Finally, it's Hoa Hoa season! With crispier weather, falling leaves changing colour, and pumpkin spice lattes starting to roll around, we know autumn has just begun, and with that comes the perfect time of the year to binge-watch one of the most popular film franchises of the past decades. And yes, I'm talking about the Twilight film franchise.
Whether you were team Edward, team Jacob, or even team Bella, no one can deny the impact and hold this franchise had on teens, tweens, and adults ever since we all ventured into the Twilight world set in Forks, Washington. Conceived initially through a dream, author Stephenie Meyer wrote the Twilight books, which tell the story of Bella Swan, a 17-year-old girl who falls in love with the mysterious, enigmatic, and deathly gorgeous Edward Cullen, who turns out to be a decades-old vampire. At the same time, her best friend, Jacob Black, is a werewolf, potentially initiating a feud between species.
Published between 2005 and 2010, the books became a global phenomenon, with fans clamouring to see Bella, Edward, Jacob, and the rest of the Cullens brought to life on the screen. In 2008, their wishes were granted with the release of Twilight, followed by the adaptation of the rest of the novels on screen until 2012.
While the films were met with mixed to negative reviews and even garnered more than a few Razzie awards, they were still a sensation with fans, earning over $3 billion worldwide. While the films and books may not have aged well, they nonetheless hold a special place in the hearts of many millennials.
As the cinnamon dolce latte season is here, why not reminisce alongside these cringe-worthy yet fabulous movies? So, here's the ultimate ranking of The Twilight Saga franchise, from worst to best:
5. The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)
Let's be honest. The Twilight Saga: New Moon and its novel counterpart are the weakest links in the Twilight chain by a long shot. Throughout most of the story, Bella is dealing with Edward's abrupt departure after she is endangered once again by vampires. He, lacking any emotional intelligence, abandons her in the woods and disappears from her life.
Bella spends months in a depressive episode, barely functioning as a human being, and it is not until her father, Charlie, threatens her by sending her to live with her mother, that she makes an effort to live once more. Bella then grows closer to Jacob, who turns out to be a werewolf and is dealing with his own issues. Later, when Bella goes cliff diving, Edward somewhat returns to her life, but not before she now has to save him from an all-powerful Italian vampire clan, before they can be together again.
While the material addressed a very real mental health issue, it did so in a lacklustre manner. Bella, who has always been a flat character, becomes even more one-dimensional, while the love triangle debacle begins, but without much substance either. The only interesting bit was the Volturi encounter, and one can't help but root for them even though they're technically the "bad ones."
4. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)
The third film instalment, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, fares somewhat better than its predecessor. Throughout the film, a vampire menace named Victoria seeks revenge against Bella and the Cullens for killing her mate, James, during the events of the first film. Victoria goes on a ravenous rampage and starts turning random people into fledgling vampires to create a powerful army against her enemies.
In the meantime, Edward and Bella are back together, but due to the events of the past film, they have to deal with several people not liking their relationship, most notably Bella's father and her former best friend, who has become her second love interest, Jacob. As the vampire army threat draws closer, the vampires and werewolves must come together to defeat a common enemy, while also dealing with their internal conflicts.
For anyone who loves the love triangle trope, this film is for them. Otherwise, it's a two-hour movie of three characters who could be doing plenty more things, for instance, literally saving the world, than grovelling for each other's attention. The action sequences were cool, and any scenes with vampires and werewolves fighting are a plus in my book.
3. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (2012)
Around 2012, a popular trend emerged to divide the final film instalments of popular franchises into two parts, primarily for two reasons: to increase revenue with an extra film and to incorporate more source materials into the movies for continuity purposes. The Harry Potter saga paved the way, followed by Twilight, The Hunger Games, and Divergent, all of which achieved varying degrees of success.
During The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 film, the story revolves around Bella's resurrection as a vampire after giving birth to her and Edward's daughter, Renesmee. As a 19-year-old newly married, new mother, and new vampire, Bella Cullen has a lot on her plate to deal with, but that's before the Volturi decide to come and destroy the Cullens after thinking they turned a child into a vampire, which could endanger them all. Oh, and her former best friend, Jacob, is now imprinted on her new baby daughter.
The Cullens rally their opposing troops by asking their other vampire friends to come to their aid and bear witness that they haven't committed any crimes, and if it comes to it, fight alongside them against the Volturi clan. In the end, once both armies meet, they apparently fight to the death, with both groups taking strong hits. Afterwards, the fight was revealed to have been a "scenario" in the future if they came to fight, with the Volturi deciding to retreat, leaving the Cullens and their vampire and werewolf friends to live happily ever after.
When I originally saw this film in the theatre, I yelled when Carlisle's apparent beheaded head made an appearance, as that never happened in the book. When the fight was later revealed to have been fake, the outrage I felt knew no bounds, as this was an egregious and unnecessary twist that the film didn't need.
Without recency bias, I get what they were trying to do. While the movie scores brownie points for entertainment, the climax could've been handled differently, as in with a real fight regardless of the costs, as that would be the "believable" outcome with these kinds of stakes. Overall, it was an all right film to wrap up the series, but it also loses points for that horrifying CGI baby.
2. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (2011)
As previously mentioned, the final book instalment was split into two films, with the first part being released in 2011. This film primarily focuses on Bella and Edward's marriage after they become engaged during the events of Eclipse, with Bella subsequently becoming pregnant during their honeymoon.
Vampire and human timelines are entirely different, as within a month, Bella goes through her whole pregnancy and nearly gets killed in the process. The scene where Bella drinks blood to feed her half-vampire, half-human baby is still hard to think about today.
The wedding scene is this film's long-lasting legacy. The music, the ambience, the twinkling lights, as well as Bella's unforgettable Carolina Herrera bridal dress, will go down in history as one of the best wedding movie portrayals.
Bella's decisions have always been questionable, and this time around is no exception. However, no one can deny that Kristen Stewart, whose portrayal was criticised as being borderline flat (which perhaps was the character itself rather than herself), was absolutely brilliant.
1. Twilight (2008)
We finally get to the crowning jewel of the saga. This film premiered in 2008, when the Twilight fever was at its peak, with millions of fans' expectations and dreams hanging in the balance to see their beloved characters portrayed on the screen.
We all know the main story. An apparently clumsy and ordinary 17-year-old girl named Bella Swan moves to Forks with her dad to finish high school, when she meets the brooding and inhumanly handsome Edward Cullen, who turns out to be a vampire.
Edward, alongside his also vampiric family, tries to blend in alongside humans by pretending they're the same, all while feeding on animal blood to preserve what's left of their humanity. While knowing the dangers, Bella and Edward can't help but fall in love with each other, but they also have to deal with continuous dangerous situations, and most of all, Edward's bloodlust for Bella.
Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson were chosen from thousands of actors to bring Bella Swan and Edward Cullen to life. Their on-screen chemistry even translated off-screen, as both actors dated while filming the saga.
It's hard to put into words the grip this story had on millions of people back in the day, including myself. It had forbidden love, vampires, werewolves, and mysticism, and yet it somehow portrayed what everyone thought was an epic love story filled with adventure, tension, and modern-day vampire romance.
Through a modern lens, the story is convoluted and highly problematic. However, these films are nonetheless a must for anyone looking to be wrapped up in a never-ending ride of yearning and, ironically, enjoyable cringe.
Get the latest movie news and updates with FlickSided.