Other Authors

End of ‘Twilight’, vampire ‘family values’

By Sister Helena Burns, FSP | Contributor
Sunday, December 2, 2012

We have come to the end of the “Twilight” series with “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn- Part 2,” which could also have been titled: “Vampire Family Values.”

Edward (Robert Pattinson) the vampire and Bella (Kristen Stewart) the human-turned-vampire — her “turning” accomplished by being bitten by Edward — are, of course, now married, and have a half-vampire, half-human daughter, Renesmee. All should be bloody and well, but the Volturi (the worldwide ruling body of vampires) think that Edward and Bella have done the strictly verboten: created an “immortal child.”

Edward and Bella must convince the Volturi that Renesmee was “born, not bitten” (she was born to Bella while Bella was still human). Witnesses from around the world are gathered to attest to Renesmee’s actual nature. This last installment is a satisfying end to the whole shebang.

What exactly makes the “Twilight” story so successful as film? The story line is a no-brainer for attracting women: an old-fashioned Prince Charming is obsessed with you and literally swoops down with his swoopy hair and sweeps you off your feet. On top of that, another man is obsessed with you, and they kinda spend a lot of time fighting over you. What’s not to like? But guys are watching these films, too.

Perhaps it’s the unique mixing of genres and tropes: it’s soapy, campy, tongue-in-cheek, telenovela-esque. It sports sappy pop music with sung words over laughable dialogue alongside vampire and werewolf lore.

So many mythologies, so little time. Do we have time for the Christ mythology? The best, most beautiful, most daring, most perilous, most exciting, most shining and wondrous and glorious and enthralling mythology, and the only one we don’t have to play-act at because it is totally true and each one of us is terribly caught up in it? Spiritual warfare is real and going on every minute on our journey to eternity. We need to immerse ourselves in his story, in him.

We don’t need a vampire to make us immortal: Jesus makes us immortal. Actually, we were conceived immortal (with an immortal soul). And Jesus doesn’t drink our blood, he has us drink his saving blood (in non-bloody fashion). “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you” (Jn 6:53).

Advertising