Twilight...I'm clueless, please fill me in

AcousticMonster

AcousticMonster

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Okay, so I got some spare time on my hands last weekend, I have Netflix, thus decided to see what all this Twilight hubbub was about. After sitting through the movie with a dumb struck look on my face, I can honestly say "I don't get it". :eek:

I love horror movies; and Vampire/Werewolf are my favorites. But this one made no sense to me. Has anyone here read the books?

Questions

1. Ok, so the vampire characters are between one hundred and several hundred years old. Why are they wasting their lives going to high school? If they are living in the north western region to stay out of the daylight, why would they risk exposing themselves to humans by intermingling on a daily basis?

2. Is the main vampire character so bored that he needs a teenage drama queen, with no life experience to keep him company? I don't get that part.

3. Wouldn't the locals finally figure out there is something odd about the vampires. You know, after several years when they see the family is not aging.


Are the books better then the movie?
 
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You need to read all four books to figure it out :).

j/k... I have no idea. My daughter owns all things Twilight, so I'll ask her.
 
AcousticMonster said:
Okay, so I got some spare time on my hands last weekend, I have Netflix, thus decided to see what all this Twilight hubbub was about. After sitting through the movie with a dumb struck look on my face, I can honestly say "I don't get it". :eek:

I love horror movies; and Vampire/Werewolf are my favorites. But this one made no sense to me. Has anyone here read the books?

Questions

1. Ok, so the vampire characters are between one hundred and several hundred years old. Why are they wasting their lives going to high school? If they are living in the north western region to stay out of the daylight, why would they risk exposing themselves to humans by intermingling on a daily basis?

2. Is the main vampire character so bored that he needs a teenage drama queen, with no life experience to keep him company? I don't get that part.

3. Wouldn't the locals finally figure out there is something odd about the vampires. You know, after several years when they see the family is not aging.


Are the books better then the movie?
Click to expand...


Alright, I admit it, I've read all 4 books and part of what was leaked of book 5 (the compliment to book 1). The series was a recomendation of a friend and even though it's really meant for tweens (and female ones at that), I found it fairly enjoyable - not as great as Harry Potter, but good in its own way. When you're watching the movie, you just have to remember that it's not a horror/thriller; it's a teen drama/romance (I failed to mention that to my dad and I think he's still pissed at me for not giving him some advanced warning).

1. Vampires (in this series) do enjoy the daylight. They don't like being restricted from a "human" way of life. This family even moreso since they are "vegetarians" and do not drink human blood (they hunt large animals instead - mountain lions, bears, elk, etc). It's easier to live in an area if there's very little sunlight so they don't have to restrict themselves to the night.

2. The main character is a little bored. However the female lead, Bella's blood has a scent that is much more enticing than any other human he has encountered before (like heroin to a heroin addict or a fine wiskey in a room full of beer to a recovering alcohoic - she is just much more tempting to him even though he does not drink human blood). In the beginning, he actually wants to murder her (in front of the entire biology class, which would require him to kill every person in that class as well) - that's how powerfully tempting her blood is for him)

3. The family does move around every few years. The 'kids' are perpetually in their late teens so they go to high school as part of the charade of being human but then they disappear after graduation or shortly thereafter. They like to act human so they have to play the roles that they are restricted to by their apparent age.

There you go! So, the movie was good if you liked the books, horrible if you didn't (or hadn't read them) and could have been better if there was an ukulele instead of a piano in it.

I have to say that replying to this thread with such gusto, in hindsight, is a little emmasculating - I just need that pink Flea now and I'm officially a 12-year-old girl.
 
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What I don't get is how anyone could get through the books at all much less the movie. I read half of the first book I tried really hard to finish it. really really hard. I have no problem with tween books, I read all of the Harry Potters and loved them. My 30 and 27 year old cousins recommended them too me, they loved them. Why? Why do grown women like these books? Why? I can get past the silly plot. I could not get over the atrocious writing.I could not read one more sentence telling me how beautiful whats his name is and how clumsy whats her name is. The whole damsel in distress thing was really annoying. We had the movie playing as background noise as we played MTG and had to turn it off. We were not even paying attention to it and had to turn it off. So in other words...NO the books (well 1/2 a book) are not better than the movie.
 
AcousticMonster said:
After sitting through the movie with a dumb struck look on my face, I can honestly say "I don't get it". :eek:
Click to expand...
I think the fact that you're trying to is the problem...celebrate the fact that you don't!
 
CoffeeMate said:
The whole damsel in distress thing was really annoying.
Click to expand...

I didn't read it as a damsel in distress. I found that she saved him more than he saved her (but that was after finishing the series). Note: I'm also very bad a not finishing a series that I've started - no matter how good or bad it is. I just want to see how it all ends. I found the movie to be very similar to the book. Much moreso than most book-to-movie translations. My biggest problem with the books is that books 1, 2 and 4 are very anti-climactic. She builds and builds to these should-have-been a great battle but then... nothing! I'm not really defending the series. While I appreciated the books, they are still no Harry Potter (even though they've outsold the HP books in some instances) I didn't love them when I first read them either. But there are aspects of the books that I did enjoy (as well as aspects that I hated). If were a pass/fail situation, I'd say the books passed.
 
