Defending The Twilight Saga

moviefone-logo-195x68For the Summer Sequel Smack Down being hosted at Moviefone, I was asked to offer my opinions as to way the varies films in the Twilight Saga were better than the other films they were matched up against.  All for match ups are featured at HuffPost.  Here is what I wrote for Breaking Dawn Part 1 vrs Deathly Hallows Part 1:

Potter verses Twilight. How many times has this been debated? I’m a fan of both, so it’s hard to pick one franchise. However, this debate isn’t about the franchise as a whole; it’s about these two specific films. In this case, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 wins over Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. I could debate this comically, and break down how Bella and Edward’s wedding was leaps and bounds better than Bill and Fluer’s. I could joke about how the only real “romance” we got in Deathly Hallows was when Horcurx!Harry made out with Horcrux!Hermione, while we got full-on, headboard-breaking sex in Breaking Dawn Part 1. But I really do thinkBreaking Dawn Part 1 deserves legitimate consideration this time. What makes Breaking Dawn Part 1 so special as a film is that it literally hits on every major point in a young woman’s life when it comes to relationships: Marriage, making love for the first time, becoming pregnant, and delivering the child. The film even goes a step further in having Bella fight for the life of her unborn child at the risk of her own life, something rarely seen in Hollywood. It’s a female-driven storyline about the most life-changing events that happen for a female, and it’s aimed at a female fanbase. I think it was an important film for that very reason. I can’t deny that Deathly Hallows Part 1 didn’t move me when Ron left or when Dobby died. Sure it did. But watching Bella literally waste away and eventually die was so much more chilling on screen than it was the book. The birth scene alone should have granted the film an “R” rating, and yet Bill Condon managed to pull it off in a way that worked to keep the film at its PG-13 status. And then came the ending! Oh, what an ending! Splitting up a large book into two movies always makes fans wonder where the first film will end. I was highly displeased and a bit confused with the choice of where Deathly Hallows Part 1 ended, but Breaking Dawn Part 1 had the perfect ending. So, this round goes to the Breaking Dawn Part 1.

Read the rest of the match ups at HuffPost and let me know if I missed any very important points!  If any of the Twilight films wins their round, I will have to write more on why they should win in round 2.  I am open to suggestions and want to form the best arguments possible!  

Also, don’t forget to vote for the Twilight Saga at the Summer Sequel Smackdown!