Movie Review & Reflections: New Moon (Spoilers, if you haven't seen!)

I saw my wonderful Aunt Amazing today, and she said, "Deb, I was disappointed not to see your thoughts on New Moon!"  So, in honor of Aunt Amazing, here are my thoughts on the movie.  I'm anxious to get yours.

1. Better.  I thought this one was better in almost every respect than the movie version of Twilight.  The actors seemed a bit more comfortable in their roles, especially Kristen Stewart.  However, since Bella is supposed to be in an emotionless fog for most of the film, perhaps this one just played to her strengths.  I don't know.

2. Better than the book.  I actually think the film improved on the book in several ways.  Some of the (minor) changes they made allowed the story, for me, to make more sense and have more emotional resonance.  (I should say New Moon has always been my least favorite in the series.)  Most notably: the visual hallucinations of Edward, which I know was done to keep Rob Pattinson visible, but I thought it really added to the story.  I also liked the twist on Harry's heart attack, having it brought about by Victoria during the hunt.

3. Team Jacob.  I now understand how someone could prefer Jacob to Edward.  Jacob, in the books, has always been a completely unappealing character.  I had no idea how Bella could possibly want him, even a little bit.  Now I know, thanks to Taylor Lautner's performance, which I think is what makes the film.

4. Music.  Like Twilight, New Moon had a great soundtrack that really, really enhanced the movie for me.

5. Disappointment: I wanted more of the Volturi sequence.  I know, they did it nearly verbatim, but that was one area where I really wanted more.  They picked amazing actors to play just about everyone, had a big buildup, amazing location, all for a scene that ended far too soon.  I would have loved to see about 10 minutes of angsty Bella cut in favor of an extra 10 minutes of red-eyed Volturi action.  Oh, well.

I thought it was good.  I saw it with Momz and we each commented on how fast it went by; it didn't seem like a two-hour-plus movie.  Overall, this movie made me hopeful that the films will continue to improve.  Eclipse, from what the director has said on Twitter, is in the can and set for a summer release.  Breaking Dawn is set to be two movies.  I predict they will cut it at the point in which Bella "dies" and begin the second half when she opens her eyes as a new vampire, but that's just my prediction.

And, my friends, what then?  Will we ever get Midnight Sun?  Will we even want it by that point?  I'm not sure.

Team Edward Vs. Team Jacob

Watch Taylor Lautner hamming it up as a member of Team Edward.

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

Twilight Spoof

Check this out, if you haven't seen it already:

The Host Movie

I don't know if any of you have read The Host, but Stephenie Meyer announced on her website today that it's being made into a movie. I really enjoyed the book, so I'm curious to see how the movie turns out. Sounds like Meyer's keeping herself busy!

The Twilight Saga: New Moon Trailer in HD

In Case Anyone is Still Reading...

I was talking to Momz the other day, and she made the following observation:

"I'm so glad I've gotten past the whole Twilight thing."

It made me think, as Momz comments most often do. Am I over my Twilight obsession?

No. Not really. I'm not continuously re-reading the books, but I just re-read New Moon, and am lazily re-reading Eclipse.

I am visiting the New Moon Movie site as well as Entertainment Weekly's Special Twilight Coverage section to see new pictures from the film.

(In case you want to know, it's looking good. Volturi look awesome. Edward makes me want to weep gently. I'm even feeling warm about Jacob. I'm very excited.)

I have finished a draft of my own "vampire novel." (Not fanfic, not based on Twilight at all, but thought I'd mention it. 97,000 words. Anyone know an agent?)

I have a rough sketch of an upper-level high school/college-level course called "Twilight and its Impact on American Culture." If I ever get that Ph.D, I'll be rarin' to go.

But all is not lost! I have not invested hundreds of dollars in the officially licensed Twilight dolls and have dismantled the scale model of Forks/LaPush in the basement. I did not bid on the Authentic Certified Copy of Bella's Engagement Ring on eBay. And when my son appropriated my Lion and Lamb keychain, I let him keep it.

So I suppose I'm getting better. How about you?

New Moon Movie Site

The New Moon movie site is up, and though there's not much there now, there should be more to come. At least you can watch the trailer repeatedly...

New Moon Movie Site w/ The World of Twilight

Imprinting

Perhaps the most controversial aspect of the series is the way some werewolves find their mates: imprinting.

