Breaking Twilight

So, I'll be going to see Breaking Dawn, Part 1 tonight. Now wait. Before you go and demand that I hand in my Man Card, be aware that I probably had to turn that in a long time ago. You know, back when I took a trip to see High School Musical 3 or when I openly admitted that I enjoy the song stylings of those kids from Glee. That's right, I said it.

But with the Twilight phenomenon, I figure I'm in too deep to quit now. I've read the books, which, of course, were better than the films. And I've seen the first three. I may as well finish the movie series, right? So there it is.

Oddly enough, voluntarily seeing this movie does not necessarily mean that I'll like it. Of the books, I think I enjoyed Breaking Dawn the most. There's a lot going on and it gets pretty interesting, especially toward the end. Which apparently won't be seen on film until next year. I digress.

You may ask why I'd go see something if I don't think I'll enjoy it. It isn't that I won't enjoy it. I think I will... to a degree. But I've made it no secret that I can't stand Bella Swan. She's weak and pathetic. When comparing the series to other books, I think Stephen King said it best: "Harry Potter is about confronting fears, finding inner strength and doing what is right in the face of adversity. Twilight is about how important it is to have a boyfriend."

I had a conversation just last week about the character of Bella in relation to other literary figures. I flat out told the guy that Bella is an awful role model for all these girls out there who have devoured these novels. She idolizes this one guy and makes her entire identity about him and what he does for her and how he makes her feel. When he leaves her in the second book, she crawls into the fetal position and is inconsolable for months. Oh, and then she throws herself off a cliff. Because that's always a good idea. Is that what we want our teenage girls to do when they have a guy break up with them?

The guy on the other side of this conversation then used the argument that the books promote sexual abstinence before marriage. I'll concede that point. However, that's still not an argument for the character of Bella Swan. The whole "we're not having sex until we're married thing" was Edward's deal.

So yeah, I'm seeing this movie tonight. I'm not gonna write a review about it. I'm fairly certain that it isn't going to rock my world. I'll walk out of the theater and my friends will ask what I thought. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to sum up my thoughts with a simple, "Meh..."