Twilight - What's the Big Deal?

The film is OK (mainly helped along by the chemistry between Pattinson and Stewart, the leading roles) but after seeing the first film and reading the second book, I am left wondering - what's so great about Twilight?

Teens (particularly American ones) are going crazy for Stephanie Meyer's Romeo and Juliet love story, following the fortunes of Bella Swan and her 80 yr-old vampire boyfriend, Edward Cullen. The whole book is like a fanfiction for some other, better, story. Whatever happened to SHOW NOT TELL? I struggled to wade through the pages of self-indulgent narrative, as it took delight in its descriptions of the book's many flawless characters.
Don't get me wrong, it's decent enough when you get to the heart of the story - but overrated as hell.

Any thoughts?

 

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Stephanie Meyer made that fatal mistake a lot of writers make and got caught up in using her descriptive powers versus telling a story. It's simply not a very good story. All this Mormon Mary did was make bodice rippers palatable for teen girls' parents and a generation of dumpy Plain Janes can fiddle their fat little buttons to it. And I get something to read on the plane and complain about.

 

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There's only one, thoroughly unconvincing, sex scene in the whole series. Which leaves the heroine battered and bruised.
Never mind bodice-rippers, the whole trilogy is an extended advert for teenage abstinence. It's full of metaphors for the destructive nature of lust, and how it's best to stay away from 'that sort of thing' until after you are married (or else not at all).

It also portrays girls as innocent victims of the predatory habits of men.

 

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And this surprises you how?

Acceptable bodice ripper that makes sex look bad. Teen girls flushed and satisfied. Parents happy.

 

It surprises me because I'm not familiar with the repressed, purity ring-wearing, Bible-belt teen. In Britain they simply don't exist.

However, compare it to Harry Potter: he only manages first base after five books completely devoid of teenage sexuality.

 

You're missing out. Are you familiar with the "True Love Waits" oath some teens sign in churches not to have sex until their wedding night? Fab.

 

pardon but......are those clits?

 

What did you think I was talking about?

 

TJ: ... and a generation of dumpy Plain Janes can fiddle their fat little buttons to it

Too funny. I haven't seen the film yet. Stephen King has basically said Meyer's 'can't write a damn' which I found amusing since I always thought King a poor writer to say Clive Barker of the same genre. Whatever it is it seems to work but I do think it will be short lived, god I'd have thought we were all through with vampires but I really liked Underworld.

 

I love Barker as well.

King admits he's not hot shit in all his books, but the Dark Tower series is a stunning work. He's right on Meyer.

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Have you heard Anne Rice has become a christian and returned to the catholic church? Supposedly she only writes about catholic themes now and has given up her dark gothic ways.
Too bad, I loved her sleeping beauty series.

 

Craziness. Wait... Aren't Catholics little more than goths with a lot of guilt?

 

Come to think of it yes. I just hope she gets over it or at least if she chooses to be devout still channel her creativity in the books relating to her old themes. Maybe its too much to ask for someone who has returned to the church.

Here found it

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/december/11.50.html

Its an interesting article:

"Rice went to see a priest, to whom she made her confession for two hours. She discussed her writing in depth, her personal failings, and her hopes for a better life. Although her husband Stan's atheism had not changed, he readily agreed to be remarried in the Catholic church.

Even before she returned to faith, Rice had pondered writing a novel about Jesus. In 2002, she determined to do it. "I was in church, talking to the Lord, saying, 'I want everything I do to be for you,' " Rice remembers. "Then it hit me: 'It will be for you. All of it. Every word.' "
So Rice turned her research skills—honed from decades of writing historically based novels—to the New Testament. Rice decided to do something truly radical: treat the New Testament accounts as history. "Anyone can write a book about an off-the-wall Jesus, a magician. That's easy," Rice says. "But if we really believe the angel came to Mary, that there were shepherds, what was it like?

"It was more and more exciting to think about."
Coming at the subject fresh, Rice was shocked by the bias in some quarters.
"I wasn't prepared for the cynicism or bias against Jesus in biblical scholarship," Rice says. "I didn't know about the rancor in scholastic circles. People have built entire careers on tearing the gospel to pieces. I wasn't prepared for the degree of acid and vitriol … credentialed scholars from universities saying there was no Virgin Birth or [Christ] never walked on water."

She's gone loop de loop.

 

I think Catholic ceremonies are beautiful, but I'm a little disappointed that Annie thinks Magical Sky Fairy was sacrificed to appease Big Magical Sky Fairy and that accounts for the way we should act and think...

 

clits

 

And did you get your answer?

 

maybe
who wants to know?

 

1. i was reallllly disappointed by lack of creativity (skin in sunlight, fight scenes) and shitty vampires (other than edward and carlyle), and i was expecting it to suck.

2. that's what they do though. any port in a storm.

3. i haven't really heard anyone saying its better than it is, but i enjoyed the series. though for me it alternated between too gratifying and overly disappointing (cue anti-climax finale)

 

I haven't read the books or seen the movie. All I know is one of our shipping guys was reading the book, and he said it was great. He's dumb as a box of rocks, and everything he likes is crap to me...so I'm going to go out on a limb and say it sucks.

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You misspelled "19 year old receptionist" as "guy in shipping." Hehehe. Guy in shipping likes Twilight.