn out, but the mainstream’s toleration of this inconceivable fad is wearing thin.
Excuse me while I wipe away a tear of helpless laughter at Brady’s sheer crippling naivete. See, the mainstream’s toleration was never really there to begin with. The enormous number of negative reviews for EACH installment to date is proof enough of that. But the worst part is he actually says IN his prediction why this garbage will never go away. It has its own built-in fanbase of angsty teenagers who’ll follow this crap into the heart of hell itself. As long as said angsty teenagers can get a few extra bucks babysitting or out of mom and dad’s wallets, they’ll be neck-deep in Twilight crap until we all die.
So the answer to my headline, no, this likely will NOT be the year that Twilight finally slinks away with truckloads of unearned cash.
First off, I’m not a fangirl, but I am an ADULT fan of Twilight. And I for one don’t give a damn about reviews, considering those jokers get paid millions to say whether or not they like a movie and whether or not we should see it. Their opinions are the same as anyone else’s and don’t amount to much. It’s still money in the bank for them either way. What you and others call garbage, some others love. I don’t think the books are scholarly written by any means, but it’s also a fantasy romance novel. It’s no Harry Potter, Tolstoy or Ian McEwan’s Atonement, all of which have their critics as well. Just because some of us happen to like the movies and books, it doesn’t make us twits, losers, or freaks. Nobody calls a man an idiot because he likes Transformers, G.I. Joe or any other action movie that requires some dumb woman to prance around in something tight so that her boobs will pop on screen. Besides, lumping all Twilight fans in a category with rabid teenage girls is quite ridiculous at this point, especially with New Moon–no matter how many times the critics call it crappy–making so much money in the states and overseas. It’s a chick-flick pure and simple. Deal with it. And the guy calling it a fad, please. Yound adult fantasy novels involving not only vampires but wolves and fairies are up in sales and will continue to go up, Vampire Diaries, True Blood, and more fantasy movies are soon to come. Also, I haven’t been a rabid fangirl of anyone since the New Kids were actually NEW.
Well said, Vanessa. I am also an adult who became a fan earlier this year. I did dress up as Bella for Halloween, but it was Halloween; dressing up was pure fun. The dress is one that can be worn numerous times (and it has), so as an ADULT, I felt the money was worth it. There is nothing wrong with liking the story and it’s not like the Twilight saga is the only story to have negativity; many books and novels have people hate them. How long has the Harry Potter series draw criticism? How many books are people trying to ban due to ‘objectionable’ themes? As long as Twilight gets people reading, where is the harm? Let us have our fantasy. For some people, it’s their escape from real life.
I just want to say i’m a twi-mom
and started reading the Twilight Saga before the movies came out. I got addicted right away and when i found out it was going to be a movie it was the icing on the cake. Regardless if the movies are exactly like the books or not doesn’t matter to me. Books will always be better cause u have more room to explain things in detail. So all the critics that think the movies are terrible doesn’t really phase us twi-fans! 
okaay. first of all good going vanessa, molly, and mello yello. that’s right. just because this was the year of twilight it doesn’t mean that it’s going to be over. no. eclipse still has to come out for crying out loud. and breaking dawn. so why would this be the end of twilight when it is just bearly begun? stephenie meyer wrote twilight in 2002 and it came out a little while after that. and breaking dawn came out august 2008. and even though i started to real them after the first movie came out i still love them. and trust us twi-fans that this will not be the end of twilight. there is plenty more to come i can tell you that right now. and us twi-fans could beat any other fan of any other book. if we had a huge compition of which book is better we would all win because we know how to stick up and fight and we know that are books are the best. so don’t mess with us hunger games fans or harry potter or true blood or vampire diaries because we will beat you up i swear. there so mess with us and you will get comments like this or much worse!=)
First off, thank you, ladies, for speaking up as the exception to the rule. It’s good for exceptions to be heard–it reminds everybody that they do exist.
But that’s what you are, in the end, exceptions rather than the rule. Surely we can all agree on that? Surely we can all agree that there aren’t very many folks over the age of twenty going to these things?
The horror movie community hates Twilight with a passion, as is expressed by any of a host of articles and statements to that effect. The Rotten Tomatoes aggregate puts New Moon at twenty six percent, which is an extremely poor rating.
Thus it’s safe to say that it’s not the horror community that’s keeping Twilight in play, nor the mainstream.
I maintain that it’s the teenage market segment that’s fuelling Twilight. After all, why would they be taking such pains to ensure that Eclipse gets a PG-13 rating? Surely you’ve all heard that story by now!
I did slight you ladies by not specifically mentioning you, but surely you can agree that it’s not your dollars and not your presence that fuels the Twilight saga. If you, and everyone like you, suddenly stopped going, Twilight would go on unabated.
Maybe we don’t frequent the same theatres Mr. Anderson. Yes, I saw plenty of women along with their daughters at the premiere, BUT, more were there with girlfriends and co-workers. Adults.
