The first time I watched Twilight was up in the mountains in a small theater at midnight, and when I exited the theatre, it was snowing. Nothing comes close to that feeling let me tell you
You mean back when the majority of people couldnt read? Did you pick 14th century for a specific reason or did you just assume that 14th century was when a ton of classic books came out?
@@manvithharikiran5576 nah no takesies backsies lol. just because you move the dates forward you kinda outed yourself as just saying that based on conjecture. like for example, romeo and juliet was the 14th century but that's almost a parody of young love stories because it ends in them all dying because of their love being incredibly shallow and immature
@@maydaymemer4660 you're being overly condescending to R&J; you're making it sound like it's just a dumb teenage story. Shakespear was the first one who acknowlaged teenagers for what they are; imature, overly dramatic and lovesick(up until the 20th century the concept of adolescence didn't exist; you were either a child or an adult). Everyone agrees that their deaths were pointless but what is not disscused enough is that the tragedy is the result of the actual adults being just as immature and unwilling to act like decent human beings. They just weren't the ones who paid the price. On another note, Shakespear's writting is stellar; not just the topics but the style just as much
As a twilight fan still to this day, twilight isn't nor will ever be perfect but we love it anyways. 💕 We love how dumb some characters can be, the plot holes and everything else. But damn i would be lying if i didn't want a reboot series with the proper treatment of the twilight saga vampire lore because the books have a good base to stand on and the side characters are great! ✨
Yes! I think that not every piece of media should be a writing or cinematic masterpiece, Twilight is not good, but is comforting, and i love rewatching the movies every now and then and i feel absolutely no guilt over it. People should be allowed to have their tastes, even if the media is not so good.
I agree. I was a 40+ adult watching these movies with my teenagers and fell in love with the whole series despite it's flaws. I still watch it every time it comes on and laugh at certain scenes and the ridiculousness of some of the lines but LOVE it. It will forever have a place in my heart...My now 60-year-old heart.
I always felt the odd one out when I said I liked the first Twilight movie the most. Everyone always bashed on it because of its "low-quality", but I think it captured the vibe perfectly of the books and a cloudy, rainy small town. Additionally, I feel that Catherine Hardwicke was able to come up with good creative solutions to the budget cuts imposed on her. It's because of this that I feel that Twilight is the most grounded movie from the series.
I only like the first movie. It had such a sweet Indie feel to it and watching these weird, awkward kids fall in love was heartwarming to me. Every other movie felt very different, though. I didn't like how 'big' and bright they got. As for the books, though - only New Moon disappointed me.
I like all of them but yes I agree. Indie movies are somehow usually better. There’s not much effects and it was filmed in one city and I just think it’s so cool how you can go to Oregon and all those places are mostly still there. And the blue tint is just 👄🤌🏻
I had no idea the first movie had a different director. That makes so much sence because the first one is amazing and i hold it so dear in my heart!!! I mean aside from the fact that the first one has cringe writing and acting. BUT the vibes music and aesthetic are insanely amazing. Love love love
Same here the first one was by far my favourite. Although I’m kinda glad they continued I feel if they left it on the first one the actors probably wouldn’t dislike the Twilight franchise as much as they seem to now. Even the first one had it’s flaws like how did Edward leave a massive dent in the truck and stop it in front of all those people but only Bella saw or said something. This movie was still really good even with some of its flaws.
Twilight had everything working against it because of misogyny and society's outright hatred for teenage girls and it was STILL a huge success. I wish Catherine Hardwicke directed every film because the male directors had no artistic vision and way less respect for the intelligence of their audience. Sophia Coppola would have absolutely smashed it as well. Imagine those two women co-directing the entire series!!! 13-year-old me would have had a full-on religious experience.
Twilight was written by a female author, with a female protagonist and the novels are generally loved by women. That is the reason it is vehemently hated, I enjoyed the films and was fascinated by the books. It was a wonderful read, the critics were always focused on the female target audience and author when attempting to tear down these books.
"He [Edward] gets depressed because he killed people before or something. So he breaks up with Bella. Bella gets depressed because breakups are tough and you shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket." Idk why, but this line cracked me up 😂
My goodness! If it isn't the BEST Twilight review I've ever seen! I agree with EVERYTHING! Especially about the first movie. It's so so special and, like you said, intimate. It has that magical atmosphere of autumn, mystery, somberness, adventures, hopes and dreams. Also the forest looks and feels huge in it. You wonder what else can there be?... Other movies unfortunately don't have that and that's why I just can't rewatch them. Even though they have great moments. Thank you for the video! 🖤
I read the novels first and it gave you Edward’s perspective more than the movies and something that was special in my opinion was how he really valued her character, it the novel it went more into depth about how she cared after her father and what a thoughtful person she was. She was also deeper than her peers until Edward was the only thing on her mind but I liked those aspects. You did a great video and I always enjoy hearing your opinion.
Ehhh i mean i also liked twilight but i disagree completely when you said bella’s a strong independent female character. I feel like she never earned anything, everyone’s just automatically drawned to her, and the plot drives her along and she rarely ever attempts to drive it. Most of her actions are all about ‘i’m so selfless’ even though there are many smarter ways to handle it. And she legit do so many self destructive things just so she can be with edward. But i think that’s what makes her character interesting
All of those are reasons why she is a strong independent character. She cooks all the meals for her father. Does the grocery shopping. Does the laundry. She wrote a paper on the misogyny of Shakespeare in school. That’s normal these days, but was a sign of intelligence back in 2003. She does what she think is best to save her mom. Just because there were better ways to do it, doesn’t mean she didn’t make the wrong decision herself. 🙄 She puts herself into reckless situations to be with Edward. That’s self explanatory. She did it herself and it eventually payed off because it got Alice to come back to town to take her to Edward. Not once did you give an example of her not being a strong, independent character. What you want is a character with no flaws. Very different.
I first saw twilight on TV, there was a scene where Bella goes into the woods, and Edward follows her. And the atmosphere was so intriguing that I realized that I had to watch it from the very beginning. And I went to look for a movie on the Internet. I really it love for the filter, the selection of actors and clothes.
