twilight confessions #2

Would crazed tweens all over the world cast stones at me if I admit that I didn’t like the movie adaptation of “Twilight?” It wasn’t so much the poorly applied make-up–judging by the barely stifled giggles of the audience when Dr. Cullen strode into Bella’s hospital room, I wasn’t the only one who found his espasol look funny. Neither was it the bad special effects, which made Edward look like he had applied a bit too much shimmery lotion when he stepped into the sun rather than magical and otherworldy.

At its core, “Twilight” is a love story between a vampire and a human. It became a hit, particularly among teen girls, not because Edward was a perfect guy vampire but because he loved Bella perfectly. Sadly, the movie fell short in telling this story.

How could she have fallen hopelessly, irrevocably in love with him when he was just plain rude to her? She fell even more in love with him when she found out he was a vampire. Strange girl! The movie failed to show how they formed a relationship, cautiously but surely, as Bella shared him her thoughts in their late-night conversations since he couldn’t read hers.

If I hadn’t read the book, I would have thought that Edward and Bella were particularly angsty teen-angers because they were perpetually scowling or unsmiling even when they were kissing. I wouldn’t have known that the reason Edward’s forehead was always scrunched up was because he couldn’t stand to be near her because her smell aroused his thirst.

My question is…did Bella really fall in love with him? Or was she merely dazzled?

What redeemed the movie for me was its soundtrack. “Supermassive Black Hole” by Muse was the perfect background music for the baseball scene. And when I first heard “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” while they danced in the gazebo, I wanted to text Bonbon at once to ask the title except I was too sleepy and she’s not on Sun (hehe if you’re reading this, peace!).