Risking the slings and arrows... Twilight series. Worth ANY of my time ?

POSTED BY: AURaptor
UPDATED: Sunday, March 28, 2010 08:07
VIEWED: 7049
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AURAPTOR

Saturday, March 27, 2010 1:25 AM

I've been avoiding it, completely.

I'm not exactly the target audience....and I'm not expecting Buffy.

I'm almost tempted to waste a couple of hours to watch the DVDs.

Let's hear it.

Summer Glau can simply walk into Mordor

Bones: "Don't 'rawr' her!"
Booth: "What? she'rawred' me first."

AVERYFINECOMPANION

Saturday, March 27, 2010 2:15 AM

I'm terrified of sounding like an idiot, but I'm already out of the closet about my fandom so what the hell...

If you mean the twilight series I can tell you straight up if your a guy (sorry I don't know you well enough to know) you wont like it. I don't care if its sexist to say or un PC. You won't. Its pretty much straight up angsty romance with some action sprinkled in.

I myself have avoided them for a long while. Until last year actually. And a friend of mine had me watch the first dvd and I think the haters sort of ruined it. It wasn't has horrible as I thought it was going to be.

And even this series followed the rule that the books are better.

As I said to a friend of mine. It's a guilty pleasure. Like that reality show you won't admit to watching. You know its not good for you but you can't help it

Also if you weren't talking about twilight then I will hide in the shadows....

AURAPTOR

Saturday, March 27, 2010 3:56 AM

You correctly corrected me. See, I'm so on the outside of this thing, I don't even know the proper title. Duh!

One of the things which kept me from watching Buffy and Angel for so long is that I didn't think I fit the demographics for it's target audience. And I didn't, but I'm not exactly alone on that count. Older guys than I ( and yeah, I'm a guy ) were watching Buffy and Angel, and I soon figured out why.

And w/ Twilight, I 'get' that it's a bit sappy and aimed at the younger crowd, but I'm just so tempted to check it out, if only to compare it to B & A. I figure that it can't measure up, and it's totally it's own world, not intended to mimic or compete w/ other vampire type stories....man, there sure seem to be a lot of them these days... but I digress.

I kinda view in along the same lines as Harry Potter. Geared for a much younger crowd, I was surprised to find that 30 something folks were reading these books, back when the series was just starting out. So I checked that stuff out, for a bit, but lost interest after the 3rd or 4th book. I'll still watch the movies, though I've not checked out the latest one yet. I'm a huge Tolkien fan, and just couldn't help but see similarities or common themes which I attributed to Middle Earth, and felt Rowling was simply grafting into her own story....but that's just a 'ME' issue, I guess.

Anyways.... I'll think about putting the DVDs on my 'to watch' list....maybe.

Summer Glau can simply walk into Mordor

Bones: "Don't 'rawr' her!"
Booth: "What? she'rawred' me first."

RIVERDANCER

Saturday, March 27, 2010 4:31 AM

Well, I'm the right gender for it, apparently, but I couldn't stand the first novel for more than a chapter or two. I'm an English major, I read all the time, and rarely do I put a book down without finishing it, but I got fed up, put it down, and forgot about it. The previews for the movie version certainly didn't interest me, even before I realized there was a connection between the movie and the book I became so disgusted with, and I never saw it. I'm tired of hearing about it, when I've read so many novels that are infinitely better and deserve more recognition and respect than they have gotten. Even Harry Potter, which I was hardly fanatical about, had twice the story and ten times the writing talent behind it.
You seem to be enquiring about films more than books, which is a venue I may be less helpful in, but if you're interested in reading materials I can recommend dozens of novels that are superior to Twilight.
Just avoid Eragon, especially if you thought Harry Potter was derivative. Talk about a story that's nothing but grafted-on elements from other worlds dreamt up by far more creative people. I lost patience with that one, too.

AVERYFINECOMPANION

Saturday, March 27, 2010 4:32 AM

See I'm in the minority on this board as I couldn't get into Buffy (I never really tried with Angel but I assumed I wouldn't like it if I didn't like Buffy).

I'm also way into Harry Potter even though I'm 25 which I'm not sure if its considered "old" for them. Later on in the books the story does get quite dark. I would be uncomfortable reading kids a story with torture scenes and what not.

But the Twilight series definitely has a "young" feel to it. My friend is also a fan and we were talking about one the characters being very annoying. My other friend chimes in with "He's only 16, don't forget that" It sort of was a "oh yea..." moment.

And P.S even as a fan, I wasn't too crazy about the second movie. Kristen Stewart really isn't the greatest actress. She reads very flat.

edit: Sorry to turn it into books, its just where my brain wanted to go.