Rubbertoe said:
Alright, I admit it, I've read all 4 books and part of what was leaked of book 5 (the compliment to book 1). The series was a recomendation of a friend and even though it's really meant for tweens (and female ones at that), I found it fairly enjoyable - not as great as Harry Potter, but good in its own way. When you're watching the movie, you just have to remember that it's not a horror/thriller; it's a teen drama/romance (I failed to mention that to my dad and I think he's still pissed at me for not giving him some advanced warning).

1. Vampires (in this series) do enjoy the daylight. They don't like being restricted from a "human" way of life. This family even moreso since they are "vegetarians" and do not drink human blood (they hunt large animals instead - mountain lions, bears, elk, etc). It's easier to live in an area if there's very little sunlight so they don't have to restrict themselves to the night.

2. The main character is a little bored. However the female lead, Bella's blood has a scent that is much more enticing than any other human he has encountered before (like heroin to a heroin addict or a fine wiskey in a room full of beer to a recovering alcohoic - she is just much more tempting to him even though he does not drink human blood). In the beginning, he actually wants to murder her (in front of the entire biology class, which would require him to kill every person in that class as well) - that's how powerfully tempting her blood is for him)

3. The family does move around every few years. The 'kids' are perpetually in their late teens so they go to high school as part of the charade of being human but then they disappear after graduation or shortly thereafter. They like to act human so they have to play the roles that they are restricted to by their apparent age.

There you go! So, the movie was good if you liked the books, horrible if you didn't (or hadn't read them) and could have been better if there was an ukulele instead of a piano in it.

I have to say that replying to this thread with such gusto, in hindsight, is a little emmasculating - I just need that pink Flea now and I'm officially a 12-year-old girl.
Click to expand...

Cool, thanks for filling the holes in for me. I figured that the movie was just a super condensed version of the books, but it still left me scratching my head. Of coarse I was a huge Anne Rice fan and those movies were so-so as well. I guess I will stick to Anne's vampire lore (even though she beat that horse to death, lol).

Link said:
I forced myself through 2 books, and my ex made me take her to the movie. Worst books I've ever read, worst movie I've seen in many years. Boring, predictable, cheesy.
Click to expand...

LOL, I didn't think the movie was thaaaaat bad. I've definitely seen some worse ones in the past few years. Netflix has a plethora of them. :D
 
The books aren't any better than the movie. While I respect the opinions of those who like the series, I really have to say I don't. I agree with Rubbertoe- If you like horror, they are not for you, because there's none. It's just bad romance. There are no real fight scenes, and nobody significant ever dies or has anything bad happen to them.

Anyway, I have answers to your questions that are different than Rubbertoe gave. (I have read all the books.)

1. I have no idea. Like Rubbertoe said, they stay in areas that have fewer sunny days, but the high school thing doesn't make sense to me. Although it allows them to stay in certain places longer if they pretend to be younger, I still don't get why they can't pretend to be home-schooled. They don't go to school for the learning (apparently they know everything they need to know already) and it's certainly not for the socialization, as the Cullens only hang out with each other, and as far as I know, didn't really interact with any other students until Bella. Honestly, I think it's just a bad plot device.

2. Yes. Their love makes no sense. They never do anything together but talk about how great their love is, try to keep Bella alive. Once they watch Romeo and Juliet, and Edward thinks it's funny when Bella cries at the end. To me, the relationship is based on infatuation rather than actual love, which is pretty creepy when you think about how a 107-year-old likes a teenager. The author thinks she's Bella and she loves Edward, that's why.

3. What Rubbertoe said.

Again, I mean no offense to anybody who enjoys these books/movie, I just don't.
 
Luna said:
The books aren't any better than the movie. While I respect the opinions of those who like the series, I really have to say I don't. I agree with Rubbertoe- If you like horror, they are not for you, because there's none. It's just bad romance. There are no real fight scenes, and nobody significant ever dies or has anything bad happen to them.

Anyway, I have answers to your questions that are different than Rubbertoe gave. (I have read all the books.)

1. I have no idea. Like Rubbertoe said, they stay in areas that have fewer sunny days, but the high school thing doesn't make sense to me. Although it allows them to stay in certain places longer if they pretend to be younger, I still don't get why they can't pretend to be home-schooled. They don't go to school for the learning (apparently they know everything they need to know already) and it's certainly not for the socialization, as the Cullens only hang out with each other, and as far as I know, didn't really interact with any other students until Bella. Honestly, I think it's just a bad plot device.

2. Yes. Their love makes no sense. They never do anything together but talk about how great their love is, try to keep Bella alive. Once they watch Romeo and Juliet, and Edward thinks it's funny when Bella cries at the end. To me, the relationship is based on infatuation rather than actual love, which is pretty creepy when you think about how a 107-year-old likes a teenager. The author thinks she's Bella and she loves Edward, that's why.