Imprinting takes the idea of "love at first sight" to a completely different level. Of course, the primary criticism of imprinting comes from the three major imprinting storylines:

1. Sam & Emily: Sam imprints on Emily, Emily rejects him, Sam grievously injures/disfigures her, she accepts him. The implication here being that the abuse theme begun with Bella/Edward is being carried to a conclusion: women should love their abusers so they stop abusing.

2. Quil & Claire: Quil is physically mature, Claire is two. If imprinting is primarily sexual, how can this not be an endorsement of pedophilia?

3. Jacob & Renesmee: Jacob is physically mature, Renesmee is a newborn. See the above criticism.

Again, I believe most of these criticisms stem from people not taking into account the alternate reality in which this story is told, but I'll admit that the imprinting aspect has really been the only thing about the series that has given me pause, upon reflection. (When I read them the first time, it didn't bother me at all.)

The Sam/Emily imprinting didn't bother me, and still doesn't. I frankly don't see what the fuss is there. The werewolves unpredictability is documented thoroughly throughout the story, it is entirely possible that Sam could genuinely lose control and injure Emily. It is also possible that bonding would take place between them during her healing process.

I don't believe the relationships between Jacob/Quil and Renesmee/Claire are abusive, but these make me more uncomfortable. I don't believe that imprinting is only sexual, though naturally it has some sexual component. What bothers me is the idea that all a woman really needs from a relationship is complete adoration from a man. I don't have my books to hand, but Jacob, explaining it all to Bella, says something like, "Why wouldn't she want him, in the end?" and "That kind of adoration is hard to resist." My personal experience has been that love has to be much more mutual, so the idea that a completely one-sided infatuation can blossom into a meaningful and lasting relationship is hard for me to swallow.

Of course, we never get any perspective from the female half of the equation. Renesmee seems devoted to Jacob from the beginning: is there a "magic" at work on the female half as well? And did Emily just resist it out of loyalty to her cousin, Leah? If the imprinting impulse worked both ways, it would explain a lot.

And put my mind at ease.

Nitty Gritty: Edward

Continuing in our discussion of the characters and controversy of the Twilight series, let us consider:

In my opinion, Edward is certainly the hero of the series. Some would disagree. If he isn't, then who is? Jacob? Hmm...

Edward is certainly where a lot of the controversy regarding the series lies. The most common claim, of course, is that Edward is abusive. Some of the actions cited:

1. He grabs her by her jacket collar to prevent her from driving herself home after she fainted in Biology (Twilight)

2. He sabatoges her car, follows her, has Alice take her, etc. to keep her from Jacob (Eclipse)

3. He withholds sex from her as a punishment (Eclipse)

4. When they finally do become physically intimate, he is so rough with her it leaves her severely bruised (Breaking Dawn)

I find most of these criticisms ridiculous, because I believe those who espouse them are holding Edward to a double standard. They expect him to behave like he's a wise, mature, experienced being (like a 110-year-old vampire) while also expecting him to have comparable behavior to a typical teenager. In other words, when he behaves like a vampire, the criticism is based on him not being exactly like human 17-year-old boys, but when he behaves like a human 17-year-old boy, he's criticized for behaving like a vampire.

One of the things I love about Edward's character is this very dichotomy. He has been frozen, emotionally, at a stage in which he had not experienced a serious relationship. Emotionally, he is just as inexperienced as Bella. He makes mistakes, the same mistakes a guy in high school would make in his first relationship.

Take the first example: he grabs her by the jacket collar to prevent her from leaving. I don't want to go into too much detail, but I had several male friends in high school that would have (and did, frankly) treat me just like that. It was playful. It was flirtation. Sometimes it was annoying, but we were all learning how to behave like men and women. Why can't Edward experience this?

The "stalking" in Eclipse is very realistic, to me. The intensity of a first love often prompts people to behave irrationally. The fact that Edward recognizes his mistake, admits it, and changes his behavior despite his continuing jealousy says volumes.

I have to say, I believe that Edward is being victimized by the extreme hypersensitivity of today's society. Think about characters in some of the "classics" of romantic literature: Mr. Darcy, Mr. Rochester, Heathcliff, Romeo...by today's standards, are any of them truly admirable men? I don't think so. Some of the very criticisms leveled at Edward apply to these classic characters, but because we are able to view them through the lens of their time, we excuse their flaws. I think Edward needs the same consideration: one cannot judge Edward's actions and motivations unless one accepts Edward's reality.