Screaming in agreement with everything! This video is so good, so fun. Love all the Catherine Hardwick quotes you selected to highlight that the series was done a disservice by men who merely wanted to turn an easy profit on fandom. The first “Twilight” will forever be a fav and my go to recommendation as an underrated classic.
Thank you so much for your video. It made me reflect on how much I actually adore Twilight the first move, and it explained why I always thought something was off with the others. In my opinion, they should have never changed the director:
I’m sorry but Robert Pattinson never got the hate and misogyny Kristen got. Kristen was literally hated and criticized and mocked for existing - even though she cared about Twilight while it was just a joke to Rpattz. We need to discuss the double standards that she still faces to this day in how she’s treated so much worse by the general public and media than him.
Her sleeping with a director (whose career was over because of that incident while she gets nominated for an Oscar years later) didn't exactly help her reputation either.
I see it as the complete opposite. Rob understood the assignment more than Kristen. She might SAY she gets it, but she couldn’t act it. Rob was the one to almost get fired for being too intense and fighting with everyone over what the book says. He tried to make Kellan Lutz stop eating during the cafeteria scene because it was important to him to show how freaky vampires are. They don’t eat human food… ever. Rob made plenty of jokes about Twilight during the press tours because he could distance himself. He wasn’t Edward then. But he understood the character more than any other actor. He showed the respect when it was time and turned it off when it was time. Kristen at no point in her career had to wonder if she would get fired. She’s a nepo baby. Her parents are in the industry. I’m sure she liked Twilight to some extent. But that doesn’t give her a free pass. She deserved all the criticism she got. I actually blame her for this idea that Bella was written exclusively for the audience to insert themselves into her viewpoint. People say that, and then go on to say Bella is stupid, mean, and codependent. Is she bland or not? Pick one. Kristen was the one saying “When I read my lines, I ask myself ‘if I were in this situation, what would I do?’“ … That’s not what acting is. Robert understands that.
Robert didn't get half as much flack because he didn't care for it. The man moved on to do The Lighthouse and the most depressing Batman so far, it's very clear what quality of movies he actually respects.
I enjoy twilight. I think the acting is fine. But edward absolutely is abusive. He disables her truck because he doesn't want her going anywhere. He treats her like crap. he sneaks into her room while she sleeps. We can enjoy the movie without acting like his behavior is okay or normal. I do think we need to stop hating everything teenage and young girls enjoy.
This. enjoy something all you want but i think it's dangerous to try to force an ideological purity onto something just because you like it. You can enjoy something and understand what's harmful about it. honestly looking at what you love through a critical lens is what makes culture better. in acknowledging flaws you allow for improvement.
How can you critique the reasons teenagers liked it though? Edward broke her truck to protect her from Jacob, who had been planning to kiss her for a long time. She finally runs to Jacob without Edward knowing (in the books, I know this video is only about the movies. that’s dumb) and that’s the first thing Jacob did. Since Edward reads minds, he knew what Jacob was up to. I don’t think that’s abusive. He sneaks into her room to make sure she’s safe. It’s a big joke that a vampire is keeping her safe, but that’s the beauty of it. It’s twofold. Young girls fantasize about one day cuddling with a boy, without sex. Which is what Edward did once they started dating. Women want a man that is incredibly dangerous, but could never hurt HER. Just her. Again: He wants to make sure she’s safe. I don’t think that’s abusive. No one can say “I want a boyfriend just like Edward.” Because he is a vampire. Vampires don’t exist. It’s the perfect mash up of fantasies. Why hold fiction to the same standards as reality when the circumstances are different? If anything, it ruins your perception of nuance. There are so many other things to complain about with Twilight. Why pick the ones that make sense in that universe? Why not mention the ones that are still unacceptable even within the story? Bella and Edward should have dated at least a year after New Moon before getting married. They should have had a serious discussion about their relationship after Edward sucked the venom out. “You had the chance to be with me forever. Why didn’t you take it? Where do we stand now?” And what does he do? Calls the nurse to sedate her! That would have been a valid criticism. But people want to point out that he removed the spark plugs on her ‘57 Chevy! Yeah. Okay.
I think Twilight has an amazing plot that had a lot of potential, if it was written by someone else. The only things that bug me in this story are Edward's weird actions towards Bella, Bella's character being unlikeable and boring and the weird plot wholes and the fact that Stephanie Meyers literally broke her own rules for the Twilight universe
Currently rewatching the Twilight series and its EXCEPTIONALLY weird in Breaking Dawn to spend so much time around Edward fucking Bella to death (watching it with my mom as well lol). I also love the twilight franchise because I love the vibe. The indie music, the grungy fashion, the melancholia and of course the beautiful pacific northwest. I really wish we could have seen an entire Catherine Hardwicke directed series.
OMG YESSSS! best twilight video essay, i'm in love with your channel🥰 when i need comfort i only see the first two movies tbh, and to this day i keep wondering what would've happened if catherine hardwicke directed the whole saga or at least, the director of new moon
Sometimes I think that "Twilight" could have been better if it was written by someone else. Don't get me wrong, Stephenie Meyer is a good writer and I love the way she describes a scene, but it makes me uncomfortable when something follows blindly and has a strong religious message disguised 😕
@@sweetcheeks5775 They were many, like don't have s3x before marriage or your soul would be damned, and a woman should die before getting an abortion, just to name a few. If you do your research you would see that many things in twilight are related to the Mormon religion.
@@Maryam-gk6kx abstinence isn't an innately religious value, though, or a negative one. And the way abstinence was presented was kind of the least problematic theme of the franchise: in a teenage couple, one wants to have sex very badly and one wants to wait until marriage...so they wait until they're both ready. That's pretty damn healthy for two teens - Bella respected Edward's boundaries even though she didn't share his values and they both happily got what they wanted in the end at a pace they negotiated.
