Vampires Don't Sparkle

"The only time a vampire should sparkle is right before he bursts into flames." - My Dad

I almost died when my dad said that after I had intially described what Twilight was about. I have to completely agree. I'm not a huge fan of the vampire myths. I disliked every Anne Rice book I attempted to read. (I also disliked most of the movies as well with the exception of Interview with a Vampire.) I never went as a vampire for Halloween as a kid. I was always more a zombie kind of gal.

I have to say however that when it comes to my vampire myths, I'm perfer tradition over inovation. Dracula (Bela Lagosi) is still the biggest lady killer I know. Edward (Robert Pattinson) ain't got nothin' on him. So when a friend of mine told me to read Twilight (recommendation including a detailed account of pretty much the whole book), I was a little apprehensive going into it. I eventually gave up after five chapters.

You would think that due to this, I would not go to see the film. Unfortunately for me, I was dragged along with a group of friends who loved the book series. Sure, I never finished the whole book, so you can consider my opinion unimportant. Book or not, though, this was a horrible movie.

The acting was incrediably stilted, and it's not the actors. I have seen most of these actors in other films where I thought that they did fantastic jobs. (see Kristen Stewart in Adventureland and Jackson Rathebone in S. Darko) I blame the script. The dialogue between characters sounded forced. There were periods where I thought that my eight year old cousin could have written it better.

Granted, I don't usually go for romance movies. I do have a select few that I admit are brillantly done, though. (Ever After, Uptown Girls, etc.) The chemistry between Bella (Stewart) and Edward is non-existant. It seems that the only reason Bella really stays with Edward is because it feels rebelious. "Oh, your boyfriend is captain of the football team? Well, mine's immortal and sparkles like a pansy in the sunlight."

Oh, and let's not forget the obvious machoism associated with Edward. Bella can never seem to fight for herself. Edward has to protect her from the other vampires when they interrupt the baseball game. Then he comes to rescue when James (Cam Gigandet) kidnaps her.

I'm sorry, but I think that Twilight is teaching young girls that it's okay to set ourselves back fifty years. Without Edward, Bella is an emotionless, worthless person. Yet when Edward is around she's HIS emotionless, worthless trophy girlfriend. There are so many better movies (and books) out there for young girls (and their crazy moms) to read with better role models. I just wish that for once something worthwhile could become the next trend.