I love Edward. I think he's a good person. And a fine hero.

Nitty Gritty: Bella

I'd love to get some discussions going about some of the criticisms leveled at the Twilight series and the characters therein. I thought we could start with:

Bella Swan, our heroine.

I'm going to list some of the criticisms I've heard, and my opinion of them. Feel free to comment on them, or share your own criticisms.

1. Bella is shallow; she only likes good-looking people. Her relationship with Edward is based solely on her opinion of his looks.

My comment: The fact that Bella describes people in positive and negative terms doesn't make her shallow. Saying that someone has "bad skin" isn't a nasty, shrewish criticism, it's a fact. She's 17. Many teenagers, boys and girls, are very concerned with appearances. (Add to that, she's the narrator, so if she didn't ever describe anyone, we wouldn't know what anyone looks like.) Edward's looks do play a huge role in her initial attraction to him, but how is that abnormal or bad?

2. Bella is rude and spoiled, especially where her parents are concerned.

My comment: I've never gotten this one. She calls the father she barely knows by his first name sometimes: how terrible. She calls the irresponsible, scatterbrained mother she's practically raised by her first name: rudeness beyond compare. She complains about moving to Forks: again, not seeing it. This is one I really think is reaching. I've never known a teenager to be 100% respectful and polite 100% of the time, especially in their private thoughts (which is what we're getting with Bella's narration). Nope, I think Bella handles the adults in her life pretty well, considering how they've handled her.

3. Bella is a bad friend who only likes people when it is convenient.

I imagine this criticism extends to three people: Mike, Angela, and Jessica. Certainly Bella's post-breakup breakdown in New Moon isn't really conducive to good friendship, but other than that, I'm not sure. Bella seems to be an introvert who doesn't make close friends easily, and her friendship is taken up with Alice and Edward himself. I think Bella and Angela are fairly good friends throughout. Mike and Jessica were never really her friends to begin with, so I discount them.

4. Bella's acceptance of Edward's treatment of her is tantamount to condoning abuse.

Ah, here it is. The primary reason some people are screaming for this series to be banned, burned, or whatever you do with books you think no one should be allowed to read. I've read this series several times, and I have to say it: I don't believe Bella and Edward have an abusive relationship. Each of them make mistakes, but that happens. No one enters their first serious relationship and performs perfectly. Edward does cross the line into controlling during Eclipse, but recognizes his mistake. Unfortunately, I think too many read things into this relationship that simply aren't there.

If you have time, leave a comment below!

-Deb

Some Food for Casting Thought

Here are some of the rumored "front runners" I've found for the parts of Seth and Leah. We can assume that they would be in both Eclipse and Breaking Dawn.

For Leah:

This is Q'orianka Kilcher. She played Pocahontas in that Colin Farrell movie a few years back. Her resume on IDMB is very impressive.

This is Sage Galesi. I saw her on the TNT miniseries Into the West, where she briefly played Margaret Light Shines. (If you haven't seen Into the West, I really enjoyed it.) It looks to me like she's got Leah's face: it's beautiful, but you can see the potential for meanness there.

For the role of Seth:

This is Tyler Posey, a young but experienced actor. I think he has a very sweet face, and has that sort of gangly, rumpled look I associate with Seth.

This is Raviv Ullman. There is a big push for him at the Twilight Moms website, who say that Tyler Posey is the producer's choice for the role of Seth. There is an online petition. I think he's a good looking kid. The only thing I've seen him in was an episode of Law & Order: SVU (he was the kid who raped the Britney-Spears-alike because the shock jock said it would be neat, but his mother was campaigning to take the shock jock off the air and shot him. Not that I watch that show obsessively.)

With the exception of Ullman, all of the above actors have at least partial Native American heritage. (Ullman is Israeli.)

It will be interesting to see what happens! If one of the above ends up getting the part, someone owes me a Coke.

:)

-Deb

Your suggestions?

They are now casting the roles of Seth and Leah Clearwater for the movie version of "Eclipse." I had heard that Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical) was being considered for Leah, but that hasn't been confirmed.

I think Leah will be very challenging to cast. She's supposed to be pretty and nice, until she discovers her hidden traits, and then she's pretty and nasty.

Thoughts?

Recommendations?