I think everyone can agree that the first one was the best. The outfits were amazing, soundtrack too, the characters weren’t annoying and unlikable, I loved it! The breaking dawns on the other hand is a different story…
Part of the stigma seems, to me at least, to come from society. Romcoms are already treated with such disdain, but the fact that it was pOpUlAr? Romcoms can’t be popular. The fact that many women tend to find comfort in this? Not good, this movie can’t be good, it’s a romance! Some chick flick! It’s disgusting, and seeing people hate it hurts. I just went on a big defense on it a few days ago, but if we treat Twilight like a rotten egg for some of its flaws, I say we tear apart movies like Fast and Furious, and Star Wars. Nothing is perfect, but being targeted at women doesn’t EVER mean it is bad already.
Hey, I liked what you said about teenage girls, I agree. I always feel like people like to make money aou of teenagers but never reward them with quality. I think is even worse for kids.
Omg I grew up watching this movie with my mom as well! We were both fans of this movie. I remember going to see breaking dawn pt1 in theaters with my mom. It was my first pg13 movie I saw at the movie theater ❤️❤️
I think Twilight is the perfect movie that can show how a girl can grow into a strong, feminine woman. First of all you can't see Twilight as a story. Vampires and were wolves don't exist, so it's a fairy tale. A fantasy movie. Every time an animal or a fantasy character appears in a story or fairy tale, it is teaching us a lesson. In fairy tales and dreams animals and vampires are a part of ourselves. When Bella is growing up she has a fear in her heart of losing someone. ("Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies, all the poems, the songs, Shakespeare is about life and death, losing someone you love is probably the biggest fear). The vampires are a symbol of spiritual strength. Jasper can control emotions, that means he can fight, Rosalie can see consequences, Alice can see the future, Carlite has compassion, Edward can read minds. Jasper is showing how you can control fear, "you have to be focused" (so that fear is not getting into your consciousness), "don't turn your back to the enemy" (be aware if fears comes in), "don't let the hands get around your neck, it will crush you" (don't act out of fear). The spiritual strength can be learned and strengthen through visualization, imaging, positive thoughts, the power of the mind. There are evil spirits and good spirits. Evil forces against good forces in the world. The were wolves are a symbol of self-love, self- confidence. (Jacob is his own sun). First of all Bella has to learn self-love, Edward, the mental power, has to disappear, so that she can learn to love herself without any attachments. In order to have all feminine parts integrated in the psyche, self-love and spirituality (the were wolves and the vampires) have to work together. Giving birth is Bella's transformation into a strong, female and wise woman. Also the name of the titles of twilight, (New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn) shows the development of a woman in different stages of her growth. Imprinting is a symbol of love, you can't control who you love, it's automatically, your child, the husband you choose, you don't know why, it happens, you wanted protect and help the person you love. "It's a wolf thing", as Jacob said in the movie. Bella says in the beginning always something important about the content of the movie, a poem, Shakespeare, her fear, when she was separated from her mom. The fear of death and separation is the theme of all movies. The movies are teaching us how you can overcome fear. All parts of yourself have to be integrated in your psyche. Then the woman has different parts of herself available to any given situation. She can fight, she can love herself, she can protect, she can control herself, she can use her intuition (to see the future, and to read minds) and so on. In that sense, Twilight is one of the best movies I've ever seen. Most people don't understand the underlying message of the saga. But a lot of people unconsciously receive the deeper meaning and they can learn a lot from watching Twilight. Unfortunately a lot of people are feeling entitled to make YT videos, without getting it, they don't comprehend the importance and inspiration of the Twilight Saga.
Your thoughts about the story = 👍 Your claim that she didn't understand the story enough to have the right to make this video that you just watched = 🐂💩
It's a flawless representation of smaller town PNW living and I love it. I still crack up when people dig on the "Bella Bella, where for ought thou Bella" line, cause I used to do that in a Sean Connery accent for lols.
I love twilight. Everything about it. I think the mid 2000’s was a perfect time to make it. It’s just a whole vibe you know😭 the clothes, the music adds so much to it. And I just can’t explain how much I enjoy it. Even the cringey moments. But hey, you know I’m also a teenage girl so there’s that😂
You know these people are great actors when they play the most obnoxious characters and in real life they are a bunch of very funny, charismatic and loveable people.
The Twilight saga has a wonderful plot and intriguing characters. A lot of the haters criticizing Twilight seem to be talking about a different story, they stretch scenes and plot points to fit the negative interpretation they are choosing for it. The Twilight books were written by a female author, and the protagonist is a female character and the book(with exceptions) is generally loved by a female audience. There is NOTHING WRONG with that! The movies were a lot of fun to watch and the books were a wonderful read, with an exploration of complex characters with a fascinating plot. Frankly the Twilight franchise was and is popular because simply, it was good. The avid critics should choose something else to hate.
this whole video... THIS WHOLE VIDEO is probably everything i've ever thought about the saga and you put into words things like why i really don't like the Breaking Dawn movies, it does look very soulless, even the soundtrack didn't hit like in the other movies
I read the books when I was 12 and loved the story. It made perfect sense in my mind then and I still think the story in general builds such an interesting world. The movies are okay but the books hold a special place for me
Thank you for this video. I can't stand peoples critics of this movies, so this feels like a breath of fresh air. There's literally another one of those "twilight problematic" videos on the side bar right now, another man with the same opinions on the movie that he doesn't care about and they won't stop coz it makes views, ugh, 15 years of same shit
I think Twilight has a lot of potential, but unfortunately the story execution is wrong, especially about healthy relationship. If it's going to be rebooted, it needs major story overhaul.
This is such an extraordinary video essay. Have you thought of publishing this in written form somewhere? This would be a great paper or article on film, media and culture studies or any specialised magazine. Or even as an opinion piece on any media outlet, really! I just think it's great and more people should access this content. :) You're awesome!!
tbh, i never particularly dug the movies, watched them once each with respective “meh”s after. but this is just a matter of personal taste. one thing i would agree strongly is that the soundtrack is one of the most iconic in the cinema history, especially for the first film. i mean, “Decode” ffs (along with many others, but this is my personal best). it was so memorable and influential in my case, that in 2022 it was still in top-2 most played by the end of the year. and it’s certainly not going anywhere in the observable future lool
I used to hate on twilight I was in elementary school at the time it first came out and it was the “cool” thing to do like hating on Justin Bieber. However my mom loved this show and I still ended up watching every one with her. I’m 21 and my mom passed away when I was 16 looking back on these films although I know lots of nostalgia makes me Bias these films weren’t horrible the last 2 were not great to be honest and there’s many plot holes and flaws with them but they are the best vampire/romance films out I believe if you can look past some of the flaws and cheesiness.
