I actually don’t see what the big deal is. It’s a different take on vampires. Are we so close-minded to different experiences that all vampires must be alike? What about the zombies that run in 28 Days Later? Are they ruining zombies for everyone?
Twilight isn’t a vampire horror movie, it’s a vampire romance movie with interspecies sexual tension.
I liken the story to what it would be like if I fell in love with a delicious taco. It would be so hard not to eat this sexy, talking taco. I would love this taco, and pet it, and marry it, and name him George, and give it sexy taco-flavored kisses. But it would be really hard not to eat it.
And there’s the story. Nothing to do with the horror angle, really.
Twilight isn’t a great movie, but not terrible either. I tend to think it is not worthy of either the denouncement OR the praise that it receives.
Mood: meh
Music: KMFDM – Son Of A Gun
Claire's blog 
August 26, 2009 at 2:35 PM
“I liken the story to what it would be like if I fell in love with a delicious taco. It would be so hard not to eat this sexy, talking taco. I would love this taco, and pet it, and marry it, and name him George. But it would be really hard not to eat it.”
In fact, you, me and some others had a conversation about this that you posted on your Flickr, in video format…almost verbatim!
I agree that it wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t fantastic either. I personally think the next movie in the series will be better than the first movie, because I enjoyed the “New Moon” novel better than the novel for “Twilight”.
August 26, 2009 at 2:44 PM
I also said it when we were watching the movie together! :)
Alas, I can’t find said flickr video.
August 26, 2009 at 2:45 PM
NOTE TO SELF: Should have worked in “taco-flavored kisses” at some point. Must re-edit article.
August 26, 2009 at 2:49 PM
It’s here:
August 26, 2009 at 2:52 PM
All my vaunted tagging, and I still couldn’t find it! How did you find it?
I added a Twilight tag to it, hehe.
August 26, 2009 at 2:53 PM
I typed in my own name into the “search” field under your photostream. :)
August 26, 2009 at 2:54 PM
Damn!!! That’s so much easier than going through pages and pages of videos like I did. haha. NEVER AGAIN! TWILIGHT TAG ADDED!
August 26, 2009 at 2:54 PM
What do I win?? :D
August 26, 2009 at 2:57 PM
Taco-flavored kisses.
August 26, 2009 at 11:43 PM
The fact that her vampires are so different from what we’re used to isn’t a conscious decision to try to reinvent the genre. It’s because she willfully doesn’t know a damn thing about vampires. From an Entertainment Weekly piece about Meyer:
As for the actual content of the series, I liked this take by fellow vampire author, Laurell K. Hamilton:
Frightening indeed. Especially since it’s part of morality lessons in the stories that have been criticized on a pretty widespread basis as thinly-veiled Mormon propaganda.
August 27, 2009 at 11:44 AM
I’ve never read the books; I’ve only seen the first movie. I can understand your concern that it is Mormon propaganda if that is the case. It’d be like if some Scientologist was writing stories that appealed to children to become Scientologists.
However, that being said, even if she knows nothing about vampires and hasn’t read the most popular vampire story, it’s her prerogative to write a story about vampires that appeal to her and don’t make her creeped out and scared.
Little girls like “fairy princess” idealogy. Nothing to do with not being strong women, but there is something about being beautiful and special and finding a man to sweep you off your feet… when you’re like 8-11 years old. There are plenty of stories like that: Beauty & The Beast, Disney’s The Little Mermaid (married at 16, yay), Shrek… the list goes on and on…
This is just substituting vampires as the prince charming. Who cares? It’s just a story. And if it’s Mormon propanganda, it’s up to the child and parent to learn from the story and decide if Mormonism is right for them.
August 27, 2009 at 8:31 AM
Ian, thanks for linking to that Laurell K. Hamilton review–I’ve read all of her books and that quote totally sounds like something Hamilton would say about Twilight; her heroine is extremely assertive, resists any male figure trying to ride in and “save” her, and is just generally a very strong, independent character.
No idea that Meyer had refused to watch other vampire books or read books; that’s sort of bizarre. I read somewhere else that the entire book of Twilight was based on a vivid dream she had one night.
August 27, 2009 at 8:51 AM
Propaganda or not, ignorance or not, the end result is still the same:
A completely different take on “vampires”. It’s refreshing.
It was way better than Lost Boys 2, hehehe :)
All the people complaining about it kind of give it a Streisand Effect and simply boost the press, which I also think is kind of funny.
Also, I’d rather people get their propaganda indirectly than directly (i.e. straight from the bible). Baby steps…
Anyway.. I look forward to the next movie.
August 27, 2009 at 9:54 AM
Yes, a completely different take that teaches little girls to be subservient to men, just like the good book says. No thanks.
Consider for a moment the target audience here. It’s not you. It’s little girls. You’d rather you’d rather damaging propaganda aimed at children came in disguise rather than an easily recognizeable form that parents can monitor, and if necessay, refute or present alternate viewpoints?
August 27, 2009 at 10:01 AM
I think “teaching girls to be subservient to men” is a bit of a hysterical take on it, myself.
Would you say the same thing about The Princess Bride, and every other movie where a male hero helps the female escape her doom?
Nor do I really care how another demographic takes it; Blind people were all pissed off at the movie Blindness, but I didn’t give a shit.
And look at 24. It’s basically propaganda to say that torture is okay and to demonstrate how necessary it is to save us from the evil terrorists.
Doesn’t mean I like it any less…
My single biggest complaint about it was that it was a romance movie.
August 27, 2009 at 10:13 AM
Buttercup, while not completely flipping stereotypes, did subvert them in interesting ways. And yes, the depiction of women in a lot of prince/princess fairy tales sends a really bad message.
Your blind people analogy doesn’t hold. Those are adults taking offense as opposed to children being indoctrinated, which I can’t imagine you’d be solipsistic enough to say you don’t care about.
August 27, 2009 at 10:18 AM
@Ian: Adults, children, most people are sheep anyway. At least, the blind people who whined about the movie Blindness may as well have been children to me, for all their failed analysis and childish whining. But no analogy is perfect.
I’m not opposed to fairy tales on feminist grounds.
People need to learn to think on their own, and not everything has to be about reinforcing positive stereotypes. There’s also counter-example: Look how helpless the princess is. Do you really want to have to be saved by a frickin’ Prince? It’s up to the person to determine how they receive a message. Unfortunately most people can’t think for themselves very well.
Anyway, I think we’re just going to have to agree to disagree on this one.
I still want the taco-flavored kisses.
August 28, 2009 at 10:16 AM
IMO “Mulan” is the only respectable Disney “princess” because she takes it upon herself to do honorable things, rather than passively waiting to marry her way out of whatever predicament she was in.
She didn’t sit around whining and singing to small woodland creatures waiting for Prince Charming to do something; she joined the Chinese army and KICKED THE HUNS’ ASSES!!!
August 28, 2009 at 10:18 AM
Haha… Good call!