I don't know about the rest of you, but I've been going through Vampire Withdraw. I thought it might be neat to recommend some of our other favorite vampire books and movies. Here are some of mine:

1. The Sookie Stackhouse books (by Charlaine Harris). Book 9 in this series was just released, so it will keep you occupied for a while. Sookie is a twentysomething waitress in a small northern Louisiana town. Sookie is a telepath, so life has been hard for her, since she always hears the thoughts of everyone around her. When the world's vampires go public and ask for recognition under the law, Sookie is thrilled to discover that she can't read vampire minds. Romantic entanglements and Southern stereotypes ensue.

2. True Blood (HBO, based on the Sookie Stackhouse novels). Season 1 of this series has just been released on DVD, with Season 2 premiering next week on HBO. It's just like Twilight, except 13 hours long and with way more nudity, swearing, sex, graphic violence, and naked people. I'm absolutely disgusted and will stop watching it soon. Stars Anna Paquin (The Piano) as Sookie.

3. Let The Right One In (DVD): This is a film from Sweden. The DVD offers you the option of viewing it dubbed in English or in Swedish with English subtitles. This is quite a film. A young boy named Oskar is the butt of schoolyard bullying. He has no friends, until one night he meets a mysterious girl who has moved in next door. Lots of snow. (Rated R)

4. Interview With the Vampire (DVD): This is an amazing cheesefest from the star-happy blockbuster '90's. I watch this film and think this is what Twilight might have been. I'm so thankful it was not! Stars Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Antonio Banderas, Kirsten Dunst, and many, many others. If you've watched it, think of the following quote from Steve Martin's "Bowfinger" when you watch it again:

"Did you know that Tom Cruise didn't even know he was in that vampire movie until a year later?"

5. Dark Shadows Revival (DVD): This series, a casualty of the 24-hour news media's coverage of Operation Desert Storm, was amazing vampire romance set in the gloom of coastal Maine. Starring Ben Cross as Barnabas Collins, Jean Simmons as the family matriarch, and other late '80's/early '90's talent. I have heard rumors that there is a Dark Shadows movie in the works, with Johnny Depp developing the role of Barnabas.

Yum, yum.

Twilight Exclusive Cruise to Alaska

Anyone want to go on a cruise?


http://www.examiner.com/x-5218-Seattle-North-American-Travel-Examiner~y2009m6d2-Twilight-cruise-to-Alaska-schelduled-for-2010

Sneak Peek!!

Here is a sneak peek of the new movie... I've got to say that despite the fact that Jacob's wolf looks like something off of the sci-fi channel, I like the cinematography better.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ9afRgToxE

A little Twilight Humor

A friend of mind who knows I love Twilight sent this to me, and it amused me greatly. Ahhh, the power of Stephenie Meyer :D

http://xkcd.com/591/

Warning: contains an f-bomb!

-Deb

New Moon Photos from Italy

Click on this link to see the most recent photos from the New Moon set.

(Warning: contains image of a shirtless Rob Pattinson in low-rise jeans. Rowr.)

Update: The link now goes to a gallery containing 9 new photos from Italy as well as 26 photos from the Vancouver set.

Character Breakdown: Jasper

I've been thinking a lot about Jasper. I find him fascinating. Except for him telling his backstory to Bella in Eclipse, Jasper is almost never the focus of attention. He is the center of Alice's world, but no one else's.

In Twilight, Jasper seemed to exist so Alice had a mate. We understood that they were "adopted" into the Cullen family, and that Jasper was less comfortable in the "vegetarian" lifestyle than everyone else, but that was all. Even Bella's stay with him in Phoenix did little to illuminate his character; Bella herself states that he becomes distant and remote once the sojourn is over.

In New Moon, Jasper is absent for the majority of the book. However, Jasper is the catalyst for the entire story. His lack of control at Bella's party is the single act that precipitates everything that follows. If Jasper hadn't attacked her, would Edward have left? If Edward hadn't left, would he and Bella have stayed together? Jasper's loss of control was responsible, in my opinion, for the rest of the story.

In Eclipse, Jasper reveals himself to be hiding a great deal of strength and intelligence behind that quiet reserve. He manages to train vampires and werewolves together. He reveals that he is the member of the Cullen family with the most blood on his hands. He has slaughtered human and vampire alike for years with little remorse. Only the weight of hundreds of lives taken, and the example of his underling, makes him realize that the life he is leading doesn't make him happy.

