Twilight started as fanfiction based on My Chemical Romance. I could end the article here. There is a lot to unpack. I’m focusing on the movies because I refuse to read the books. (And no, I don’t need to. It does not get better.) 

     The Twilight Saga is one of the most popular franchises, up there with Harry Potter. The movie, adapted from Stephanie Meyer’s original book series, stars Kristen Stewert and Robert Pattison. The story starts with Bella Swan, the typical “not-like-other-girls,” reclusive main character who is about as interesting as a piece of cardboard. She moves off to a small town in the Pacific Northwest, where she meets the Cullens, a family of vampires. From there, she falls in love with one of the vampire sons, Edward Cullen. Does the fact that they have a 91-year age gap and that he is not human deter her? No. Not at all. Throw in a jealous werewolf friend, and boom, you have a messy love triangle that makes you want to pluck your eyes out with a fork. 

     Now, let’s focus on the characters. There is no character depth whatsoever. I have already described Bella. Her personality is the equivalent of a beige carpet. There’s no character development. She is just Bella and that is not good. Edward reminds me of a creepy old man because he technically is. Watching a girl sleep is creepy on all levels. Jacob, the werewolf friend, has serious issues (if you know, you know), and the only good thing about him is that Taylor Lautner plays him. There is no way you can possibly root for any of these characters. The only two I think are somewhat decent are Charlie Swan, Bella’s dad, and Carlisle Cullen, Edward’s dad. 

     Moving on to the plot of the book, honestly, it is dull. Bella falls in love with a vampire, Bella realizes that’s dangerous, Bella almost dies, Bella has conflicted feelings for her werewolf best friend, Bella doesn’t care. That’s the plot. A very poor plot, I might add. Nothing about the plot is original. There is no pizzazz, no sparkle. There is nothing unique in the plot that actually catches my attention. 

     The saga is so bad even Twilight fans realize it. The only reason most people even like the saga is because it is so bad and gives them something to laugh about. When they hit rock bottom, they watch Twilight and realize, wow, nothing is worse than that. It is a way to make them feel better about themselves because they know they will NEVER make the decision Bella Swan made throughout the story. 

     So, in short, why is Twilight so bad? Because there is nothing good about it. The characters are bad, the plot is bad, the production is bad. Where is the depth? The character development? The gripping plot? It isn’t there. So please, don’t waste your time. Skip this era. If you’re at rock bottom and need to feel better about yourself? Give it a try! You know you will never be as bad as this story.