After all five Twilight movies became available on Netflix, I figured it was time to re-watch the saga and glean that sense of nostalgia that accompanies any movie from childhood. As I began to watch the first film, I felt a great deal of comfort come over me as Bella’s high school experience unfolded, set in the now-infamous town of Forks, WA, only one hour from my own hometown.
However, mixed in with my feelings of sentimentality and moments of laughter at cringe-worthy scenes, I became painfully aware of all the issues I have with Twilight as an adult.
First: the age difference. While Edward looks like a teenager, he is still roughly one hundred years older than Bella, with far more knowledge and decades more life experience. He grew up in a completely different time period (the early 1900s) and as a result, he holds different beliefs and speaks differently than Bella. While some fans think this makes Edward more of a chivalrous romantic and is a symbol of the couple’s timeless love, I find it more unsettling than anything. Even though this is Edward’s first kiss and first relationship as well, he does not really have the same adolescent mindset that Bella does, and rather maintains a sort of grandfatherly wisdom.
In regards to Bella and Edward’s relationship, the co-dependency it contains shortly after they began dating (again, while Bella is only sixteen) is incredibly unsettling. While it may illustrate their undying love for each other, and it may also be explained by the entrancement vampires (like Edward) can have over humans, it sends an extremely unhealthy message to young fans about romantic relationships, and the severity of high school relationships in general. Bella and Edward are possessive over each other from the beginning, and it doesn’t get much better as the saga progresses.
Furthermore, many interactions between the couple unintentionally feel forced and left viewers (including myself) feeling uncomfortable and with a sense of second-hand embarrassment. Despite the two actors briefly dating in real life, many of the romantic scenes feel arranged or set up. Additionally, Jacob and Bella’s relationship seems to lack sexual tension; despite Jacob supposedly lusting after Bella and Bella having feelings for him as well.
Despite Jacob insisting that he is a far better match for Bella than Edward, and his constant efforts to prove how “nice” he is, he is just as possessive and manipulative as Edward. While it is worth noting that Bella is not always the most open or honest with him, especially when it comes to the status of her and Edward’s relationship, it’s ultimately her business and it doesn’t excuse his manipulative behavior.
As if Jacob’s behavior towards Bella wasn’t already questionable at times, his behavior towards Renesmee, Bella’s infant daughter, is even weirder. He explains to Bella in the third movie, Eclipse, that most werewolves (including himself) “imprint” on someone who is supposedly their soulmate and will later be their romantic partner. Shortly after, members of the pack say they hope Jacob will imprint on someone soon so that he won’t continue to yearn over Bella. Later in the saga, Jacob imprints on Bella’s newborn daughter Renesmee. While he explains that “imprinting” is essentially intense feelings of defense and protection, and is not necessarily indicative of romantic love, this is inconsistent with his original explanation. It doesn’t help that in the film there is a brief depiction of a possible future with Bella and Edward together on a beach (presumably La Push beach) as Jacob and Renesmee walk as a couple close by. The whole situation feels creepy and predatory, and I was sad to see this be the end of Jacob’s story when I had been generally fond of his character up until this point.
All in all, both the novels and film adaptations of the Twilight saga have a great deal of plot holes, inconsistency, and unsettling details. While it’s sad to look back on films I loved during my childhood with such critique, it’s encouraging to see how far we’ve come as a society in recent years to the point where we’re able to recognize these issues. However, I still love the Twilight saga despite its flaws, and would encourage everyone to go watch the five films on Netflix as Halloween approaches :)