In Breaking Dawn, Jasper becomes a figure of tragedy. In witnessing Bella's transformation, Jasper must realize that so much of his own behavior is a result of his own choices, not the implacable will of nature. He is absent again, for much of the novel, when Alice leaves the family, and when they return it is Alice's triumph, not his. No one misses Jasper. No one is shocked that Jasper left. It is Alice they love and miss, not him. But he does return, and when he does, we have the satisfaction of seeing how happy he is with his family.

His relationship with Alice, along with Carlisle and Esme's, is one dealt with in almost purely emotional terms. We don't get references to them being physically intimate, though I'm sure they are. What we do get from them is the idea that they love each other to the exclusion of everything else.

What do you think about Jasper?

Quick Tidbit from Twitter

I have been dabbling in the Twitterverse, and guess who just joined:

Elizabeth Taylor.

Her handle is DameElizabeth, and one of her tweets was the following:

"Just saw Twilight on DVD. I want more!"

So apparently Liz is on our team...

-Deb

Pattinson Confirms Breaking Dawn Film

Speaking from Cannes, Rob Pattinson confirmed that there will be a film adaptation of Breaking Dawn, and he will reprise his role as Edward. He says they don't have it on the schedule yet, but they are slated to complete Eclipse before the end of this year.

New Moon Official Poster

In case you haven't seen it:

Film Versions: What you can't wait to see

In a previous comment, Joanna mentioned getting to see the Van Scene played out on the screen.

What parts of the sequels are you looking forward to seeing onscreen?

For me, here are a few:

New Moon: The werewolves phasing, Bella's jump into the ocean, Volterra

Eclipse: Edward's fight with Victoria, the tent scene (how are they going to do that?)

Breaking Dawn: Well, take your pick.

I look forward to reading yours!

Why Twilight?

As far as I know, most of us reading here are adults (at least chronologically), some of us parents, or even grandparents. We're clearly not the targeted demographic for Twilight, but we're also not that uncommon.

So, to satisfy my curiosity, share your stories here of how you found Twilight, and why you read it the first time. I already know why you read it the second and third and fourth times :)

Confessions

Hi, my name is Deb, and I'm a Twilight geek.

My biggest confession: I have two copies of the series. My original series was purchased all at once, so Twilight & New Moon were paperback; Eclipse and Breaking Dawn were hardcover. My copy of Twilight got a grease spot from my attempt to eat breakfast without putting it down. I bought it in hardcover to replace the damaged copy, then, not wanting to hurt New Moon's feelings, I did the same for it. Eclipse suffered a tear on one page during a trip to Galveston; not wanting to wait for tape, I literally drove to the nearest bookstore and bought a copy. By that time, I thought, why not buy a copy of Breaking Dawn to round out the set?

I also downloaded the movie on iTunes and pre-ordered the DVD in January.

Share your confessions here. It's a safe place.

Deb

New Moon Casting News

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20234559_20234565_20273159,00.html

Follow the link to an Entertainment Weekly photo gallery of 15 of the new cast members for the film version of New Moon.

What happens next?

As much as I loved the ending to the series, I can't help but wonder what will happen next.

Bella has made the transition from human to vampire as seamlessly as possible, I think. She has adapted to vampirism so well, at least in part, because she essentially has given nothing up. Her transition was all gain. She has the child she didn't even know she wanted (who will be fully mature and virtually invulnerable in an astonishingly short time), her husband, and she gets to keep her family in her life, at least to a limited degree.

What will happen to Bella when the reality of vampire life sinks in? Although she and Edward should always have each other, Bella has never been all about Edward, despite criticism to the contrary. Charlie, Renee, Jacob, even her high school acquaintences have always been concerns for her. What happens if Renee gets hit by a car and is paralyzed? Or Charlie gets cancer? Will Bella still be "Bella" and try to fix everything by turning one or the other of them?

Let's say nothing like that happens: how will Bella deal with it when everyone she knows and loves dies? Or, more immediately, when they finally do have to leave Forks? Even with Charlie's limited knowledge and acceptance, they can't stay in Forks forever. Will Bella be able to deal with watching everyone around her grow old and die?

