The Trouble with Twilight

     So it's official by now- Twilight fever is in full swing. It seems like you can't even go to a store without seeing Rob Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, or Kristen Stewart all over the tabloids and talk shows. It reminds me a lot of the Harry Potter obsession that cropped up a few years ago (which I happily admit I am a part of I might add)... So naturally, as with most popular stories/sagas, I gave it a try.

     I was initially against the series because unlike the Harry Potter series, which is often action packed and centered on friendship, Twilight is all about two young high school age (well, sorta) kids who have a unique love bond that defies explanation. I watched the first Twilight movie while I was on vacation and happened to walk into a room where it was playing. I sat down and watched the entire movie and I will confess it grabbed my attention and held it for almost the entire film. I won't go into the issue of the budget being so low because it was a miracle that the film was even given the green light. I have read that the writers had a hard time convincing the major studios that it would be a hit (look who's laughing now). Overall, I liked the movie and decided I would see the second film, New Moon, when it came out.

     Last Friday, one week after one of the largest opening nights in moviemaking history, I walked into a theater in Merritt Island, Florida to watch the second installment of the series. Halfway through the movie I realized something didn't sit right with me. I traced it back to a feeling I got during the first film. Granted, Bella and Edward have an interesting bond. I mean c'mon, one of them can read minds and has super strength and immortality! But it was more than that.

     The Twilight series has a broad appeal for viewers and readers of all ages, but it is clearly focused on young girls. That being said, what do young, impressionable girls see when they watch Bella with her beloved Edward? To me, it's a wierd relationship. In New Moon, Edward decides that his presence in Washington puts Bella in danger and leaves town for good and right before he leaves he breaks up with her. The next scene she chases after him, gets lost in the woods and passes out and when she is rescued spends three or four months in a fog (this is conveyed by a really creative circular shot in front of a window). When she realizes that adrenaline rushes cause her to hallucinate and see Edward she goes and seeks out opportunities to put herself at risk: talking to strange boys, riding dirtbikes, and cliffdiving. While I understand what the writer is trying to convey, it bothers me that millions of girls have seen this and could possibly interpret this "perfect" love story as something that they want for themselves. I've seen girls so dependent on their boyfriends that they would literally implode if the relationship were to end.

     My issue with all this is that I hope girls see the story and enjoy it, but understand that Bella and Edward's relationship is not quite the model that they need to follow. Sometimes life throws you curveballs. You can't base your whole life on how one person feels about you because everyone is human (my argument kind of loses ground here because Edward technically isn't human, but nevermind that) and sooner or later that person will let you down...but life goes on!