It’s officially that time of year when it’s unfathomable if the vampires do not shine bright like diamonds, and you can hear the dulcet tones of Blue Foundations’ “Eyes on Fire” like the gentle howl of the wind on a rain-soaked evening. If you’re like me, you’re ready to don your blue-toned glasses and revisit the Twilight Saga, sparkly vampires and all, with reckless abandon.
Team Edward for life, if you know you know, and if you don’t, you should. It is time to make our yearly pilgrimage to Forks, Washington (and don’t forget to visit La Push, baby) with a Twilight marathon to end all Twilight marathons. At least this is what I tell myself every year when I decide all I want is a beautifully overcast day curled up with the coziest blanket, a scorching hot cup of rose black tea in hand, and the deeply melodramatic world I’ve known so well for over two decades.
Twilight
An icon. Unforgettable and endlessly quotable. A pop culture phenomenon was born the day this film was released in theatres on November 21st, 2008, and we have not been the same since. I will never forget walking out of the theatre after watching Twilight for the first time and saying to myself, “Bella Swan has purple sheets and a black MacBook. I want purple sheets and a black MacBook.”
When Catherine Hardwicke set out to bring Stephanie Meyer’s world to life, little did she know what she was unleashing upon the world. Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner became household names. Nothing felt more right than a baseball game set to the electric sounds of Muse’s “Supermassive Black Hole.” We all knew exactly what team we were on, and little has changed since (unless you decided Charlie Swan (Billy Burke) and Carlisle Cullen (Peter Facinelli) are more to your taste in recent years).
Twilight remains the most distinctive visually in the franchise, and it holds its place in our hearts like Edward Cullen holds an apple in his hand.
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
What can I say about New Moon other than the fact I saw it a grand total of ten times in theatres and it was the first time I attended a midnight premiere in my life! I’ll forever hold it dear to my heart. As someone who likes to brag, I have tragedy running through my veins; there’s no way I could possibly deny the appeal of a film that begins with a quote from Romeo and Juliet, a quote I’ve had memorized since I first read the novel in 2007.
New Moon takes us back to Forks a few months after the events of Twilight, where our beloved, if somewhat emotionally stunted, heroine, Bella, is suffering from nightmares about what we mere mortals know infinitely too well: our dwindling time and the abstract *horror* of growing old. Oh, the woes of a teenage girl with an immortal lover and a mortal lifespan! The true nightmare, however, begins after Bella’s disastrous 18th birthday, where a paper cut leads to Edward abandoning her in a forest alone and the most diabolically accurate depiction of depression ever put on film.
Enter: Jacob Black. New Moon is where Jacob becomes a real contender for Bella’s affection, given Edward’s unfortunate absence for the majority of the film. While our favourite sparkly vamp is off sulking from his own self-induced punishment, Jacob shows up for Bella by being there for her at a time when she’s become a ghost of herself. There might be a few new abs there as well, but who’s counting? Did I mention Jacob is a werewolf and has since deemed Edward (and all vampires) his mortal enemy?
Well, I live for the reunion of our star-crossed lovers at the end of the film, when Bella saves Edward from an untimely demise due to his own rotten decisions. I find this film as a whole to be the most solid in the franchise. It’s one I can return to time and again, especially as the leaves begin to change and the nights become longer.
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Team Jacob? I don’t know her, and neither does Robert Pattinson, apparently. Eclipse, however, brings our love triangle to a head in the most tumultuous of circumstances, and for that reason, it is the film I dread rewatching every single year. As a die-hard Team Edward girlie, I tend to purposely forget this film exists. Ironic, considering we see much less of Edward Cullen in the previous film than we do in this one, I know.
Despite the fact that this film is not a favourite, there are bright spots to be found throughout. For instance, it ends (I kid, and yet…). As much as this film in particular focuses on the love triangle between Bella, Edward, and Jacob, it also serves as a culmination of the events of the previous two films. Victoria, played by Bryce Dallas Howard (Rachelle Lafevre in Twilight and New Moon), has been haunting the narrative since her romantic partner James (Cam Gigandet) was murdered by Edward for going after Bella in the first film. Seeking revenge for the death of her lover, she brings an army of newborn vampires to town, and the only way to save Bella from a slow, torturous death is for her two beaus to put aside their age-old enmity and work together.
In the end, Bella chooses between who she believes she should be and who she truly is.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1
Wedding bells are ringing in Forks, Washington, and you’ll never forget the lyrics to Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years” for as long as you breathe. There has never been a film that embodies the bone-chilling millennial fear of getting pregnant and dying more than Breaking Dawn – Part 1. It is in this film that Bella finds out there are more terrifying things than growing old, such as realizing a 109-year-old’s baby might not have been the most ideal end to your mortal life.
I won’t lie, I actually love this film.
It’s ridiculous, just like its source material, and I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. Well, the first half of the film deals with Bella’s desire to have her last purely human experience with Edward before becoming a vampire; the second half deals with the very real consequences of those actions. I guess if there is any way to go, it’s due to a destroyed headboard and the sacrifice of several feather pillows. Bravo, Edward Cullen!
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2
Bella has finally joined the ranks of the sparkly vampires after the birth of her and Edward’s daughter, Renesmee, which could only be described as deeply traumatic. Alas, just when you think Bella Swan and Edward Cullen are ready to begin their forever, one last obstacle must make their presence known. The Volturi, who have been waiting for Bella to become a vampire since the end of New Moon, find out about the birth of Renesmee and, of course, chaos ensues.
A half-human, half-vampire offspring? Unheard of!
Thus begins the final chapter of the Twilight Saga. Well, I’ve personally always found the end of a journey to be bittersweet; this truly felt like the end of an era. Twilight was released in theatres during my freshman year of high school, and Breaking Dawn – Part 2 hit theatres just six months after my senior year. I never knew what to expect when I picked up the first book in 2007 or what an indelible mark it would leave on me, but I’m so grateful I know exactly how the lion fell in love with the lamb. No matter how foolish or masochistic they may be.
I am unconditionally and irrevocably in love with this series. And I always will be. Forever.