Contrary to popular belief, women are plenty involved too, some even more so than their daughters and young girls. Call it RPatz Fever or what have you, but I can assure you that women spend just as much money, if not more on Twilight merch and books for themselves. Have you not checked out the plethora of Twi-related websites and frequent visitors/followers? All run by adult career women. And plenty of the author’s book signings? Many adult women there too. Women are no longer the minority in the TwiWorld. We’re damn near domination, outnumbering the young fangirls. For example, I don’t have children. A friend, 26 mind you, told me about the movies and books. She doesn’t have children either and neither does anyone she knows who informed her about them. In other words, women told me about the books and movies, not young fangirls.
The author admits in just about every interview she’s done that she wrote the story for herself at 29, so it is no surprise to her or anyone else that women over the age of 18 are into the books/movies as well. Not all, but some, just like every young girl isn’t drooling over Edward or Pattinson. It goes deeper than the obvious for most of us. And each movie is rated PG-13 because the author doesn’t want her movies to be rated R. Why? She’s never seen one and never plans to, that has nothing to do with the young girls getting in to see the movies. (The protagonist is 18 after all.) Have you not read up on the reason why there is no premarital sex in the movies and books? Do you know anything about her, other than how much some people hate her books and movies for this reason or that?
And big deal, the horror community hates it. It’s not a horror film and was never meant to be, it’s a romance novel/film with supernatural elements. Horror movies, of any kind, are just as silly as what they say Twilight is anyway, given that many are not even scary and more along the lines of being laugh out loud funny. That being said, I’m a fan of horror, but let’s get real. I barely jumped out of my seat during the Halloween and Freddie movies, originals and (horrendous) remakes. Why don’t the critics pick on Vampire Diaries or True Blood? Both have love and gore, but Twilight is always nitpicked. Is it because the no sex thing? The chick-flick element? Or because Bella isn’t Buffy. (And trust me, NO ONE can replace Buffy, not in my world.) There’s so much criticism to go around these days. Almost too much.
And Rotten Tomatoes? Is that the only answer for whether or not a movie is good these days, considering, in my opinion, they can give some of the crappiest movies the best ratings? Should we listen to them now instead of ourselves, considering many critics who bashed the movie didn’t get it/like it because they never read the books? Chris Weitz used the book as his personal Bible. The critics were never fans to begin with, of course they’re going to hate it! They slammed (original) Twilight too, no matter what they say now, they slammed the hell out of that movie when it came out last year. It was the fans that kept it going above water, just like anything else the critics hate. There are just too many shows/movies to count.
In my opinion, Twilight’s popularity, just like anything else out there, is about personal quality not critical quantity: i.e., if all the critics say something sucks or is great, does that make it so? No, because at the end of the day, it’s all due to personal taste. If we all listened to the critics, taking their words to heart and only saw movies, went to restaurants, or read books based on what they said, how good or bad this or that was, we’d be nothing but human robots. Maybe we as adult women are exceptions to the rule as you say, but so are all the adults who have read Harry Potter books over the years when the books were written solely for CHILDREN and not just young boys, despite the boy protagonist. The Twilight Saga is escapist fantasy novels for girls, women, or in my opinion, anyone open to fantasy/supernatural romance.
None of it is going to happen in real life anyway, and only a fool would believe so. Just because it is popular with many girls AND women, and just because you say it makes us the exception to the rule, it doesn’t take away from the popularity of the novels and movie. I saw PLENTY of men that went to see the movie as well, and they were alone, without wives and/or girlfriends. I may like Twilight, but I’m also a fan of Scarface, The Godfather, Goodfella’s, Transformers and other such movies that are considered ‘guy films’. Am I an exception to that as well? Being a woman that likes movies heavily liked by men? Or am I just the exception when it comes to being an adult female liking a novel/movie targeted toward young women?
Elizabeth–interesting. My showing was jam packed with minors and virtually no adults unless they were with same.
But then how do you account for the massive critical backlash? Sure, most folks say the critics are irrelevant, but it’s not exactly common to see them agree so deeply.
Further, being as I’ve seen True Blood, I can tell there’s a lot of difference between that and Twilight. True Blood, for one, carries a lot more action in it than Twilight does. Remember that old almost lost Elvis song: a little less conversation, a little more action?
I get what you’re saying, I really do, but the story is all about the love and not so much about the action. It never was. It’s like a Disney film, or Harlequin supernatural romance novel for teens or a green apple without that crisp sour taste. Yes, the bite could have been bigger and better, but we’re talking about a woman who had never written a day in her life and never meant to become a novelist. It’s a little something called luck in the publishing business and her publisher saw dollar signs in that story. At the end of the day, it’s all about the Cha-Ching! Girls love it, women love it, some men love it and critics hate it, now, let’s move on.
