(B)adaptations Script: Twilight
Madeline: You would be hard pressed to find someone who is not familiar with the Twilight series. The young adult book and film franchise captivated teens and tweens all over the world. Today, we will discuss the differences and similarities, peaks and pitfalls of the book versus the movie.
Rui: So, let’s first talk about some background information about the film and its source material. In 2005 Stephanie Meyer published Twilight, a young adult vampire-romance novel. The novel became a hit of the year and won the name of Publishers Weekly’s Best Children’s Books of 2005 and also reached number five on the New York Times bestseller list. Following the huge popularity of the novel, the film adaptation, Twilight, was released in 2008 with the high expectation of the hardcore fans of the original book. It is the first film in The Twilight Saga film series, which focus on the romantic relationship between Bella Swan (a high school girl) and Edward Cullen (a teenage vampire). The film also turned out to be a commercial success, grossing more than $392 million worldwide. Personally, I am surprised by the success of both the novel and the film because it is often the case that the film adaption cannot sustain or surpass the success of its source material. How do you think about film adaptations of books, Madeline?
MR: To me, most film adaptations of books are disappointing. I love to read and find that using my own imagination to visualize the characters, the setting, even the wardrobe is favorable to the movie.
MR: One aspect of this franchise in particular that I do admire is its pop culture influence. People were enamored with the characters and the story, so much so that no matter how good or bad the movie was, many would still love it. The tricky part of this is sticking to the book.
Rui: Yeah, I agree. You know most of the film adaptations, in order to cater to the taste of the original novels’ fans, try the best to stick with the plots and even details as much as possible. But the film version of Twilight seemingly does not care to be exactly in accordance with the original novel at all. In fact, it made a lot of changes in terms of persona design and plots. During the three years of development at Paramount Pictures, the screen adaption was made significantly different from the original novel.
MR: Some adaptations are bad because they stray from the book people are familiar with and tied to. Others are just poorly made or presented. In the case of Twilight, the both ring true for many. Although the book was a bestseller, it was not a masterful piece of literature. I don’t think anyone expected an Oscar-worthy film. In the case of Twilight, the film and the book are just about on par with one another. However, I don’t think either of them is particularly well done.
Rui: Absolutely. I don’t think either the content of the novel per se, or the film deserves better considerations as a classic literature or an award-worthy art work. The book reviews seem to be rather negative. Many condemn Stephanie Meyer’s poor and amateur writing and the lack of character development in the novel, not to mention the critiques of the novel and the film as promoting and normalizing an emotionally and physically abusive relationship. But undeniably we have to admit that both the film and the novel are success as commercial products. Why are they so popular?
Madeline: I think that we see these kinds of young adult topics become popular all the time. Twilight was one of the more prominent and long lasting of these. Themes like romance and teen angst with supernatural aspects are appealing to young people. While it may not be the topics either of us relate to, it is interesting to analyze them – as books and films.
