Offhand, it would be hard to think of a pop phenomenon as rapturously beloved as the Twilight saga that is also as vociferously hated. Read the full post.
Nov 26
2009
10:28 AM ET
'New Moon': Why its girl-driven success is good for the future of movies
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Oh please Owen. This will change nothing in the long term. Every few years, a movie comes along where people say it’s going to change the movie industry where girls and/or women are driving a movie to success and that it’s a sign things will change. You all at EW said similar things when Titanic came out. When ‘She’s All That’ and it’s clones came out. Weren’t you all just saying the same thing a year or 2 ago when ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ came out? Had there not been the faithful fans of the book, I doubt the movies would have been this succcessful. If anything, this is spawning a vampire trend, but beyond that, I doubt things will change in the long term as far as Hollywood is concerned. Well, until the next phenomenon that comes along and has girls and/or women lining up to see it.
Whilst I have nothing against people who enjoy reading the Twilight series, or even like the movies, I just can’t understand why some people think that Edward Cullen is the perfect man, or that Bella represents all young women, or that Stephenie Meyer is a wonderful writer. How can Bella be a role model when the series makes it seem like teenage girls should reject their family and friends for a stalker who “sparkles in the sun”? Hate is a strong emotion and I don’t care about Twilight enough to hate. But I do hate how some fans are over-defensive when others have their own opinion about Twilight. Not all teenage girls love the series/movies.
Let’s be clear: Transformers 2 didn’t suck because it was aimed at men. It sucked because it sucked. I enjoy plenty of so-called “male-aimed” movies, and many “female-aimed” movies. Being a female didn’t make me like Twilight (either the books or the movies). Actually, my dislike of them actually stems from the fact that I AM a woman. And I’m by far not the only one. What about women who don’t like Twilight? What’s our place in your scheme of things, Owen?
I know Twilight fans don’t like to be stereotyped as being functionally illiterate teenage girls. On my end, I don’t like being stereotyped as a Twihard just because I have girl parts.
How about instead of making movies “for men” or “for women,” we just get good movies? If the story is decent and the movie’s good, it will appeal equally to both genders and we can put aside this ridiculous battle of the sexes crap.
Rock on, Kelsey. I should like Twilight. I love vampires and young adult literature. I believe in abstinence until marriage and I’m pro-life, all of which have been argued as messages preached within the books. However, for all of that, there’s a thing called quality, and I don’t find it in Meyer’s writing or the series in general. Yes, I think Chris is a good filmmaker, but you can’t do much with such a weak story besides make the werewolves fight like armored bears. I am the Twilight demographic, and I am insulted by being grouped as such.
Good for you girls!
This.
The main problem I have with Twilight is that it’s always on the news, tv and magazine covers. It’s everywhere! I didn’t like Twilight to begin with and dislike it even more now because it’s hard to avoid seeing/hearing about Twilight.
From reading most of these comments, it seems that the Twilight series is most liked by girls as empty and stupid as Bella.
Oh, thank you. Thank you SO very much! This article, for me, was just as much of a Thanksgiving gift as reading Lisa’a B+ New Moon review. I almost died when I read that today, I couldn’t believe she had the gumption to stand up for liking/or seeing what was likeable, about it.
I can’t even read the comments on your site anymore because as a true and deep Twilight fanatic, they eventually rile me up, piss me off, or actually start to hurt my feelings a little bit!
I wish more entertainment journalists and film “critics” would point out the root of the hypocrisy displayed by the haters of this film. As I have pointed out in previous posts here and on the TwilightSaga.com, the two moives above TTS:NM (in total opening weekend gross) are the Dark Knight and Spiderman 3- GEEKBOY FANTASIES adapted from comic books directed towards boys and men! Why is it that men are welcome to regress and be young again, but women are not? I’m 32, and when I saw Twilight for the first time, the thing about it that captured my heart was that it reawakened the feeling of fresh teenage love, and by god, it made me want to feel that way again! The Twilight movies and the love for them by women of all ages can be compared to why girls love cats and guys love dogs- cats are there to be snuggled and talked to and loved with a quiet kind of seriousness. Dogs are there to be romped and played with and are goofy and funny but loveable (no comments please on guys who love cats and vice versa, I think you get my point, no?).
