It’s been over ten years since the Twilight Saga ended and it forever left a huge impact on pop culture. Twilight was a commercial phenomenon that generated over three billion worldwide. It’s the main reason why young adult novels had a brief boom period because the Stephanie Meyer films were so popular. However, the general consensus is that Twilight was not a good series.
Though the film made a huge impact on the industry as a whole, it will never show up on “Best of” lists because it was simply a bland romance story about a one-dimensional protagonist in a love triangle with an abusive vampire and an always shirtless werewolf. Nevertheless, the financial impact that the film made is undeniable, so naturally, Hollywood has opted to tap into the Twilight pool again. It was revealed by The Hollywood Reporter that the book was being adapted for television, though an official release date has yet to be revealed. Will a television series do wonders for the Twilight Saga?
The Twilight Films Rarely Made Narrative Sense
I can’t speak on the books as I’ve never read them before. If the books are better than the films, then Twilight does have a strong chance of actually being good. A series allows the characters to be fleshed out better and for the narrative to dig deeper into its central themes. However, the films were often a nonsensical mess. Why did Edward take such a liking to Bella?
It’s explained that there’s something about Bella’s blood that makes him go wild, but there’s no further explanation beyond that. The first couple of films, it’s mainly about the developing relationship between Edward and Bella. It’s head-scratching why Bella is such a special being in the first place. She simply comes across as an ordinary plain Jane.
The films never explored this narrative. There was never a moment to showcase why these creatures are so drawn to her character. In fact, Bella doesn’t have much of a narrative drive beyond Edward and Jacob. Once Bella finally turns into a vampire, the story gets some juice, but that doesn’t make up for the pointless long triangle saga that was never really engaging to begin with. There are plenty of other logical plot holes in the films that hinder the series as a whole.
A Series Can Give Bella Some Purpose
Bella’s purpose seems to feed off the sexual drives of Edward and Jacob. Her goals in the first couple of films never go beyond those two. Bella is not the force driving the narrative. She has no goals to speak of. Who is Bella Swan as a character? The film never goes out of its way to truly define who she is without Edward or Jacob.
What’s worse is that Edward is very abusive and controlling. At times, it’s uncomfortable to watch the relationship between Edward is so possessive. He stalked Bella in the first film. He even watched her sleep! There was also a point in which he got his sister to kidnap Bella, to keep her away from Jacob.
If Twilight is going to continue under the eyes of Bella, then the series desperately needs to give her a three-dimensional character. The reason the early films lack any tension is that we’re following a protagonist with no ambition. It can work if cleverly written like The Big Lebowski, but that wasn’t the case in the films. If the series follows the same patterns as the movies, then it will be ten times worse since it’ll have an inactive protagonist that’s neither exciting nor intriguing.
The Vampire Story Can Be Given More Time To Develop
The conflict regarding The Cullens and The Volutri is intriguing. If the entire franchise sped up the relationship between Edward and Bella, with the former turning into a vampire sooner, then this story could’ve introduced plenty of fun ideas. Breaking Dawn doesn’t make the series that much better, but it at least made the finale a lot more exciting.
Turning Bella into a vampire earlier can do wonders for her character. Plus, it would help to build the lore of vampires and werewolves better. At the end of the day, this all comes down to the script. If the writers understand the problems that plagued the films then the series can be in good hands. Yes, it’s possible that a good series can come out of Twilight; however, if it follows an extremely similar path to the films, then this will be a waste of time.
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