The Vampire Bella

One of the things I really liked about Breaking Dawn was the ending section, after Bella becomes a vampire. I've understood that Bella's unique affinity for vampire life and her special power have become a source of criticism for some readers, who believe her ease in adjusting to vampire life was too "pat" and made for less drama then they wanted from the end of the saga.

I have to say, the main thing I loved about Breaking Dawn was the transformation of Bella. I think her strength and power was foreshadowed throughout the series, so I have no problem with her being an amazingly strong shield. I also didn't have a problem with her self-control; she was the only one of all of them who was prepared for her life as a vampire beforehand, so she was able to temper her natural instincts with thought.

I think Bella was always destined to become a vampire. Edward was 100% wrong: he wasn't some aberration who showed up and ruined her life, he was the one who was destined to bring her into the life she was always meant for.

I'm interested to see what others think.

Why Did She Fall For Him

I've been enjoying the fact that my 62-year old Mom is now starting the saga and loving it. In perfect "Mom" style, she wants to know "is that girl stupid- running around with a vampire?"....she doesn't quite get how someone falls for a vampire.

Which got me to thinking. Did Bella fall for a man that just happened to be a vampire OR did Bella fall for the man because he is a vampire. That is, did his vampiric qualities (his charm, his looks, the mystery, the danger...the list goes on) actually cause her to fall in love.

-Robin

Age Of Readers

I teach elementary school, and my fifth graders are nuts over Twilight. They've read all of the books, seen the movie, and collect all of the memorabilia.

5th graders are 10-11 years old.

Is that too young? I know the series is marketed toward young adults, but is it really a series of books for kids? What do you think?

Deb

Most Compelling Secondary Character

If you could choose to have Stephenie Meyer write a spinoff novel about a secondary character, who would you choose, and why? The possibilities are many:

1. Jasper/Alice

2. Rosalie/Emmett

3. Carlisle/Esme

4. The Volturi, together or separately

5. James/Victoria

6. The Denali Clan

7. The Irish Clan

8. The Amazons

9. The rogue vampire who was Nahuel's father

And I could go on...

Personally, I'd love to see Carlisle's full story, along with how he and Esme fell in love. I'd also be fascinated to read the history of the Volturi from Aro's perspective, which would fit in nicely with his "histories" mentioned in the series.

Mary Sue?

I have often heard that Bella is a Mary Sue.

First off, I've never had a Mary Sue explained to me in the same way twice. From what I gathered this is what it means:

Mary Sue is a character who has no flaws or her flaws make her endearing. She is a "perfect" character that is supposed to be the culmination of the author's self-desires.

I cannot agree that Bella fits this definition. Her clumsiness is endearing, but she is also stubborn, untrusting, and oftentimes wrong.

I don't think I really have a grasp on what a Mary Sue is though.

So, I ask you:

What is a Mary Sue to you?

Is Bella a Mary Sue?

Does it matter?

What you hope for in the next movie...

One thing I really hope is that they show a lot of what Edward went through when he was separated from Bella - show that he suffered as much as Bella did when they were separated and that he had already decided to go back and beg her to take him back when she took a flying leap off a cliff.

What are you hoping they include?

Breaking News: New Moon

1. One of the most anticipated casting decisions (for me and my mom, anyway) has been made: Aro will be played by Michael Sheen, who played Tony Blair in "The Queen" and Frost in "Frost Nixon." I approve.

2. A new poster for New Moon has been released:

Down, Robin. I shall have mine framed.

-Deb

Victoria

So I know Victoria was a bad guy - but I thought she was a freaking great bad guy. Even better than James. Where James was like an animal who wanted only to track and kill, Victoria was cold, calculating. I also felt she was fairly tragic because she had had so much faith and trust in James, then he died. So, she wanted Edward to feel her pain.

What did you think of Victoria?

Twilight Movie vs. Twilight Book

Since the film version of New Moon is currently underway, I thought I'd ask about how you feel the movie "Twilight" impacted your interpretation of the book.

For instance, did the characters change in your head after seeing the film?  I know my Edward didn't look like Rob before, and I still catch myself thinking of him the way I did before.

Were any scenes changed for you?  Seeing the van scene played out made it seem so much more vivid to me.

Do you think the book translated well to the movie?  What shouldn't they had done?  What should they have done differently?  For me, I know a movie is different, but there were some liberties taken with the sequence of events that bothered me.

Thoughts?

