Twilight

Mark M. asked me the other day if I’ve heard of Twilight. I had heard something about it but didn’t know much, except that it is extremely popular. Sunday, I asked how many of the kids had seen the movie or read any of the books, and maybe one-third of the girls raised their hands.

Apparently, Twilight is huge with the junior high girl demographic. It’s #2 this week at the box office. It’s also controversial…a series of books detailing the (chaste) romance between a girl (Bella) and a vampire (Edward).

I decided to go see it today just to get a feel for the phenomenon. This isn’t a true “review”, but I want to offer a few thoughts that I hope will be helpful for kids and parents. Also, I’m trying to understand the franchise’s popularity as much as I am trying to evaluate it. I will admit that I haven’t read the books, so I’m not coming at this as an insider.

I felt a little strange buying a ticket to the movie by myself for a 1:15 Monday showing, but fortunately the gal at the counter was the nonjudgmental type, and didn’t snicker at me or roll her eyes (or worse…call security).

To my amazement, I actually enjoyed the movie quite a bit for several reasons. It was filmed in the Pacific Northwest, which I think is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. Nearly every scene featured the mountains, woods, and climate of Washington state, which is visually compelling. The story keeps moving, and I actually cared about the decisions that the characters made. Also, the characters themselves were fairly three-dimensional. Most of the humans had both virtues and flaws, with little over-the-top stereotyping. Also, the vampires (at least the “good” ones) had internal struggles that most of us can relate to, after a fashion.

I don’t see enough movies to know how to evaluate their artistic merit, but I did come away with an understanding of why the franchise is so popular:

1. Kids today can relate to the themes in the movie. In the opening scenes, we learn that Bella’s parents are divorced and that she is about to go to a new school in Washington, where she is uneasy to try to fit in to an established social scene. Certainly, a huge number of kids can relate to the pain of broken families, and the awkwardness of navigating the youth culture that is designed to chew kids up and spit them out.

2. Bella (at least at key scenes in the movie) acts in ways that are extremely heroic. In fact, the movies opening has her voice over: ““I had never given much thought to how I would die…dying in the place of someone I love seems like a good way to go.” This clearly echoes Jesus’ words in John 15, and Bella courageously puts her life on the line to protect each of her parents at different instances.

3. Edward treats Bella in a way that every young woman (and her parents) longs to be treated. He risks his own well-being to save her life on two different occasions. He is kind and tender toward her. He does not take advantage of her sexually for her own protection, in spite of his own urges and longings. I suspect that this aspect of the movie is the most compelling for Twilight’s loyal female fan base.

Should your kids see Twilight? You need to make that call. It is not without problems. There are scenes that are quite violent and one very sensual scene. Although Edward resists his longings, he does spend the night cuddling with Bella. Not exactly a recipe for sexual purity.

The long term tension for Bella is also a problem. She longs to become like Edward, but he doesn’t want that for her. She tries to persuade him, saying “I am dying.” He responds, “That is the way it’s supposed to be.” However, that is NOT the way it is supposed to be. God tells us that death is an enemy, not a normal part of life. In I Corinthians 15:26, Paul tells us that death is the final enemy to be destroyed. Vampires may have their problems, but immortality is not one of them.

Also, themes reportedly become much darker after the first installment. For a more detailed account of Twilights content, please visit http://www.pluggedinonline.com/movies/movies/a0004361.cfm

If they do see the movie, I would urge you to watch it too and talk to them about the movie’s strengths and weaknesses, and how it both succeeds (and fails) to glorify the good, the true and the beautiful.