Ode to Twilight

This was going to be a movie review for Eclipse but I realized I could sum up my opinion in a few short sentences. It was awesome. It captured the essence of the book. It was the best movie yet out of the Twilight Saga. Previously, New Moon really set a standard for me and Eclipse not only met that standard but also raised it. It wasn’t hard for New Moon to be great because Twilight was so god awful. I’d even be excited to see Twilight again if they ever decided to reshoot it with a new director and rewrote some of the script. I even think the acting skills are getting better on these kids or perhaps I’m just so use to their bad acting, it doesn’t affect me anymore but either way, they just keep getting better.

Now to the purpose of this here blog entry…why is Twilight so wonderful? Let me start first by saying how much it irritates me when I read that Stephenie Meyer has no writing ability. Say what?!? This woman did not sell millions of books because she sucked at writing. She sold millions of books because she successfully captured the magnificence of your first love. She succeeded in writing a classic love story for young adults and as we all know for many adult women. (Twimom here, hello!) She even went as far as creating her own vampire mythology and though the idea of sparkling vampires is quite funny, I enjoyed reading the changes to the stereotypical vampire.

So what does Twilight mean to me? Well, do you remember your first crush? Do you remember when they walked into the room you’d hold your breath? Do you remember when they approached you, you’d get butterflies in your stomach? Do you remember when walking side by side with them and your hands accidently brushed together? Do you remember going to a movie and hoping and praying they would just grab your hand? Do you remember the stress and nerves you felt when you couldn’t decide if that first kiss was coming? That is how Twilight makes me feel and I think it makes lots of women feel this way. It puts a flutter in your stomach. It makes your heart beat with anticipation. It makes you feel like your falling in love for the first time.

Part of the reason Twilight was an epic fail was because the director overlooked the simplicity and awesomeness of a touch. In the book, I remember quite clearly the way Edward would trace his cold hand along Bella’s warm check. How he’d drag is nose along her neck ingesting her scent. All those sensations were new to Bella, so therefore were new to me, making me get all giddy and gaga inside. It took me back to a time when I was sitting on a couch next to my crush (and current husband mind you) and he put his arm across my shoulders and he lightly traced his fingers back and forth on my arm. It was and is still one of the most amazing feelings I’ve ever felt. So why wouldn’t I want to read a book that causes me to get a similar feeling in my tummy? No reason, hence the main reason why I’ve read Twilight and the rest more than once.

I know for most women, watching the movies and reading the books is as far as their obsession goes. And that’s ok. In fact, that’s normal. I don’t claim to be normal. After reading Breaking Dawn, I felt a little jipped after their first night on their honeymoon. I do realize this is a young adult story but the fade to black that happened just as they were about to get busy did not meet my expectations. I spent four books dying for these two to seal the deal and what do you get??? Fade to black! I remember reading stories in grade school that had racier things in them then this book did. Total fail Stephenie…total fail. To ease my disappointed heart, my dear best friend knew of this fairytale world called fanfiction and sent me a link of an authors version of the missing scenes; I was instantly hooked. Not only did I get the fix I needed but I was able to enjoy these characters that much longer. The addiction is so strong that even though Breaking Dawn was released in August 2008, I’m still reading fanfiction…that almost 2 years later. I think that this speaks volumes on how much Stephenie Meyer makes you care about her characters and it also says that I’m loyal and a wee bit crazy in the head.

Another huge selling point on the Twilight Saga is that almost every woman you know has read it. If they haven’t, please lend them your books. I get so much joy spreading my love for Twilight to others. I enjoy spotting a stranger holding the book and starting a conversation with them about it. I love having my friends over for a party whenever the movies are released on DVD. It makes for good conversation and gives women something to bond over. It has also awakened my reading habit and made some of my friends enjoy reading for the first time. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Why do you love the Twilight Saga? (And if you want some great fanfic recommendations, I’ve got plenty.)