The Twilight Saga: The epitome of cinema
*Major Spoilers Ahead*
Hello all, and welcome to a review of the single best movie franchise ever made: The Twilight Saga. These movies fucking slap and I’m unashamed to admit that. Nothing could have prepared me for the acid-like trip this watch would take me down, conveying elaborate and philosophically sophisticated themes, culminating in the single best viewing experience I’ve ever had.
In the first two films, Twilight (2008) and New Moon (2009), they focus primarily on establishing the passionate love triangle between Edward, Jacob, and Isabella. This dynamic is great, but let’s be honest: we didn’t need the Bella subplot. Instead, we should have focused on the extraordinary relationship that’s blossoming between a vampire and a werewolf, as it is where we derive the most intriguing conversations. The theme of what it truly means to be human is the highlight of these films, focusing on the most unlikely sources, two Inhumans who have found comfort within one another; it’s poetically beautiful.
Moving onto the next film, the worst of the saga is Eclipse (2010). This movie is a fucking dumpster fire. This takes place two decades after New Moon, focusing on Isabella formulating and executing her vengeance after being abandoned by Jacob and Edward. Rather than being a story of love and acceptance, this movie is one of senseless violence and the extent one is willing to go to for love.
I didn’t know what to expect going into this film, but my idea definitely didn’t contain an explicit 20-minute demonstration and execution of a pagan ritual, which imbued Bella with the powers of Keres, an ancient, long-dormant evil. We barely see Jacob and Edward in this film, only seeing them in flashback sequences as Isabella begins her crusade against the world. This led to an excellent long take of Isabella soaring through cities, causing apocalyptic disasters worldwide while contemplating her next step. The visual queue of the world being sent onto a permanent eclipse was a bit on the nose, but hey, I fuck with it. Nothing can prepare you for this film going into it, and I think that’s the film’s true beauty. However, this movie was mediocre and out of pocket, though this perfectly set up the next two movies.
The final two films, Breaking Dawn (2011) and Breaking Dawn Again (2012), cement this saga as a cinematic masterpiece, focusing on the duo of vampire and werewolf as they save what’s left of the world from being cascaded into the Eclipse’s everlasting darkness—intense, I know. However, the way they handled this was exceptional. These movies didn’t focus on any stupid shit like dialogue or character building. Instead, they just threw us into the 4+ hour crusade Jacob and Edward take on, killing anything from zombie-like humans to Cthulu. We hear little to nothing during these sequences, and we get all we need through the characters’ attacks, which was the best choice ever.
My favorite line had to be Jacob saying, “Fuck that demon lady. Let’s show her what we’re really capable of using the power of friendship!” which is followed by one of the most unexpected visually stunning endings to a saga, ending with both men cascading Isabella, hand in hand, to the deepest pits of Hell, as Edward called it, “Dante’s Inferno style.” This was unexpected, but it made me jump out of my seat and start clapping, crying, and throwing up. It was superb.
If you haven’t watched these movies yet, let me ask you—WHY? How could you not enjoy such enlightening, underground entertainment? This is the single best saga of movies I have ever watched, and now that I sit here and write this, I am filled with a sense of sadness. I wish I could experience these movies for the first time again because nothing can live up to the height this series took me. My only hope is that, though you know the major story beats, you watch these films for yourself because it’s an experience you’ll never want to step away from. This is the best thing since sliced bread, and I don’t care who knows it!