AURAPTOR

Saturday, March 27, 2010 5:26 AM

Quote:
Just avoid Eragon, especially if you thought Harry Potter was derivative. Talk about a story that's nothing but grafted-on elements from other worlds dreamt up by far more creative people. I lost patience with that one, too.

Heh, I had forgotten about that one! When the movie came out, I barely even noticed.

AVFC - Angel isn't just 'more Buffy'. It's set more in the " real " world, beyond HS and beyond Sunnydale College, what ever. I think that's why I enjoyed it more, in some ways, and why I watched Angel first, before eventually going through the whole BTVS series on DVD.

But I really enjoyed the ever present tie-ins there were between the two shows, and how, every once in a while, they brought in a character, an event, or some reference, how ever small.

They're like an extra toy surprise inside each episode. It's awesome.

Summer Glau can simply walk into Mordor

Bones: "Don't 'rawr' her!"
Booth: "What? she'rawred' me first."

RAREAIR23

Saturday, March 27, 2010 8:03 AM

With Twlight I have seen the 1st one and thought it was reasonably good and I'm a guy (I guess I have a soft spot for a good romance movie...so shoot me). However; when I went to the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen midnight premiere last year and they showed the New Moon trailer and here was an SRO (Standing Room Only) sized crowd reaction:

Ladies: YAY!
Men: BOO!
Ladies: YAY!
Men: BOO!
Men BOOOOOOOOOOO!

Nothing more need be said about how many people think of that franchise. Oh and that bit up there is a true story. I witnessed it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears.

But Twilight for a movie franchise is decent. You'll find better in some places, worse in others. But that's just my opinion I could be wrong. Out!

TUJIAOZUO

Saturday, March 27, 2010 8:59 AM

I read the first Eragon book. I enjoyed it, but when the sequel books were released I didn't feel like I absolutely HAD to read them. The movie was a joke. As much as the book wasn't the most awesome piece of literature to ever grace shelves, the movie really shat on the whole premise. (as an animation monkey, I must say that there was one good thing about the movie, and it was Weta's design for Saphira. The leather feathers were a tad weird, but she looked gorgeous).

I am the right demographic for the Twilight books (female, 22, loves her books, appreciates a good supernatural/fantasy element and romance is always a plus) and I have several friends and relatives who ADORE the entire franchise. I can't stand it personally. I tried to give it a chance, I really did, but I didn't like the book at all (one of the few I just flat up gave up on) and I pretty much saw the movie to make fun of it after suffering through said book.

Movies are fun in an unintentionally hilarious, sort of way. Pattison and Stewart are (imo) horrific actors**, the dialog's chuckle worthy, and the overdone pastiness of the vamps (with sunlight disco-ball moment) is a riot. As for the second movie, I procured a copy of suspicious origins and only got halfway through. I got bored, turned it off and watched An American Werewolf In London.

So yeah... don't recommend the books. I recall rereading Treasure Island to purge my mind from vegan sparkle vamps and empty vessel female characters.

I guess I recommend Treasure Island in the end

Your Indian Pirate Lord,
Ash

** I will however give props to Taylor Lutner (sp?). Dude really takes his role seriously, while the other two don't. He's not all that bad, actually does all his own stunts too.

SHINYGOODGUY

Saturday, March 27, 2010 9:31 AM

Interesting post, Rap.

I saw the first one out of curiosity, online of course, and it was okay as far as fantasy fare goes. Nothing to go gaga over.

It was all a bit weepy and melodramatic for me, but not as horrible as I thought it would be. I'm a bit lukewarm about it as a film. I saw a bit of the New Moon (my niece is a big fan) again online, again nothing special, pacing was a bit odd, but it wasn't awful.

As a side note: a friend of mine actually became hooked to the book series, mainly because his step daughter was reading it and he wanted to know what she was reading. He finished the entire series and actually began to explain it to me. He's in his early thirties and so not the target audience, so there you have it.

Book or movie, it's not my cup of tea. BTW, I'm into fantasy/adventure and sci-fi (LOTR, Xena, Hercules, Clash of the Titans, etc.) but this Twilight saga is more romantic drivel than supernatural/fantasy. But thats just me.

SGG

Tawabawho?

BIGRICHARD

Saturday, March 27, 2010 10:20 AM

Being a guy, I'm not exactly the target audience. I've looked into it, and it's not for me.

That said, my sister is a huge fan, along with a lot of her friends, and she loves the books. And even she admits the movies are awful. So I'd say avoid the movies.
Mind you, the one coming up is directed by David Slade (who also directed 30 Days of Night and Hard Candy, two fantastic films) so I might check it out, I'll see.
But yeah, honestly, I'd read the books, but I probably wouldn't see the films.

Also, Pattinson and Stewart might not be great in Twilight, but really, I find it a little harsh to blame them. I've seen them both in a few other films, and I always liked them, just not in this.

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