I’m sorry about your mom. It’s so cool that you still have twilight to kind of feel connected you know. But anyways I kind of was the same I never hated it but I just thought it was overrated but I never even saw it until ealier this year and it’s just I can’t even explain it. It just lets me escape into something
Twilight is bad, stupid, and is ALSO a cultural reset. And listen peeps! #TeamDad needs more respect than your fake-ass romance drama between the vampires and the wolfs.
That very same Dad gave the boy that assaulted his daughter his approval simply because he hated his daughter’s boyfriend...despite the fact that he’s a cop..despite the fact his daughter broke her hand trying to fight against said boy..
i read all the books and watched all the movies. i was at that young adult age where love is the most magical feeling and my relationship is everything in this world. of course, oblivious to the toxicity and red flags of the relationship itself - nothing to do with the book. now, can someone please review "The Host" already? by the same author and the female lead in the movie is Saoirse Ronan.
Omg, its crazy that you mentioned you and your mother listening to the twilight soundtrack in the car, because me and my mom did the exact same thing lol!! Wed burn that outtt, it was so iconic tho
You should read the first book. It’s pretty good 👍🏻 Also, the original movie’s soundtrack included Claire de Lune and Bella’s Lullaby. Both of which are beyond fantastic ❤
I find the movies entertaining tho, I understand the hate it gets. But the thing that bothers me the most, is that,the books are god-awful. Probably some of the worst writing I've ever read!
twilight has and had great potential. Stephenie had good Ideas but took too much control of the forced hidden mormon propaganda, concerning native representation and confederate myth's. If people from more diverse Backgrounds would have been given the ability to work with what she thought out from there, we would have gotten an even greater series.
There are a couple of things much worse than the already problematic Twilight series. I do say that the most notoriously accurate candidate for a novel that is much worse than Twilight is the infamously (yet canonically) Mary Sue-centric Empress Theresa Book.
Thank you for this while I love the last two movies a lot and don’t agree/see most of it being cringe or bad. (Besides eclipse) it’s the first time I feel okay with it. I feel like a lot of people who claim they like twilight are so mean spirited sometimes and it feels like they’re trying to make the people who hate twilight like them. But your opinions were neutral and well explained. I love twilight It’s personally to me the best saga/movies ever. But I still acknowledge some of the problematic subtext like the imprinting (so unessesary should’ve been with Leah) my ranking for the twilight movies are 1.twilight 2.breaking dawn 2 3.breaking dawn 1 4.new moon 5.eclipse P.S you perfectly explained a lot of the problems I have with eclipse that I could just not really figure out. I thought it was bc of the love triangle but it’s only a small part of why. And it just has that tv look can’t explain what that means but I don’t want my movies to look like it’s a tv show lol
Timestamps 🧛🩸:
0:00 - Introduction
0:53 - Twilight
7:34 - New Moon
10:16 - Eclipse
12:33 - Breaking Dawn
The first time I watched Twilight was up in the mountains in a small theater at midnight, and when I exited the theatre, it was snowing. Nothing comes close to that feeling let me tell you
Sounds so magical 😌
@@alleyj826 it was!
😭
I'm sure as the wind blew into your face you heard "haa haaa haaa haaa haaaaa~" in your head😂
What I would give to see Catherine Hardwicke’s version of all the movies 😩
She captured the awkward pain of adolescence so well. The first two acts were perfect.
SAY IT LOUDER PLS
If Twilight was made in the 14th century we probably will hail it as a literature classic
You mean back when the majority of people couldnt read? Did you pick 14th century for a specific reason or did you just assume that 14th century was when a ton of classic books came out?
@@maydaymemer4660 well maybe my bad a few centuries later.
@@manvithharikiran5576 nah no takesies backsies lol. just because you move the dates forward you kinda outed yourself as just saying that based on conjecture. like for example, romeo and juliet was the 14th century but that's almost a parody of young love stories because it ends in them all dying because of their love being incredibly shallow and immature
@@maydaymemer4660 you're being overly condescending to R&J; you're making it sound like it's just a dumb teenage story. Shakespear was the first one who acknowlaged teenagers for what they are; imature, overly dramatic and lovesick(up until the 20th century the concept of adolescence didn't exist; you were either a child or an adult). Everyone agrees that their deaths were pointless but what is not disscused enough is that the tragedy is the result of the actual adults being just as immature and unwilling to act like decent human beings. They just weren't the ones who paid the price.
On another note, Shakespear's writting is stellar; not just the topics but the style just as much
No one would write love a story about a vampire back then.
As a twilight fan still to this day, twilight isn't nor will ever be perfect but we love it anyways. 💕 We love how dumb some characters can be, the plot holes and everything else. But damn i would be lying if i didn't want a reboot series with the proper treatment of the twilight saga vampire lore because the books have a good base to stand on and the side characters are great! ✨
maybe the whole vampire era will make a comeback at some point...it was sexy, silly and fun🧛♀️
Yes! I think that not every piece of media should be a writing or cinematic masterpiece, Twilight is not good, but is comforting, and i love rewatching the movies every now and then and i feel absolutely no guilt over it. People should be allowed to have their tastes, even if the media is not so good.
I agree. I was a 40+ adult watching these movies with my teenagers and fell in love with the whole series despite it's flaws. I still watch it every time it comes on and laugh at certain scenes and the ridiculousness of some of the lines but LOVE it. It will forever have a place in my heart...My now 60-year-old heart.
