The "Twilight" Saga written by Stephanie Meyer consists of four novels, "Twilight", "New Moon", "Eclipse" and "Breaking Dawn". The series follows protagonist Bella Swan as she falls in love with vampire Edward Cullen. "Twilight", first of the series was published by Little, Brown, and Company in 2005 and was made into a movie adaptation in 2008.
'Twilight' the book series that gained a cult following.
When the books series were released they gained an immediate cult following. The "Twilight" series came at a time when the supernatural hype was at an all-time high.
It was a case of the right time, the right place. Teenagers fell in love with awkward teen Bella Swan, finding a likeness in her quirks to their own time of teenage angst. Character Edward Cullen was the sullen bad boy every girl dreamed of. Bella was the only human accepted into the Cullen clan.
To teens, struggling with similar issues, minus the vampires, they find they can relate to her character. As well as that the fact that their romance was forbidden just added to the hype surrounding the series. The supernatural element to the series engages the imagination and makes the reader wish they could walk through the pages and experience a semblance of the reality brought to life on the pages.
Were the movies the source of the 'Twilight' downfall?
From 2008 onward, the "Twilight" Saga was adapted into a series of five movies. The last of which "Breaking Dawn: Part 2" rounded up the onscreen vampire story in 2012. While the book series was dangerous and the romantic encounters filled with tension this did not translate well in the film adaptations.
The chemistry between Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) is off and as a result, the romance between the pair is more ridiculous than romantic. The romance is the backbone of the story and this is lost in the translation of the books to the screen. Without this vital aspect, the "Twilight" franchise slowly began to become more of a spectacle to laugh at to those who were not introduced to the book series prior to seeing the movies.
Overall, the movie experience of the "Twilight" series is awkward, over dramatized and takes away from the value that the novels deliver.
"Twilight" became a largely popular series quickly and the negativity surrounding it may be a result of the movie adaptations. The casting of Kristen Stewart as awkward teen Bella is understandable, however many dimensions of the teenage girl were left two-dimensional and unexplored. Subsequently, the films only served to damage the series and leave an irreparable mark on the story.