Why are we insulted when all we did was fall for a story, read 4 dense books and shell out a ton of frikkin’ money (in this economy no less) to support them? And even worse, as you noted, why do most of the actor attacks have to be centered on Kristen? She is young and a grwoing actress, and for many of us has done a more than admirable job becoming our Bella.
For all the TwiHaters, just LAY OFF. I could spend my time searching online for places where I could BlogBash Transformers, Spiderman, GI Joe, the Dark Knight and every other comic book or cartoon adaptation, but I don’t.
But since I’m on the subject- when was the last time a blockbuster was made targeted towards young males that was spun off an actual BOOK??
and pardon the typos, too much turkey and not enough sleep!
Boys aren’t scared of Twilight. Boys are just less likely to be “dazzled” by the thinly-veiled wish fulfilment fantasy, and recognise this series for the drivel it is.
Yawn. A moody teenage girl who is completely dependent on boys, utterly obsessed with a guy who clearly isn’t that into her and who constantly ignores the advice of her friends and family, as well as her own goals, to seek out said guy. Yeah that’s a real great role model for girls. Did it ever occur to you that’s what people might be objecting to? Personally I object to these movies because they’re crappy and encourage the making of other poorly written, lazy, crappy movies by Hollywood. But then again I am a guy. Who knows, I could be secretly threatened by Twilight’s success. You’re so right, Owen.
Makes no sense. I’m sorry but the old line if you really dislike something don’t say anything at all makes no sense. If people strongly dislike this movie, why wouldn’t they say so? Moreover why are people who like the movie so threatened by others saying they don’t? If you truly like it and truly thought it was a good movie, why should it matter that other people dislike it? My guess is some of you who are defending this either feel guilty or realize these really aren’t very good movies after all and the attacks are valid.
Isn’t this just Pretty In Pink with fangs?
I’m a guy and I hate New Moon not because of the fangirls or the actors in the movie but simply because it is a bad movie, which is expected as its source material is so poorly written ad plagued with poorly developed and one-dimensional characters. And I also hate Transformers for the same reason. Because it is a bad movie. So calling this whole Twilight phenomenon as good for the future of movies? I don’t think so…
Hey, bignick, to answer your concern about vampire erections:
If eXtenZe didn’t do something pretty amazing, could they afford to do this?
I love that there is finally a female driven movie out there that me and my daughter can enjoy together. I like the plot , and enjoyed the acting , and if you don’t then stop watching. It’s very simple (just close your eyes and walk away)!
To be perfectley honest, I wouldn t try any kind of analysis:theoretical- what kind of a woman or role model Bella is, what does it ALL mean; or literary. Not with books on this level of writing.
Having said that I have to say also that I am a huge fan. New moon is not a very good movie, but as said criticism doesn t work on this kind of material.
Sometimes things are just what they appear to be- in this case a love story written by a stay at home mom “who remembers what is like beeing seventeen” (Stephanie Meyer in an interview
with MTV).
Or maybe everyone is missing the point. Maybe it is not a love story about vampires, but a story about stay at home moms in their 30es.
Owen, thank you for the post. Just the other day I was making a similar point to my boyfriend. The resentment of some ‘boys’ towards the Twilight movie is caused by a sense of entitlement: ‘boys’ are accustomed to studios making movies predominantly for them.
To make it clear, I have no interest in the Twilight series, and New Moon is quite possibly not a good movie, but how many crappy ‘boy’ films have come out this year? Wolverine, T4, TF2, 2012, each of them three or four times more expensive than New Moon. Sure, they get their fair share of Internet dissing, but nowhere near the amount of resentment this lonely movie ‘for girls’ gets.
And that’s not just Twilight. Remember Titanic? Or The Sex & the City last year? Male reaction to it was so violent, it was grotesque.
Boys, whether you like it or not, New Moon is turning out the biggest movie of the year (something Freudean in that size-measuring, don’t you find?).
Get over it boys.