(no subject)
There are some things in modern culture that, despite your age, are becoming hard to ignore - such as the Jonas Brothers, Hannah Montana and High School Musical (isn't it creepy that all of those examples are associated with Disney?).
If the sheer cheesiness of youth culture these days is making you lactose intolerant, then maybe it's time to feast on something else. How does blood sound?
For those of you who haven't heard of the multi-million dollar sensation that is Stephenie Meyer's Twilight, it's time for you to get out from under the rock and catch up before the movie adaptation of the best-selling novel hits UK cinemas. The Twilight novel was first published just three years ago and was followed by New Moon, Eclipse, and one of the biggest selling books of this year, Breaking Dawn. The series chronicles the relationship between an average teenage girl, Bella Swan and a vampire called Edward Cullen, who was turned in 1908 at the tender age of 17. The four part series has sold over 25 million copies so far, with the four books claiming all the top spots on USA Today's Best Sellers list for the past two weeks. The movie adaptation of the first novel, which stars British actor Robert Pattinson as
Edward Cullen, opened in the US on November 21st and took a staggering $70.6 million on it's opening weekend - making it the biggest ever debut for a film with a female director.
Despite its incredible success, the Twilight franchise hasn't won over everyone. Critics have been sharpening their knives (or should that be stakes?) since the publication of the
first novel. Steve Niles, the creator of the gory vampire comic 30 Days of Night, was very vocal about his views of the phenomena when interviewed for MTV, claiming that the hype
around Twilight was having a rather detrimental effect on his mental health and stating that only 16 year old girls were going crazy over the series.
I caught up with two Twilighters to hear their thoughts on Niles' comments, the fanbase they're now a part of, and the upcoming movie adaptation of their treasured book. Twilighter number one is Nikki Manning, and she doesn't fit into Niles' stereotype at all. She's a 21 year old photography student with a degree from Glasgow University. She began reading Twilight early this year and had completed the entire series within a week. Oh, and she hates High School Musical and Hannah Montana. Twilighter number two is David McLean, a 20 year old law student who just finished reading Twilight and has already become obsessed with the series.
Both Nikki and David are honest when it comes to the books they love. They are both Harry Potter fans, and the feud between Twilighters and Harry Potter fans naturally becomes
a topic of our conversation.
"The feud between them is stupid," Nikki shrugs. "They're just so different. Harry Potter is more universal than Twilight, but Twilight is more modern."
When asked why she thinks the series has become so popular, Nikki explains that despite the age difference between her and main character Bella Swan, she can relate to her. Nikki and David agree that the epic romance between Bella and Edward Cullen appeals to both teenage and older readers. Nikki even claims that Twilight is "just Mills and Boon, but a few years younger!"
David is looking forward to the release of the Twilight movie, but Nikki is more reserved. She is not impressed about the casting of the film - particularly, with the casting of Robert Pattinson, who played Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Nikki thinks he definitely looks the part, but she is worried that he's not passionate about the character she has come to love.
When asked if she thinks the movie will be ruined by the casting she has doubts over, Nikki beams and replies: "It's Twilight - nothing could ruin it."
Over the space of an hour, we discuss everything from the movie's soundtrack (which features bands like Muse and Linkin Park) to the thematic content of the series. It's clear from our
conversation that Nikki and David know they are out with the intended audience of the novels, but when I point out Steve Niles' comments to them, they both laugh.
"30 Days of Night ruined vampires!" Nikki states. "Twilight transcends the teenage genre."
"It's aimed at teenagers, but it's not exclusively for them," David agrees. "It was mentioned in Heat magazine this week for the first time ever!"
Author of the series, Stephenie Meyer, agrees. In interviews, she claims that she never intended Twilight, her first novel, to be read by anyone else. She wrote it for her own enjoyment, because she wanted to read it, and she was 29 at the time. Twilight not only has fans all over the world - it has fans across demographics as well.
The movie adaptation of Twilight hits the cinemas on December 19th, and if you can get through the crowds of squealing teenage girls (Nikki and David are in the minority), take the
time to check it out - you may find that Twilight is not just for sixteen year old girls.