Jack was wanting to see the new Predator movie. I'll give him that--though it is not my cup of tea. However, it was two hours starting while New Moon: Eclipse was starting in about 20 minutes. After actually walking away from the box office, then deciding to give it a whirl, we went to see Eclipse.
Mind you, I have the first three books. I'm up to about page 78 in Twilight. I have the basic idea of the storyline and such. Bella/Edward/Jacob, Human/Vampire/Werewolf, Lipstick/Sparkle/Fur...meh, I think a reader gets the idea.
The movie was entertaining, I'll give you that.
Yet--part of me was really wanting something more. I've read entertainment boards, anti-Twilight, pro-twilight...and some things have stuck with me. So I look at this now with an eye toward not exactly endorsing, or hacking it to death.
Rule #1 of Writing: Do Not Mary Sue It.
As a previous (and still dabbling) fan fiction writer, I recognize something immediately about writing. More often, you'll see this in reference to fan fiction, but it also seems to run in some "original" content. What is Mary Sue, you may ask. Small history lesson.
"Mary Sue" made her debut from as far as I can tell from the late 1960's..and one of the first TV series to be fan-fictionalized: Star Trek. At that time, usually the fiction was along the lines of what is called "Slash Fiction" (or hurt/comfort). Mostly, it dealt with the pairing of Kirk & Spock, but would fan out to the other characters from the series as well. For those who didn't see the swarthy Captain Kirk indulging in hot bath romps with the ever-sexy Vulcan, Mr. Spock, there became a new staple: Mary Sue.
Mary Sue wasn't exactly Kirk's flavor of the day, and remember, if it was considered female, Kirk was all over it like bees to honey. No, Mary Sue was that female crew member, slobbering quietly in the corners over the sexy, hunky, sometimes alien. Usually overlooked, inconspicuous, Mary Sue would inevitably end up in a situation where a main character was harmed and she saves their life. Or she suddenly found she had in her possession, some extraordinary power to save everyone--something which saves the day--because hey, Captain Kirk doesn't have all the answers, does he?
When it comes to fan fiction, there seems to be two camps: those who write the characters as we've been presented with, giving them scenarios that Hollywood writers seem to forget about (you know, real life), or we are given a character that main characters automatically fall for. Yep. Mary Sue (or in some cases, Jim Bob).
I once read that some people, even those who like Twilight, feel that Stephenie Meyer essentially wrote the ultimate Mary Sue novel: Twilight, and its sequels. I'll have to find it, or maybe it is too late, but one writer said if you take the general description of Bella Swan and that of Stephenie Meyer, it is basically Meyer writing herself into this cult-culture as herself--that Swan ='s Meyer.
May be a stretch, but it also may not.
The person who spent four and half years between two degrees, delving in to the human mind and some of the abuses it is put through, sees red flags. Yeah, it is supposed to be entertaining and I see it as that. However, Twilight is considered young adult fiction. Meant for youngsters whose hormones are now revved up and they think that everything in life should end up like the movies. It's the underlying themes that stand out.
Rule #2: We all want an Edward, but do we really?
Edward Cullen (and I'll give him this much), comes across as a gentleman. His description of how courting would be done when he became a Vampire was actually rather good. More teens should look at that as opposed to the flagrant "Oooh we're a couple, now take off your clothes..." boasts. I give him credit: where Bella goes from the uncomfortable discussion with her father about sex, precautions, to just short of ripping Edwards shirt off--well...dang. Bella seems off put by this.
While perceived as romantic, it is a bit more than that. I won't hit on the perceived pedophilia angle--because as we've seen--Vampires do not age. So if Edward is 100+ and Bella is 18...(we'll save this one). However, it is the other behaviors that I wonder about.
Edward watches her sleep, knows what she's been up to, who she has been with. It reminds me of a movie that came out years ago--the name escapes me, but it had Mark Wahlberg, Reese Witherspoon & Alyssa Milano. Boyfriend and he stalked.
It also seems a bit "Charmed" as well. Remember the Piper/Leo relationship. Let's not forget that in many ways--it was almost the same in some lines as Bella/Edward. Leo was a Whitelighter that was watching over the girls. I remember a line where Piper was disturbed to learn that Leo had been watching over her...since she was a baby. Recall--Leo was the man she fell in love with, married and had children with.
Edward has the charm of a Victorian, but watching over her to the point of watching her sleep. Where have you been, who have you been with? The line about how when she becomes one of them, she in essence gives up everyone she loves. We see this on talk shows and in the news. Tell tale signs of loser spouses (no, they aren't just men), keeps the other away from friends and family.
The more I think about it--
I described it as this last night: Bella/Edward/Jacob are pretty much Archie/Betty/Veronica.
Archie is our Bella. Awkward, but a pretty friendly person. He wants to be with Veronica (Edward) because she is beautiful, she's exciting, she has money, but when he wants companionable moments, he seeks Betty (Jacob) who is fun and sweet, but who he would drop in a moment if Veronica was available.
I dunno.
After being inaugurated in Twilight, I have to say I am Team Forks. My initial leanings are toward Jacob. He wouldn't force her to change to be with him. That is how ideally relationships in real life are: your other wouldn't change you to fit their life.
So for now, I will put down my keyboard, take up the charcoal & lighter fluid and think more about this phenomenon. Until then...
Mindy, up for a trashy read any day of the week...
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