If you were a teen or pre-teen from 2008-2012, then you are no stranger to The Twilight Saga and the cultural impact that Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), and Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) had on our generation. After Netflix released the entire Twilight saga this in July, I knew I would have to revisit the series to see if it held up to the standards that we set for the films back in 2011. I did just that, and after devoting another 607 minutes of my life to Twilight, I had no regrets. Unsurprisingly, the films were just how I remembered. However, now that I’m older, I noticed a lot of things I hadn’t picked up on before or had forgotten, most notably, the abundance of lip bites and strange glares from Kristen Stewart. It’s this, along with the sometimes cringe-worthy acting and confusing love triangle throughout the series that make the movies so meme-able and relevant in contemporary pop culture. The awkward moments, like how the vampires act when exposed to human blood, are the moments you can’t help but laugh at, which is why I think the Twilight movies are some of the greatest bad movies of all time.
    If, for some reason, you are unfamiliar with the plotline of the series, the story begins with Bella Swan moving to live with her dad in Forks, Washington, which has the perfect weather for vampires since it is constantly overcast. While making new friends, Bella is introduced to the Cullen family, which has an elusive reputation at the high school. She becomes instantly intrigued by them, especially Edward Cullen. We later discover the Cullens are vampires, and after falling for Edward, Bella hopes to become one as well. Her wish is complicated by her childhood friend, Jacob Black, who just so happens to be a werewolf with an ongoing rivalry with the Cullen family. Ultimately, *spoiler alert* after a dramatic series of events, Edward and Bella end up getting married and she becomes a vampire. The drama doesn’t stop there, as Bella Swan then gets pregnant and gives birth to a CGI human/vampire hybrid. However, at the core of the movies are mainly the romantic lives of the characters, especially the love triangle between Edward, Jacob, and Bella. It became an important part of pop culture history as people at the time weighed the pros and cons of each love interest and declared themselves as either team Edward or team Jacob. (I was team Edward, of course.)
    When compared to other depictions of vampires we see in horror movies and other media, Stephenie Meyer’s vampires stand out. While Meyer used some of the conventional features of vampires in these characters, like pale skin and piercing eyes, it’s things like skin that glitters in the sunlight that makes the Twilight vampires so captivating to teen audiences. In older films, like Dracula’s Daughter, we are more likely to see a very conventional representation of vampires with dark hair, captivating features, a special power, and of course, a thirst for human blood. These characteristics make it clear that the audience should be fearful of these creatures, but Twilight complicates those stereotypes. The vampire family shown in the films, the Cullens, are self-proclaimed “vegetarian” vampires who don’t drink human blood; instead, they drink animal blood. This choice was probably made by Stephenie Meyer to make the series less gory and increase the audience’s ability to empathize with the vampires.
 While the books were written in a serious tone, it didn’t necessarily transfer on screen. Throughout the series, some of the over-dramatized scenes of the vampires running through the forest, jumping through the trees, and fighting the werewolves almost come off as comedic relief. The werewolves have their fair share of cringe moments, too. For example, in Breaking Dawn, there’s a scene where the werewolves argue while they are in their animal bodies with voiceovers from the actors, which makes for some strange and confusing imagery. Aside from some awkward acting moments that took place as a result of the super strength and super speed, I think the films succeeded in romanticizing the lives of vampires more than we typically see in film and TV. Overall, I feel that Twilight will continue to be relevant in pop culture for years to come because of the acting, the accidental comedic elements, and one of the most iconic love stories of the 21st century.

Written by: Isabella Harrison

Art by: Ana Guardado | Instagram