I always felt the odd one out when I said I liked the first Twilight movie the most. Everyone always bashed on it because of its "low-quality", but I think it captured the vibe perfectly of the books and a cloudy, rainy small town. Additionally, I feel that Catherine Hardwicke was able to come up with good creative solutions to the budget cuts imposed on her. It's because of this that I feel that Twilight is the most grounded movie from the series.
I only like the first movie. It had such a sweet Indie feel to it and watching these weird, awkward kids fall in love was heartwarming to me. Every other movie felt very different, though. I didn't like how 'big' and bright they got. As for the books, though - only New Moon disappointed me.
The pallete was also stunning, dropping it was so stupid.
I like all of them but yes I agree. Indie movies are somehow usually better. There’s not much effects and it was filmed in one city and I just think it’s so cool how you can go to Oregon and all those places are mostly still there. And the blue tint is just 👄🤌🏻
Twilight will always hold a special place in my heart
I had no idea the first movie had a different director. That makes so much sence because the first one is amazing and i hold it so dear in my heart!!! I mean aside from the fact that the first one has cringe writing and acting. BUT the vibes music and aesthetic are insanely amazing. Love love love
Same here the first one was by far my favourite. Although I’m kinda glad they continued I feel if they left it on the first one the actors probably wouldn’t dislike the Twilight franchise as much as they seem to now. Even the first one had it’s flaws like how did Edward leave a massive dent in the truck and stop it in front of all those people but only Bella saw or said something. This movie was still really good even with some of its flaws.
Twilight had everything working against it because of misogyny and society's outright hatred for teenage girls and it was STILL a huge success. I wish Catherine Hardwicke directed every film because the male directors had no artistic vision and way less respect for the intelligence of their audience. Sophia Coppola would have absolutely smashed it as well. Imagine those two women co-directing the entire series!!! 13-year-old me would have had a full-on religious experience.
Twilight was written by a female author, with a female protagonist and the novels are generally loved by women. That is the reason it is vehemently hated, I enjoyed the films and was fascinated by the books. It was a wonderful read, the critics were always focused on the female target audience and author when attempting to tear down these books.
Kristen Stewart is responsible for Flightless Bird American Mouth? Her impact cannot be overstated
"He [Edward] gets depressed because he killed people before or something. So he breaks up with Bella. Bella gets depressed because breakups are tough and you shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket."
Idk why, but this line cracked me up 😂
My goodness! If it isn't the BEST Twilight review I've ever seen! I agree with EVERYTHING! Especially about the first movie. It's so so special and, like you said, intimate. It has that magical atmosphere of autumn, mystery, somberness, adventures, hopes and dreams. Also the forest looks and feels huge in it. You wonder what else can there be?...
Other movies unfortunately don't have that and that's why I just can't rewatch them. Even though they have great moments.
Thank you for the video! 🖤
I wish you talked about cultural reset more though. What changed after Twilight in the culture, because I think something did change
I read the novels first and it gave you Edward’s perspective more than the movies and something that was special in my opinion was how he really valued her character, it the novel it went more into depth about how she cared after her father and what a thoughtful person she was. She was also deeper than her peers until Edward was the only thing on her mind but I liked those aspects. You did a great video and I always enjoy hearing your opinion.
A major aspect of the series is the mormon lens that Stephanie has.
Ehhh i mean i also liked twilight but i disagree completely when you said bella’s a strong independent female character. I feel like she never earned anything, everyone’s just automatically drawned to her, and the plot drives her along and she rarely ever attempts to drive it. Most of her actions are all about ‘i’m so selfless’ even though there are many smarter ways to handle it. And she legit do so many self destructive things just so she can be with edward. But i think that’s what makes her character interesting
Totally fair, for me it's just the nostalgia, I made it for fun 🦇
All of those are reasons why she is a strong independent character. She cooks all the meals for her father. Does the grocery shopping. Does the laundry. She wrote a paper on the misogyny of Shakespeare in school. That’s normal these days, but was a sign of intelligence back in 2003. She does what she think is best to save her mom. Just because there were better ways to do it, doesn’t mean she didn’t make the wrong decision herself. 🙄
She puts herself into reckless situations to be with Edward. That’s self explanatory. She did it herself and it eventually payed off because it got Alice to come back to town to take her to Edward.
Not once did you give an example of her not being a strong, independent character. What you want is a character with no flaws. Very different.
I first saw twilight on TV, there was a scene where Bella goes into the woods, and Edward follows her. And the atmosphere was so intriguing that I realized that I had to watch it from the very beginning. And I went to look for a movie on the Internet. I really it love for the filter, the selection of actors and clothes.
Screaming in agreement with everything! This video is so good, so fun. Love all the Catherine Hardwick quotes you selected to highlight that the series was done a disservice by men who merely wanted to turn an easy profit on fandom. The first “Twilight” will forever be a fav and my go to recommendation as an underrated classic.
Thank you so much for your video. It made me reflect on how much I actually adore Twilight the first move, and it explained why I always thought something was off with the others. In my opinion, they should have never changed the director:
team edward all the way!! This video touched my heart
I’m sorry but Robert Pattinson never got the hate and misogyny Kristen got. Kristen was literally hated and criticized and mocked for existing - even though she cared about Twilight while it was just a joke to Rpattz. We need to discuss the double standards that she still faces to this day in how she’s treated so much worse by the general public and media than him.
Her sleeping with a director (whose career was over because of that incident while she gets nominated for an Oscar years later) didn't exactly help her reputation either.
I see it as the complete opposite. Rob understood the assignment more than Kristen. She might SAY she gets it, but she couldn’t act it. Rob was the one to almost get fired for being too intense and fighting with everyone over what the book says. He tried to make Kellan Lutz stop eating during the cafeteria scene because it was important to him to show how freaky vampires are. They don’t eat human food… ever.
Rob made plenty of jokes about Twilight during the press tours because he could distance himself. He wasn’t Edward then. But he understood the character more than any other actor. He showed the respect when it was time and turned it off when it was time.
