This year is the 20th anniversary for Twilight! The book came out on September 27, 2005 and the movie came out a few years later. With all book to movie adaptations, comes the differences from the book, and it also occurs in Twilight.
The story starts out as clumsily, outcast Bella Swan moves from Phoenix, Arizona to Forks, Washington to live with her father. She then meets the handsome, sophisticated Edward Cullen and soon becomes enthralled by him. Although Edward tries his best to stay away from Bella, she determines that her feelings are reciprocated.
Some people watch the first movie and stop after because they think it’s super cringey. I will admit that it is super cringey, but I enjoy it because it has a nostalgic feeling and it has just become a favorite comfort movie of mine. The cinematography and overall special effects of Twilight seemed like they didn’t get cut in during the budget because the lighting was off and the acting wasn’t quite right. Even with the first movie being not the greatest of cinematic films, I encourage everyone to continue the series and watch the rest because they do get better.
I have always agreed when people say “the book is always better than the movie,” but that could just be the reason because I do enjoy reading. In this case, I truly do have mixed feelings about deciding which is better because they both have pros and cons. On one hand, I have a special connection to the movie because my mom and I watched it all the time while I was growing up so I associate the movie with the time I spent with her. On the other hand, I like the books more because Edward does not call Bella “spider-monkey.”
One of the most prominent differences from book to movie is how the book has no mention of Edward bouncing an apple off of his foot. I felt so betrayed while I was reading the book and found out that there’s no mention of it because Edward holding the apple was so iconic in the movie, and that action became a symbol for the movie and franchise. In the movies we see Bella and Charlie eat at the diner almost every night, but in the books they never go to the diner. In the books, Bella cooks for Charlie almost every night.
In the movie, everyone knows the legendary scene of Bella confronting Edward about being a vampire, but in the books it is completely different. In the movie, Bella and Edward are in the forest and Bella says that Edward is a vampire and then he does his whole mantra of “as if you could outrun me.” In the books, it is actually quite simpler because Edward is driving Bella home from Port Angeles instead of the forest. In the car, they both reach for the stereo and end up bumping hands, and that is when Bella feels how cold Edward is and ultimately tells him that he’s a vampire.
One thing I very much dislike about the movies is how boring Bella is and how the fandom makes fun of her for being an “airhead” with no thoughts. In the movie Bella is so serious and her humor is very sarcastic and dry, but in the books Bella is actually quite sassy and even made me chuckle out a little. In the book, Bella is also more strong-willed and opinionated, and she doesn’t just hang onto every word Edward says.
One of the reasons why I always agree with the book being better than the movie is because you get more details. It is extremely hard to cram 500 pages worth of words and facts into a two hour film. Sometimes it just isn’t possible so they have to leave out some details. This is why a lot of people enjoy the movies but still like the books better.
