What makes a perfect movie? Is it the cinematography? The script? The mise en scene? The performances of the actors? Or is it the ratio of vampires to humans in a small town called Forks? When I think to myself, gosh what is a movie that encapsulates all of cinema, I think of Twilight. No this is not satire, this is serious. Let me start off by saying that art is subjective, and with the recent decline in media literacy on social media let me also add that two things can be true at once: you can think Twilight sucks, while I believe it to be peak cinema- we both can be right because art is subjective!
Twilight was released November 21st 2008, adapted from Stephenie Meyer's book series. The film cost $37 million to make and grossed $35.7 million on opening day, and in total the film grossed $407,187,715. Its opening weekend gross was the highest ever of a female-directed film, surpassing that of Deep Impact (1998). The new record holder belongs to Greta Gerwig for Barbie. For those who perhaps live under a rock, Twilight is a story about a flustered girl named Bella Swan who moves to Forks, Washington to live with her father when she meets a pasty, brooding gentleman named Edward Cullen who happens to be a vampire and they fall in love. The Cullen family is like a foster home for incestuous vampires with great complexions.So what makes this film so perfect? As a woman with a Bachelor’s degree in Media and Film studies I feel qualified to say that this movie just covers all the bases: romance; fantasy; humor; thrill; crime; a questionable romantic age gap; a single father with a fantastic mustache; a forced love triangle; a pixie cut; baseball; the list goes on. Truthfully though, the reason Twilight is so perfectly entertaining is because it is so beyond ridiculous and yet entirely believable. I think we are at a time now where Hollywood is becoming a bit too serious, lacking the joy of absurdity and curiosity due to greed and pretentiousness. I honestly don’t think at a time like this Twilight would be made independently, book adaptations are happening left and right on streaming platforms and they are done poorly because rather than focusing on plot, they’re focused on revenue. Yes, Twilight had a decent budget, however nobody thought it would blow up to be a supermassive phenomenon taking the world by storm.Today's creators are acutely aware of their massive followings and fandoms due to their social media presence. With unprecedented access to audience opinions, producers are prioritizing personal preferences over the integrity of the original story. The reason Twilight works so well is because it doesn’t take itself too seriously; or at least it didn’t until they replaced Catherine Hardwick for the following films.
There have been countless vampire stories of the 21st century, from True blood to Vampire Diaries, Twilight to The Originals, Hotel Transylvania, Interview with a Vampire, The Invitation, What We Do in the Shadows, people just love vampires and the variety of interpretations of these mythical creatures. In Twilight, vampires can be out during daylight hours, they just happen to sparkle. Whereas in Vampire Diaries, the blood suckers need daylight rings to keep them protected, versus in True Blood where the vamps cannot be out in sunlight at all or they fry. Vampires often symbolize immortality, the fear of death, and complex themes of sexual desire and power. Just as people are drawn to Game of Thrones or Star Wars for their immersive, fantastical narratives, Twilight offers a similar escape from reality with its own blend of fantasy and romance. What’s so great about the dynamic between the Cullens family is how insane it is that a group of sexy vampires would choose to be eternally stuck in high school. I'm sure we all know some girl who dated someone way too old for them simply due to lapsed judgment and a false sense of security and maturity- so there is plenty of realism within the film.
I dislike the idea that if someone doesn’t enjoy a film, it means they simply 'don’t get it.' It’s perfectly fine not to like Twilight as long as you can appreciate its absurdity and the campy nature of the film. What might be a perfect movie to me could be a dumpster fire to you, and that’s the beauty of cinema. People need to move past the 'you just don’t get it' mindset, as art is subjective, and Twilight is, in my opinion, objectively perfect. Robert Pattinson is mysterious, ghostly white, charming and yet so cold. Meanwhile Kristen Stewart is confused, she constantly looks like she’s in pain which perfectly embodies the feeling of having a crush. There’s something for everyone in Twilight, like the scene where Bella confronts Edward about being a vampire in the middle of the fog filled forest and she says, “how old are you?” To which Edward replies, “17.” Then Bella says, “How long have you been 17?” There’s so many quotable, memorable moments from the film like, “Bella, where the hell have you been loca?”or “Hang on, spider monkey,” and obviously so much more. There is a reason the film was such a massive hit, and it’s not just because Peter Facinelli and Billy Burke are major DILFS. Twilight is a perfect movie because it encapsulates everything good about a teenage romance while incorporating the mythical element of vampires, werewolves, and the general vibe of autumn. All these pieces could easily have made for a cheap and soulless indie film, but instead, they come together to create a brilliant masterpiece. This speaks to the importance of integrity. Films today often swing to extremes: they either have so much integrity that they become pretentious and unenjoyable, or they lack integrity altogether, existing solely for revenue. We need more movies like Twilight. No, that doesn't mean remaking, rebooting, or reviving the franchise. It means creating something new. Let's stop living in the past! We can make modern movies with the same values and integrity that films had in the early 2000s without rehashing old stories. Book adaptations do not have to be plain and predictable, isn’t the whole point of cinema to bring a page to life? Why does this suddenly mean resurrection, let’s focus on redirection instead. Twilight is untouchable, and that's what makes it a perfect film. So, let's embrace originality and strive for the kind of authenticity that made Twilight a cultural phenomenon in the first place! You already know its rated 5 olives from me, Cin Cin!
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