Re: TWILIGHT -- What Do the Vampire Guy and the Werewolf Guy See in Be
It's wish fulfillment fantasy for girls, so Bella needs no justification to be catnip for sexy supernatural beings. In fact, if she were played by a more conventionally "hot" actress, or had more obviously outstanding and attractive qualities, that would defeat the purpose.
You know all those shows and movies where some scrawny nerd gets a hot chick even though she should be out of his league? It's like that.
Amen. As funny as the movie Superbad is I can't stand it because the Jonah Hill character is not only unattractive, but also a complete dick to everyone - yet he pulls the hottest chick at school at the end of the movie.
Yeah, hell I didn't even get how he had Michael Cera's character as a friend let alone pulls the hottest girl in the school as a GF.
That said, she's not the hottest person in those movies: the Asian girl who gets about eight lines between three movies is hotter, and of course Ashley Greene is hotter. Indeed, in retrospect it's pretty obvious that Greene and the guy that plays Harpo probably should've been cast in the lead roles, in that while neither one are especially good at least there's some onscreen chemistry. (Of course, if there were onscreen chemistry with the leads, the films would be beyond worthless, as they would no longer be the terrific comedies they've become.)
"Harpo"
Yeah Ashley Green and Anna Kendrick are very good looking but I wouldn't say Kristen Stewart is bad looking by any stretch (the "stigma" of Bella or not.) If Ashley Green and Harpo were in the lead roles (Edward and Bella) I don't think it'd be any better because Bella and Edward aren't boring because of the actors (who're both fairly good and capable) they're boring simply because there's no reason for them to be interesting.
We're simply
told they're interesting, awesome and perfect and are expected to run with it. Meanwhile all of the other secondary characters (including Jacob) are vastly more interesting since they're given a vastly more interesting backstory, front story and orbiting characters. Hell, in the last movie the "falshback" scenes of Hapro's and the Kill Bill vampire chick's entire two-minute back story moments are vastly more interesting than the movies since they give these characters more
depth beyond "these people have issues so they're mopey, tense, assholes."
Jacob is given hints of a "backstory" or at least what he's going through in his tribe/pack through interactions with his parents. But with Bella and Edward we're just simply told they're awesome and perfect and they're meant to be together. And, somehow, characters we're given
no information on (like Kendrick's character) are more interesting because they're more
dynamic and are more interesting than "sweetly klutzy."
I will say though that Kendrick's character's Valedictorian speech is the worst Valedictorian speech in the history of speeches yet it's, somehow, supposed to justify what Bella is going to do.
Throughout the bulk of the third movie Bella struggles, a bit, with whether or not she wants to be with Edward or Jacob and she realizes to be with Edward she has to die and become an undead blood beast of the night.
So she asks most of her family and friends what she should do, or slightly probes them for information and they all pretty much tell her "You have your whole life to live, don't fuck it up now."
Harpo and Rosalie both tell Bella the story of how they became vampires (both very interesting stories that'd make great movies in themselves) and tell these stories with regret over what they've become or have to live with in the aftermath. Rosalie even
resents Bella since Bella is alive and has the ability to do what Rosalie once wanted, get married, have children and a happy life.
(Remember, at this point Bella doesn't know it's even possible for her to have a child with Edward and she also knows that "new born" vampires are very blood-thirsty and hard to control, she doesn't know how "special" she is and what will happen to her over the course of the next (two) movie(s))
Jacob tells Bella she's making a mistake and even shows her that, hey, he's a
living being with a pulse, blood, warmth and that he can give Bella a
life! He can give her something Edward can't up to and including a life without being pretty much in the run and hiding from the oppressive force of the Roman Vampires of Fey Acting.
Then Jessica gives her Valedictorian speech and it's the worst Valedictorian speech in the history of Valedictorians. And
my high school's Valedictorian read us her favorite pre-school aged book that she claimed drove her life up to that point.
Jessica pretty much says "young young, you have no responsibilities or expectations to meet for anyone in the world so go out there and fuck up your life and figure it out later."
?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
WHAT?!!
No. That's what the last eighteen years were mostly about.
Now you're legally adults and are now expected to plan for future, get your life in order and get an education or job that'll help support you for the next sixty or seventy years of existence. Now
isn't the time to go screwing around.
But, fine, for most of the kids in their high school they can spend the next few years wearing wife-beater and boxers while living in their parents' basement smoking dope and watching Sponge Bob cartoons.
Then they can get their life in order and get a job or an education. I think that's stupid, as it's harder to get back into school after a period of time without it, but it can be done. Plenty of people have entered post-secondary education in their 20s, 30s or 40s in order to get their life in shape and finally become a damn adult. I'll roll with that.
But from Jessica's speech we're supposed to agree with and understand the choice Bella is going to make. And that is to
die and become a blood-thristy monster! It's not like there's a way to "un-do" vampirism otherwise Rosalie or Harpo would've likely taken them. Bella is making a choice that will
permanently drive her life not just for the next 60-80 years of human lifespan but for an
eternity! It's a choice she
can't turn back from, undo or turn around later. It doesn't apply
at all to Jessica's speech! Bella makes a
terrible decision to
end her life that as far as she knows means she won't be able to have children, she'll have a blood-lust and she'll never be able to see her mother or father again both of whom will have to live with the pain of losing their only child.
Yeah.
Great fucking decision, Bella and a wonderful damn Valedictorian speech
Jessica!
"Go out and become irresponsible teenagers and fuck around being a symbol of everything that is said is wrong with the youth of America and figure out how to clean your mess up later."
I've talked with people about Twilight before and a friend's wife laughed when she heard me talk about it as she was "surprised" I knew the plots of the book (having only read synopses of them) and the movies) and I often get asked if I'm "Team Edward" or "Team Jacob." I respond with "Team Edward" because I think that Jacob is a nice guy, an interesting guy and he has his heart (his live, blood bumping, warm, functional heart) in the right place. He deserves something better than Bella (and better than falling in love with a newborn who will only age to that of a permanently illegal teenager) who is such a mindless, depressing and boring twit she deserves to be in a boring relationship filled with longing looks in shade-covered forests wondering which woodland creature she's going to murder and suck the blood out of.