Every story needs conflict, I’m an advocate of that, and I will admit that the conflict came a little too late at the end of the novel and movie, instead of at the middle like it should have or even the beginning, as far as (original) Twilight is concerned. Real fans can see flaws and look at everything from both angles. New Moon stuck to the book exactly, and because many critics didn’t read the books, they don’t get it and probably never will. That’s fine. But my guess is that if they didn’t like the second movie, especially, they will loathe the book even more. The critics can say what they want, but it still does not keep people like me from seeing the movie time and time again. They loved the Hangover, so did many other people. Me, I thought it was dumb. I loved Australia and that movie got ripped by the critics. That’s where the differing opinions come into play. Maybe I am the exception, but hey, whatevs.
New Moon was not a critically acclaimed movie and never asked to be. It’s not Up In the Air or Precious. It wasn’t meant to be nominated for an Oscar or win awards besides MTV popcorn. We get it. Again, critics loathe it. But, if one hundred people say yes to something, and one person says no, is that one person wrong because they are the only one willing to say no? Are the one-hundred people right for all thinking the same thing? One critic bashed it and they all jumped on board the hate train. Cool, I personally don’t care. Critics hate many things, but it’s the fans that keep shows and movies afloat, not the critics. Many critics didn’t like Transformers 2 either, but it still made bank, yet we are still debating Twilight and New Moon. Why is that?
New Moon was a movie for the fans, Weitz said so himself, plain and simple. If you didn’t get it, you didn’t get it. New Moon didn’t have an outright message like Avatar or some other shows/movies, neither did Twilight and neither will Eclipse. It’s no Titanic either. The movies are not trying to teach or tell anyone anything, and that is what I think the critics hate the most. It’s nothing but a fluffy love story to them and many other people. But then again, what message did the Hangover have? Don’t get the groom drunk the night before his wedding or he will disappear? It was funny, yes, but not my cup of tea, just like New Moon didn’t satisfy the critics.
Twilight was all about first love and whatnot. New Moon was about what happens when that so-called first love dumps you. It wasn’t the best in cinema, but in my opinion, and as a fan, it satisfied me. I don’t care about other people, and that is the point of my post. It’s a fantasy film, nothing more, nothing less. It’s no different than Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty for me back in the day. What “message” did those movies have? When all is said and done, the rich and handsome Prince Charming will rescue you. He’ll kiss your lips, wake you up and sweep you off your feet, taking you away from all your troubles. What happens after that? Does he leave you for a younger model when you get old and wrinkly? I don’t remember the critics bashing those films like they do New Moon. As I said before, the critics hated the first film and hated the second and may even hate the third, even though it will have more action. Let’s face it, they just don’t like Meyer’s writing, because the movies are based off of her books. It’s not the quality of Stoker or Anne Rice, or Joss Whedon, and never claimed to be.
The only plot to the stories is the love plot: Will Bella choose Edward or Jacob? Will Edward finally give into Bella’s temptation? The books are like written soap operas and so are the movies. Critics of mainstream media have loathed soap operas, they are like the red headed step children. But at the end of the day, they still have their fans, even as they get canceled because the networks and head writers have ruined so many beloved shows. Look, I like action films too. I like action in my romance films. Like I said, Buffy for me all the way because that had the best of both worlds, romance with a kickass heroine. And I am a HUGE fan of True Blood, been watching it since the first season and reading the books, as well as Vampire Diaries with a stronger heroine and better storylines. My point is that Twilight is not pretending to be something it’s not and the critics pick on that because of it. It’s also popular. You have to wonder if that does not have something to do with it. If it weren’t so popular, would even be having this conversation? Me thinks not.
Meyer never meant to write a horror novel, or a story similar to True Blood or Buffy. She wanted to write a romance between a clumsy, ordinary girl and a sparkly vampire. Yes, Bella is nerve-wracking and Edward can be controlling. Yes the critics hate it, but they have hated many things over the years that people still debate on. Twilight is not perfect, but to speak about it as much as they do, one has to wonder is it really the ‘quality’ of the writing and story, or the rabid fanbase?
At the end of the day, let’s just agree to disagree. I have my feelings and you have yours. I don’t agree with the critics, nor do I choose to listen to other’s based on what is or is not good. I have my own mind and think for myself. If I hated Twilight and New Moon, you’d hear that too. But bottom line, I liked the movies and books. Are they the best written? No. Could the storylines have been tightened better? Yes. But at the end of the day, it’s a modern day soap opera with vampires. Folks just need to deal with it and move on.
first of all..
gosh.
i love these twi-moms. lol.
im just a kid. almost 13-flat.
twilight is a chick-flick, its why we love it. we have our own opinion, own taste. guys like action and all. but off all the chick-flicks, twilight rocks.
critics should just give their opinion. ur the one to decide if its good or not. so what if the movie didnt satisfy them? i dont really care. cause it was awesome to me. and all i care about is me. like all teenager do.
take it away, thats all i have to say.
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