Kristen at no point in her career had to wonder if she would get fired. She’s a nepo baby. Her parents are in the industry. I’m sure she liked Twilight to some extent. But that doesn’t give her a free pass. She deserved all the criticism she got.
I actually blame her for this idea that Bella was written exclusively for the audience to insert themselves into her viewpoint. People say that, and then go on to say Bella is stupid, mean, and codependent.
Is she bland or not? Pick one.
Kristen was the one saying “When I read my lines, I ask myself ‘if I were in this situation, what would I do?’“ … That’s not what acting is. Robert understands that.
Robert didn't get half as much flack because he didn't care for it. The man moved on to do The Lighthouse and the most depressing Batman so far, it's very clear what quality of movies he actually respects.
I enjoy twilight. I think the acting is fine. But edward absolutely is abusive. He disables her truck because he doesn't want her going anywhere. He treats her like crap. he sneaks into her room while she sleeps. We can enjoy the movie without acting like his behavior is okay or normal.
I do think we need to stop hating everything teenage and young girls enjoy.
I mean he is a vampire lol he’s not held to the same standards as a normal teenager. He’s technically a monster.
Both Edward and Jacob have some red flags about them, ppl can enjoy the film and acknowledge that the male leads could of been written better
This. enjoy something all you want but i think it's dangerous to try to force an ideological purity onto something just because you like it. You can enjoy something and understand what's harmful about it. honestly looking at what you love through a critical lens is what makes culture better. in acknowledging flaws you allow for improvement.
also he's 100+ years old, so....
How can you critique the reasons teenagers liked it though?
Edward broke her truck to protect her from Jacob, who had been planning to kiss her for a long time. She finally runs to Jacob without Edward knowing (in the books, I know this video is only about the movies. that’s dumb) and that’s the first thing Jacob did. Since Edward reads minds, he knew what Jacob was up to. I don’t think that’s abusive.
He sneaks into her room to make sure she’s safe. It’s a big joke that a vampire is keeping her safe, but that’s the beauty of it. It’s twofold.
Young girls fantasize about one day cuddling with a boy, without sex. Which is what Edward did once they started dating.
Women want a man that is incredibly dangerous, but could never hurt HER. Just her.
Again:
He wants to make sure she’s safe. I don’t think that’s abusive.
No one can say “I want a boyfriend just like Edward.” Because he is a vampire. Vampires don’t exist. It’s the perfect mash up of fantasies.
Why hold fiction to the same standards as reality when the circumstances are different? If anything, it ruins your perception of nuance.
There are so many other things to complain about with Twilight. Why pick the ones that make sense in that universe?
Why not mention the ones that are still unacceptable even within the story?
Bella and Edward should have dated at least a year after New Moon before getting married. They should have had a serious discussion about their relationship after Edward sucked the venom out. “You had the chance to be with me forever. Why didn’t you take it? Where do we stand now?” And what does he do? Calls the nurse to sedate her!
That would have been a valid criticism. But people want to point out that he removed the spark plugs on her ‘57 Chevy! Yeah. Okay.
I think Twilight has an amazing plot that had a lot of potential, if it was written by someone else. The only things that bug me in this story are Edward's weird actions towards Bella, Bella's character being unlikeable and boring and the weird plot wholes and the fact that Stephanie Meyers literally broke her own rules for the Twilight universe
Currently rewatching the Twilight series and its EXCEPTIONALLY weird in Breaking Dawn to spend so much time around Edward fucking Bella to death (watching it with my mom as well lol). I also love the twilight franchise because I love the vibe. The indie music, the grungy fashion, the melancholia and of course the beautiful pacific northwest. I really wish we could have seen an entire Catherine Hardwicke directed series.
I didn't know how hated new moon was!!!! its my favourite one out of the entire saga but I am currently wearing my team Jacob shirt so biased
Uh, did you read the books? Cause if you did and you're genuinely team Jacob that's kinda strange.
@@Maryam-gk6kx he’s fit
OMG YESSSS! best twilight video essay, i'm in love with your channel🥰
when i need comfort i only see the first two movies tbh, and to this day i keep wondering what would've happened if catherine hardwicke directed the whole saga or at least, the director of new moon
Thank you soo much!! I wish Hardwicke directed new moon (at least) too. So interested in her vision of Jacob's character.
@@antiheroines-you-love I feel like the score would've been better too. Kept the edge the first movie had
Same! The first two movies are my favorite. Comforting is definitely the feeling I have when I watch them even now.
"i owe my life to twilight" is so real
Sometimes I think that "Twilight" could have been better if it was written by someone else. Don't get me wrong, Stephenie Meyer is a good writer and I love the way she describes a scene, but it makes me uncomfortable when something follows blindly and has a strong religious message disguised 😕
What was the religious message ?
@@sweetcheeks5775 They were many, like don't have s3x before marriage or your soul would be damned, and a woman should die before getting an abortion, just to name a few. If you do your research you would see that many things in twilight are related to the Mormon religion.
Abstinence
@@Maryam-gk6kx abstinence isn't an innately religious value, though, or a negative one.
And the way abstinence was presented was kind of the least problematic theme of the franchise: in a teenage couple, one wants to have sex very badly and one wants to wait until marriage...so they wait until they're both ready. That's pretty damn healthy for two teens - Bella respected Edward's boundaries even though she didn't share his values and they both happily got what they wanted in the end at a pace they negotiated.
She's a good writer? That's the funniest thing I've read all day.
I think everyone can agree that the first one was the best. The outfits were amazing, soundtrack too, the characters weren’t annoying and unlikable, I loved it! The breaking dawns on the other hand is a different story…
Part of the stigma seems, to me at least, to come from society. Romcoms are already treated with such disdain, but the fact that it was pOpUlAr? Romcoms can’t be popular. The fact that many women tend to find comfort in this? Not good, this movie can’t be good, it’s a romance! Some chick flick! It’s disgusting, and seeing people hate it hurts. I just went on a big defense on it a few days ago, but if we treat Twilight like a rotten egg for some of its flaws, I say we tear apart movies like Fast and Furious, and Star Wars. Nothing is perfect, but being targeted at women doesn’t EVER mean it is bad already.
