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Jessica Beresford: Glad to see the back of Twilight

opinion

Published: 7:15AM Wednesday November 14, 2012 Source: ONE News

After five movies, an unlikely love triangle and a theme that created a renaissance for vampires in popular culture, the Twilight saga is drawing to a close.

Last night's premiere in Los Angeles marked the last time such a fuss would be made over Stephenie Meyer's dreamt-up creation, and New Zealand fans will venture to cinemas around the country to watch the final installment from tonight.

And I, for one, am glad to see the back of it.

I was a late bloomer with the Twilight series. After reluctantly seeing the first movie, I was drawn in for a reason unbeknown to me, and a week later had read all four books while enthusiastically awaiting the release of the next film.

As much as it shames me to admit it, I would have once considered myself a level one Twihard (on a scale of 1-5, the latter being someone who froths at the mouth on mention of Robert Pattinson, wears vampire teeth and douses themselves in glitter). The romantic story pulled at my heart strings the same way it did for millions of females around the world.

But four years of Bella Swan's awkward lip biting, chest beating between vampires and werewolves and a level of unprecedented cheese (Renesmee, anyone?) have left me battered and bruised from the Twilight machine, to the point where I hold no enthusiasm for seeing Breaking Dawn Part 2.

I think this inability to hold attention comes down to the author. The problem with the movies stems from the fact the four books don't hold enough content between them to justify four, let alone five, movies.

The first movie held importance in introducing the characters and establishing the formidable love interest - but from then until the fourth novel, little happens. The screenwriters should have taken note from the producers of Lord of the Rings and supplemented some of the action from the other books to make for better watching.

It shows that no matter who the target audience or how attractive the leading characters happen to be, neither teenage angst nor sexual tension alone can suffice as the plot for the movies spanning some 10 hours.

That being said, the thought of having sat through the four previous movies to then not witness how Kristen Stewart comes out of her awkward shell and turns into a seductive vampire in the final flick is even worse than not seeing it in the first place.

So I will go and see the final movie, albeit with reluctance. But at least it is now with educated reluctance - rather than preconceptions on which most of the population base their decisions not to watch Twilight on.

Read more Jessica Beresford opinion here or follow her on Twitter.

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