Vampires: Traditional Vs. Twilight

One of the big complaints I've heard about Twilight is the way Stephenie Meyer redefined vampire lore for her series.  Some examples:

1. Vampires that don't sleep at all
2. Vampires that can move around in the day
3. No fangs
4. The venom thing
5. No acknowledgement of garlic, silver, crosses, stake through the heart, etc.

My personal take: before I read Twilight, all I heard was that it was a vampire romance story.  I was actually very intrigued by the changes she made to traditional vampire lore; it made the story more interesting to me.  

How do you think her vampire mythology compares with traditional mythology? 

The ending of the series...

So what did everyone think about the ending of the series?

I know that even amongst Twilight fans there are those who loved it and those who hated it.

The Bella having self-control thing I could handle because there were a couple reasons why that could have happened (mental preparation, drinking all that blood before turning, having been pregnant with a half-vampire are some of the ones I am attached to). But the rest kind of disappointed me.

It felt a little too Disney for me - everything was wrapped up too nicely in a nice little package. I wanted to see Bella go through the pain of never seeing Charlie again (I thought they were going to tell him that she died of whatever disease she was supposed to have). I wanted - well not wanted, but I think it would have added more depth to the story if one of the Cullens had died. If there had been an all out war between the Vs and the Cullens and their friends (thus adding another book to the series ;)).

And what was up with Bella having visions of a little boy? Who was the little boy?

Favorite Scene

One of the things that really impressed me about Twilight was how certain scenes were written so visually that I could picture them in my head with absolute clarity. I have a couple of favorite scenes and would be curious to know yours.

My faves:

1. Edward and Bella in the meadow at the end of Eclipse, in which Edward realizes that forcing Bella into marriage isn't making her happy and attempts to "give in," only to have Bella put on the brakes.

2. Edward, Jacob, and Bella in the tent

3. Bella, Edward, and Alice in the Volturi stronghold.

Jacob vs. Edward

Ok -

Amongst Twilight fans there are people on Team Jacob and people on Team Edward.

Which team are you on and why?

(will wait for responses before I post my own opinion! :))

Protecting her from Jacob

One of the major issues which inspires great debates about Twilight is the issue of Edward denying Bella access to Jacob.

To me, there is not enough of this to make an issue. Edward stops Bella from seeing Jacob a total of two times from what I can tell. (when he takes apart her engine and when he has Alice 'kidnap' her). And during the second times it happens, he comes to the realization that he is being judgemental and unfair. He apologizes and compromises with Bella to come to a decision that satisfies both of them (that he gets to drive her to the border, etc).

Furthermore, I feel that Bella was a bit at fault for Edward not understanding sooner. She never sits him down and explains to him why Jacob is not dangerous to her (that he shows control around her). She could have drawn parallels between the two of them, but she only defiantly states that she wants to see Jacob, that it's safe, and that he's being unreasonable.

What do you think?

Regarding Edward

Certainly one of the most polarizing figures in the series is Edward.  People seem to either really love him or view him as an abusive monster.

I love Edward.  For me, he evokes many of the dark, troubled heroes in some of fiction's greatest works.  I think he's got a little of Mr. Rochester, Mr. Darcy, Romeo, and Rhett Butler, as well as others.  What I like about Edward is that, although he is perfect for Bella, he is far from perfect, and he knows it.

Rob Pattinson's take on Edward was this: Edward has been in emotional cold storage since his transformation.  When he falls in love with Bella, it causes him to start feeling again, which makes all of his emotions intense, even painful.  I think a lot of Edward's actions, particularly in Twilight, make perfect sense when viewed through this lens.  His hot-and-cold treatment of Bella, his possessiveness, even his sneaking into Bella's house become, if not acceptable, understandable.

So what does everyone else think of Edward?

-Deb

Welcome!

Welcome to the Civil Twilight Discussion Blog!

We here at the Civil Twilight Discussion Blog welcome your comments on any of our posts.  We encourage debate.  Here are our rules:

1. Comments about blog entries should be civil and on-topic.

2. Disagreements should focus on the topic and not the poster.

3. When citing examples to back up your opinion, please provide source material.  For example, if you make the statement, "According to Stephenie Meyer," please link to the interview or website where you got that quote.

This blog is intended to view Twilight through many different lenses.  Scholarly viewpoints, social concerns, and entertainment value are all fair game.  I hope you enjoy!

-Deb