People DO tear apart fast and furious.
Hey, I liked what you said about teenage girls, I agree. I always feel like people like to make money aou of teenagers but never reward them with quality. I think is even worse for kids.
Thank you for this video, I agree with you almost entirely, this saga will always have a special place in my heart and it reminds me of good times.
Thank you for this. I see so many hate on Twilight, but they rarely talk about its good points.
The twilight franchise shoulld have ended with her turning a vampire becoming the second coming of Lilith and killing jacob and edward...
Omg I grew up watching this movie with my mom as well! We were both fans of this movie. I remember going to see breaking dawn pt1 in theaters with my mom. It was my first pg13 movie I saw at the movie theater ❤️❤️
That's sweet
Omg same! I even remember posing with the cinema poster
I think Twilight is the perfect movie that can show how a girl can grow into a strong, feminine woman. First of all you can't see Twilight as a story. Vampires and were wolves don't exist, so it's a fairy tale. A fantasy movie. Every time an animal or a fantasy character appears in a story or fairy tale, it is teaching us a lesson. In fairy tales and dreams animals and vampires are a part of ourselves.
When Bella is growing up she has a fear in her heart of losing someone. ("Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies, all the poems, the songs, Shakespeare is about life and death, losing someone you love is probably the biggest fear).
The vampires are a symbol of spiritual strength. Jasper can control emotions, that means he can fight, Rosalie can see consequences, Alice can see the future, Carlite has compassion, Edward can read minds. Jasper is showing how you can control fear, "you have to be focused" (so that fear is not getting into your consciousness), "don't turn your back to the enemy" (be aware if fears comes in), "don't let the hands get around your neck, it will crush you" (don't act out of fear). The spiritual strength can be learned and strengthen through visualization, imaging, positive thoughts, the power of the mind. There are evil spirits and good spirits. Evil forces against good forces in the world.
The were wolves are a symbol of self-love, self- confidence. (Jacob is his own sun). First of all Bella has to learn self-love, Edward, the mental power, has to disappear, so that she can learn to love herself without any attachments.
In order to have all feminine parts integrated in the psyche, self-love and spirituality (the were wolves and the vampires) have to work together. Giving birth is Bella's transformation into a strong, female and wise woman. Also the name of the titles of twilight, (New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn) shows the development of a woman in different stages of her growth. Imprinting is a symbol of love, you can't control who you love, it's automatically, your child, the husband you choose, you don't know why, it happens, you wanted protect and help the person you love. "It's a wolf thing", as Jacob said in the movie.
Bella says in the beginning always something important about the content of the movie, a poem, Shakespeare, her fear, when she was separated from her mom. The fear of death and separation is the theme of all movies. The movies are teaching us how you can overcome fear. All parts of yourself have to be integrated in your psyche. Then the woman has different parts of herself available to any given situation. She can fight, she can love herself, she can protect, she can control herself, she can use her intuition (to see the future, and to read minds) and so on.
In that sense, Twilight is one of the best movies I've ever seen. Most people don't understand the underlying message of the saga. But a lot of people unconsciously receive the deeper meaning and they can learn a lot from watching Twilight. Unfortunately a lot of people are feeling entitled to make YT videos, without getting it, they don't comprehend the importance and inspiration of the Twilight Saga.
This is on par with the "You need a high IQ to understand Rick and Morty" copypasta, good Lord
Your thoughts about the story = 👍
Your claim that she didn't understand the story enough to have the right to make this video that you just watched = 🐂💩
Bella does love Jacob too. but your interpretation is valid too.
It's a flawless representation of smaller town PNW living and I love it. I still crack up when people dig on the "Bella Bella, where for ought thou Bella" line, cause I used to do that in a Sean Connery accent for lols.
Wonderful video. Glad you made it! ❤
Kristen Stewart choosing flightless bird is everything I needed to know ❤️
I love twilight. Everything about it. I think the mid 2000’s was a perfect time to make it. It’s just a whole vibe you know😭 the clothes, the music adds so much to it. And I just can’t explain how much I enjoy it. Even the cringey moments. But hey, you know I’m also a teenage girl so there’s that😂
You know these people are great actors when they play the most obnoxious characters and in real life they are a bunch of very funny, charismatic and loveable people.
The Twilight saga has a wonderful plot and intriguing characters. A lot of the haters criticizing Twilight seem to be talking about a different story, they stretch scenes and plot points to fit the negative interpretation they are choosing for it. The Twilight books were written by a female author, and the protagonist is a female character and the book(with exceptions) is generally loved by a female audience. There is NOTHING WRONG with that! The movies were a lot of fun to watch and the books were a wonderful read, with an exploration of complex characters with a fascinating plot. Frankly the Twilight franchise was and is popular because simply, it was good. The avid critics should choose something else to hate.
this whole video... THIS WHOLE VIDEO is probably everything i've ever thought about the saga and you put into words things like why i really don't like the Breaking Dawn movies, it does look very soulless, even the soundtrack didn't hit like in the other movies
Nice to hear I'm not the only one, I probably could've explained things better but I wanted to make it fun
@@antiheroines-you-love i was very entertained, i loved it 🥰 light hearted videos like this are needed
I read the books when I was 12 and loved the story. It made perfect sense in my mind then and I still think the story in general builds such an interesting world. The movies are okay but the books hold a special place for me
5:12 Finally found that lost trailer from my childhood: _Dogtown and Z-Boys_ (2002).
Thank you for this video. I can't stand peoples critics of this movies, so this feels like a breath of fresh air. There's literally another one of those "twilight problematic" videos on the side bar right now, another man with the same opinions on the movie that he doesn't care about and they won't stop coz it makes views, ugh, 15 years of same shit
Twilight was objectively bad but charming enough to make it good
I think Twilight has a lot of potential, but unfortunately the story execution is wrong, especially about healthy relationship.
If it's going to be rebooted, it needs major story overhaul.
This is such an extraordinary video essay. Have you thought of publishing this in written form somewhere? This would be a great paper or article on film, media and culture studies or any specialised magazine. Or even as an opinion piece on any media outlet, really!