3. What Rubbertoe said.

Again, I mean no offense to anybody who enjoys these books/movie, I just don't.
Click to expand...
I love you.
 
From what my friend tells me, the book is written by a Mormon housewife who is trying to convey Mormon ideals through this fantasy story that she actually had a dream about. One of the main message is about abstinence, which is probably why the story seems anticlimactic. ;)

I have not seen the movie nor read the books so I can't judge. But based on the descriptions it seems like it might be a cheap knock-off of Angel which was a brilliant series.
 
UkuLeLesReggAe said:
its stupid, simple.
i dont like these horror movie, warewolves? vampires.. the last thing on my mind is thinking a vampire is going to come through my window and kill me
Click to expand...

I wouldn't mind it...as long as the vampire was really cute - like Jessica Alba or Kate Beckinsale! :p

khrome said:
From what my friend tells me, the book is written by a Mormon housewife who is trying to convey Mormon ideals through this fantasy story that she actually had a dream about. One of the main message is about abstinence, which is probably why the story seems anticlimactic. ;)

I have not seen the movie nor read the books so I can't judge. But based on the descriptions it seems like it might be a cheap knock-off of Angel which was a brilliant series.
Click to expand...

Angel? LOL, so is it true girls will watch anything as long as it has a cute guy in it? I watched Buffy for a while, but it got kind of weird.
 
AcousticMonster said:
Angel? LOL, so is it true girls will watch anything as long as it has a cute guy in it? I watched Buffy for a while, but it got kind of weird.
Click to expand...

lol I'm not the girl to ask. I'd watch someone who has brains and/or talent over what they look like. For example, I love watching House and he's not your standard definition of cute. It's all about his character and the writing of the show. I guess my observation of most women is yes - they seem to like to watch anything with a cute guy in it, but I don't get it. lol

BTW, I don't think Angel was that cute, so my tastes are different too, I guess. I thought Spike was pretty hawt tho. *drool* But it wasn't enough to keep me watching buffy when the writing started going downhill.
 
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khrome said:
lol I'm not the girl to ask. I'd watch someone who has brains and/or talent over what they look like. For example, I love watching House and he's not your standard definition of cute. It's all about his character and the writing of the show. I guess my observation of most women is yes - they seem to like to watch anything with a cute guy in it, but I don't get it. lol

BTW, I don't think Angel was that cute, so my tastes are different too, I guess. I thought Spike was pretty hawt tho. *drool* But it wasn't enough to keep me watching buffy when the writing started going downhill.
Click to expand...

LOL, I know...I'm just giving you crap. :p

Funny though, at work I have to watch the soaps in the break room at lunch. Days of Our Lives is totally funny because each week it seems the guys have to take turns being shirtless. The ladies must like shirtless guys, lol. Must be in their contracts.
 
khrome said:
From what my friend tells me, the book is written by a Mormon housewife who is trying to convey Mormon ideals through this fantasy story that she actually had a dream about. One of the main message is about abstinence, which is probably why the story seems anticlimactic. ;)
Click to expand...

Basically, yes. Well, until the last book. Also, the author thinks she's Bella, so that makes it much, much worse because we get to hear literally dozens of times per book (my friend counted, so I have to check, but I'm pretty sure it goes over a hundred) how attractive all of the characters are. (The ones you're supposed to like.) Basically, everyone good and important is attractive, except for a handful of attractive villains who are not quite as attractive as the protagonists. And in the last book, Bella gets to talk about how beautiful she is. So besides abstinence, the main message seems to be "stick with your first boyfriend who you met in high school, don't go to college, and despite a bit of completely anticlimactic trouble, your life will turn out perfectly."

Also, in case you thought the series was absurd enough already: Several minutes after Bella gives birth to the most perfect and special child that the world has ever seen, Jacob, (who is about 16 and basically until that moment loved Bella,) imprints on the kid. This means that when the daughter is grown up, they will become a couple. And the best part of all of this is that for no reason at all, the child grows three times faster than normal kids, so when she looks and feels like an adult, and is ready to become Jacob's wife, she'll really be seven years old, the lover of a 23-year-old man. I kid you not.
 
Luna, that does sound quite absurd. Now I have to read the books, for the lulz.

Don't worry, though; I'll pirate them. ;)

Yar-har, fiddle-dee-dee,
Being a pirate is alright with me!
Do what you want 'cause a pirate is free,
You are a pirate! [/lazytown]
 
Captain Google said:
Luna, that does sound quite absurd. Now I have to read the books, for the lulz.

Don't worry, though; I'll pirate them. ;)

Yar-har, fiddle-dee-dee,
Being a pirate is alright with me!
Do what you want 'cause a pirate is free,
You are a pirate! [/lazytown]
Click to expand...

I love lazy town! Sportacus rules, Robbie Rotten drools! Euro dance kid show for those not in the know. :smileybounce:
 
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