Twi as I might: Twilight Twihard vs. Twihater Crossfire

Although New Moon, the second movie in Stephanie Meyer’s wildly popular series, the Twilight saga, was released almost two months ago, I can’t seem to go anywhere without hearing the buzz over it. During its run, the film grossed over $686 million worldwide and inspired a media frenzy and millions of loyal fans. But despite its incredible popularity, Twilight is not universally loved. The divide between “Twihards” and “Twihaters” is great; rarely has a series of novels been so polarizing, or so eagerly debated. In a poll (admittedly unscientific) taken at the Greer, a sample of twenty-three Deerfield students revealed thirteen vehement “Twihaters” and ten devoted “Twihards”. So the question remains: is it any good? Well, that depends:

If you’re a guy…

An exit poll conducted by New Moon distributor Summit Entertainment found the opening weekend audience to be 80% female. Need I say more? (The remaining 20% were largely disgruntled boyfriends.) Charlie Cory ’13 commented, “Taylor Lautner crushes my chances with half the Deerfield girls and Rob Pattinson crushes my chances with the other half!” [Lautner is the actor who plays Jacob, a hot-blooded werewolf; Pattinson plays Edward, the lead vampire.] There’s not much more a guy needs to know; Daniel Rivera ’13 summed up the male opinion: “I hate it so much!”

If you’re a girl…

Then you’ve likely succumbed to Twilight fever. Alex Philie ’10 claimed, “Twilight is my life!” and Sarah Sutphin ’13 said,“New Moon is the best movie ever!” Even the more lukewarm sentiments are revealing: one anonymous student admitted, “The books are horribly written, but somehow terribly compelling!” So, girls, you’ll probably find something to enjoy in the Twilight saga.

The real question is, are you on Team Edward or Team Jacob? This is the distinction that divides even those who unite in their love of Twilight; should protagonist Bella choose her best friend, hunky werewolf Jacob, or her boyfriend, the brooding vampire Edward? Team Edward member Betsy Alexandre ’13 weighed in: “Edward’s got the triple S; he’s smart, sexy and sweet! He’s a gentleman!” Miranda McEvoy agreed, “Team Edward all the way! He actually loved Bella!” But Team Jacob devotee Elisabeth Yancey ’12 disagrees: “Edward’s a creeper; he snuck into her room to watch her sleep! He’s just kind of icky.” Sutphin was eager to show anyone the Taylor Lautner picture she had set as her cell phone background. Even Thomas Earle ’12 chimed in: “Bella should have chosen Jacob!”

Love it or hate it, Team Edward or Team Jacob, it is clear that Twilight has

become a true phenomenon. And between New Moon’s record-breaking box office earnings and anticipation for the release of the third movie, Eclipse, in June, it seems we might as well get used to it, because Twilight mania won’t be dying down anytime soon.