I just think it's great and more people should access this content. :)
You're awesome!!
tbh, i never particularly dug the movies, watched them once each with respective “meh”s after. but this is just a matter of personal taste.
one thing i would agree strongly is that the soundtrack is one of the most iconic in the cinema history, especially for the first film.
i mean, “Decode” ffs (along with many others, but this is my personal best). it was so memorable and influential in my case, that in 2022 it was still in top-2 most played by the end of the year. and it’s certainly not going anywhere in the observable future lool
new moon is the movie i watch over and over.
Same!
I love how dry and dramatic this voice over is. It's fucking hilarious.
"Long story short, i owe my life to twilight"
I'm so in love with this chanel 😊
wait... they really had the rest of the saga directed by _men?_ like... wut
Where did u access robs and kstews commentary?
Thanks for this 😊 I am a strong independent female but I love a man who can PROTECT ME and cares ifor me. Who is ALL IN.
Oh my God, did you not know about the Renesmee animatronics doll?!
I used to hate on twilight I was in elementary school at the time it first came out and it was the “cool” thing to do like hating on Justin Bieber. However my mom loved this show and I still ended up watching every one with her. I’m 21 and my mom passed away when I was 16 looking back on these films although I know lots of nostalgia makes me Bias these films weren’t horrible the last 2 were not great to be honest and there’s many plot holes and flaws with them but they are the best vampire/romance films out I believe if you can look past some of the flaws and cheesiness.
I’m sorry about your mom. It’s so cool that you still have twilight to kind of feel connected you know. But anyways I kind of was the same I never hated it but I just thought it was overrated but I never even saw it until ealier this year and it’s just I can’t even explain it. It just lets me escape into something
People hate this movie series yet fans loved it why do reviewers and fans disagree? :(
Twilight is bad, stupid, and is ALSO a cultural reset.
And listen peeps! #TeamDad needs more respect than your fake-ass romance drama between the vampires and the wolfs.
Yeah! _Go __#TeamMoustacheDad__!_
Yeah! _Go __#TeamMoustacheDad__!_
#TeamMoustacheDad
That very same Dad gave the boy that assaulted his daughter his approval simply because he hated his daughter’s boyfriend...despite the fact that he’s a cop..despite the fact his daughter broke her hand trying to fight against said boy..
I love your channel!
i read all the books and watched all the movies. i was at that young adult age where love is the most magical feeling and my relationship is everything in this world. of course, oblivious to the toxicity and red flags of the relationship itself - nothing to do with the book. now, can someone please review "The Host" already? by the same author and the female lead in the movie is Saoirse Ronan.
Omg, its crazy that you mentioned you and your mother listening to the twilight soundtrack in the car, because me and my mom did the exact same thing lol!! Wed burn that outtt, it was so iconic tho
i love the Twilight series and the books.
And to think Flowers in the Attic was a cultural thing for it's time too and yet twilight is the one who gets the slack 😂😂😂
You should read the first book. It’s pretty good 👍🏻 Also, the original movie’s soundtrack included Claire de Lune and Bella’s Lullaby. Both of which are beyond fantastic ❤
I’m not a huge reader, but I did read these before the movies & I LOVED the books they are great reads.
I find the movies entertaining tho, I understand the hate it gets. But the thing that bothers me the most, is that,the books are god-awful. Probably some of the worst writing I've ever read!
Bill did NOT direct Chicago. Rob Marshal did.
Oh yeah, he worked on the screenplay, happens
@@antiheroines-you-love ; )
If you want a good laugh and a good cry I would recommend but I would caution the amount cringe you will experience. Tread lightly 😊
you're right and you should say it
Twilight its bad. its iconic. its evrything
Twilight Is My Childhood
I do love the first film and book. The 2nd book and film are depressing. Hard to read 📚
twilight has and had great potential. Stephenie had good Ideas but took too much control of the forced hidden mormon propaganda, concerning native representation and confederate myth's. If people from more diverse Backgrounds would have been given the ability to work with what she thought out from there, we would have gotten an even greater series.
Great review 👍🏽☺️
You was doing allot with the last two movies like that weren’t that bad……in many of the areas that you were talking about at least.
There are a couple of things much worse than the already problematic Twilight series. I do say that the most notoriously accurate candidate for a novel that is much worse than Twilight is the infamously (yet canonically) Mary Sue-centric Empress Theresa Book.
How can you say anything about this when you have not read the book!! Movies never are as good as the book!
#teamedwardbella 🔥❤
How does this quintolgy effect lebron’s legacy
Personally I ❤ twilight
Thank you for this while I love the last two movies a lot and don’t agree/see most of it being cringe or bad. (Besides eclipse) it’s the first time I feel okay with it. I feel like a lot of people who claim they like twilight are so mean spirited sometimes and it feels like they’re trying to make the people who hate twilight like them. But your opinions were neutral and well explained. I love twilight It’s personally to me the best saga/movies ever. But I still acknowledge some of the problematic subtext like the imprinting (so unessesary should’ve been with Leah) my ranking for the twilight movies are 1.twilight
2.breaking dawn 2
3.breaking dawn 1
4.new moon
5.eclipse
P.S you perfectly explained a lot of the problems I have with eclipse that I could just not really figure out. I thought it was bc of the love triangle but it’s only a small part of why. And it just has that tv look can’t explain what that means but I don’t want my movies to look like it’s a tv show lol
wait but how is it a "cultural reset"
Cause it played a huge part in the whole vampire boom together with the vampire diaries, true blood etc
@@antiheroines-you-love I see. I view it as more of a cultural contribution than a "reset" I guess
Honestly I love Breaking Dawn part 1, it's just so funny and it gives me good memories.
All of the movies make me laugh uncontrollably but I love them so much. Nothing will ever compare for me😭
Its not good, funny series to watch but not good
No its not. It was popular only cause of girls thirsting over Edward or Jacob. the acting is terrible the only good thing is the fantasy vibe
It's certainly a reflection of whiteness.