Twilight: a teen flick parents should see

by Rhonda Robinson

We knew very little of what we were stepping into. I heard only that the movie had no violence, no sex, no big stars and was storming the box office; sounded good to me. My husband and I settled in, figuring with reviews like that, Twilight must be right up our alley. Before long, I realized we were sitting in a teen vampire flick.

Perhaps the strangest thing about this movie was that we both really liked it so much. In fact, I want my teenagers to see it.

On the surface, its a teenage love story between two 17 year-olds, with one being a vampire, sounds pretty second rate to say the least, but this story, based on a series of books written by stay-at-home mom, Stephenie Meyer, has a lot of truth packed into the fantasy.

Set with the backdrop of a rainy little town in Forks Washington, a young girl comes to live with her father and finds herself attracted to the handsome loner in school. The love story between Bella and Edward is an honest allegory of teenage love. Not just romanticized, but the peril of it as well. Bella is a typical 17 year-old girl, she has fallen for Edward, and trusts him completely—even though she has every reason not to. He is the ultimate bad boy. Throwing caution aside, as young girls do, she falls for him with heart, mind and soul. Edward has waited 90 years for his soul mate. But his love for her depends on his strength of self-control. In the midst of their first kiss, he pushes away. Surprised at himself, he realizes that he is stronger than he thought, and tells Bella, he must never loose his self-control when he is around her. The passion between them is strong, but it is sensuality played out in their constant struggle to win the battle over their minds and bodies that desire the forbidden, knowing that giving in, would destroy them. “Forbidden fruit is the sweetest.” Protection and restraint, rather than self-gratification is driving force of this love story. A cultural phenomena, yet, I’m not sure the average teenage girl understands why she is so drawn to the fictional character of Edward, both on screen and in the pages of the novel. Contrary to popular belief, the strong, alluring man is not the one who uses his strength to get what he wants, but uses it to protect those he loves. Real strength is appealing to women and girls alike, when it is visibly bridled not displayed. Real love, puts aside self, and lays down their lives for one another. Just so you know, in case you’re cringing at the thought of going to a vampire movie; there are no fangs, coffins, or ghouls. Most all violence (which I think there are only a few scenes) are all done in shadow; nothing to cringe over. The vampire aspect of this movie is a great premise for the love story “…and the lion falls in love with the lamb…stupid lamb.” Another truth brought out in the movie is that evil, is often very beautiful. Edward, who considers himself nothing more than a monster, tells Bella that he is designed to kill; his handsome appeal, his ability to lure her into trusting him, all part of his murderous makeup. This concept of evil being beautiful, fun and alluring is something young adults need to grasp. =a href="http://www.pluggedinonline.com/movies/movies/a0004361.cfm">Plugged In Online had this to say, “So within the context of a monster mash such as this, we can see a reflection of the Christian calling to put away the old man of sin and embrace the new one—a path that while straight and narrow, is certainly more difficult to walk. Edward and Bella don't talk about it much, but it is intimated that despite their ability to choose good over evil, Edward considers himself and all other vampires to be eternally damned, and he resists mightily the idea of allowing Bella to descend into the abyss that he finds himself submerged in. She doesn't care a whit about that. She's eager to become a "cold one" if only it means she will be with her beau forever.” They also warn that the books get darker, and so it is assumable that the movies will too. We’ll see. Few movies, especially secular, have the ability to open the doors of communication between parents and teens. I see this movie as a great conversation starter for any parent who wants to talk about the perils of teenage love, especially with their daughters. I’d fight a few vampires to have a chance at that.