Tonight I will go with a group of crazy, middle aged women to see the last in the Twilight Saga movies. It's been a crazy and wonderful ride and I'm excited to be going. I started this journey because my niece insisted that I read the books. I had heard about the vampires and werewolves and the love story and all I could think was, "Why doesn't he just go ahead and bite her and get it over with?" Other than Stephen King, I'm not much for supernatural stuff so to say I was a skeptic would be putting it mildly.
Then she sent me the books.
About a week after they arrived, I finally started reading and didn't stop until I had read the entire series twice and the last book, Breaking Dawn, four frickin' times! I have purchased all of the movies and re-watched the first one at least five times. I went to see New Moon seven times. The others I have seen at least twice. And the funny thing is I'm not one bit ashamed. Stephenie Meyers is not the best writer in the world (although she improved as the series progressed) and the material is distinctly juvenile but hot damn! I am addicted to these vamps and their drama.
I think the attraction is the romance factor of the novels. Many of us remember "bodice rippers" from our past. Those are the romance novels with the hot guy on the cover with long flowing locks, dressed like a pirate ripping the bodice from some young, chesty female with equally long, flowing locks. They were written for women, by women (mostly) because they tapped into that fairy tale, sweep me off my feet and ravage my body need that so many of us have (well...at least those hopeless romantic types like me). The Twilight Saga has all of this plus some supernatural qualities that make "happily ever after" really mean "happily ever after".
And the movies did a really good job of following the books. They were able to capture the mood without a four hour long movie (although many of us would have been happy to sit through a four hour long movie...AND pay extra for the privilege). And since all the actors returned for every movie, the continuity and integrity of the books was maintained.
Look - I am well aware that these books are not literary masterpieces nor are the movies going to win any Oscars; but they make legions of girls, women and a few men (my boys like the whole werewolf battle thing) happy and not take themselves so seriously. I love Hemingway and Shakespeare and have been known to watch Gone With the Wind over and over, but I also like cartoons, Cap'n Crunch and Legos. The Twilight Saga fits somewhere in between.
I won't mourn the end like I have the Harry Potter series - that was like watching one of my children grow up and go away - but I am sad that this particular adventure will end this evening.
Then again...I do own all four books on my Kindle and will soon own all five movies...
Namaste
Don't apologize. I still like bodice burners but these days they have to have some witty repertoire in between the between the sheets scenes.
ReplyDeleteI read the first 2 of the Twilight series and then couldn't finish the 3rd. That seems to be my MO these days concerning books, I read the first two of the Stieg Larssen books and the third has been on my kindle for 3 (?) years unopened, same with the Hunger Games. These books aren't really my favorite genre but also I find I just can't seem to finish a book these days. Since I've quit drinking it's like my brain neurons are firing too fast and I can't concentrate that long.
I hope it goes away.
I saw the movie yesterday and loved it! I thought it was the best of the series. The closing wrap up almost had me in tears...
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