10 Things Only Book Fans Know About Twilight
Twilight's epic love story between Edward and Bella enthralled fans, but there was much more to this universe that only book readers would know.
The late noughts were revolutionized by the creation of Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, which birthed a hugely successful franchise of five movies. The love story between human Bella and vampire Edward was pure fantasy, and just when people thought it had lost steam, the Twilight series had its own Renaissance in 2020, which continues to date. The highlight of Twilight was the intricacy of Bella’s world, many details of which could not come through in the limited runtime of the movies
The backstories of beloved characters like Alice and Rosalie, the nuances in Bella and Edward’s interactions, and the specifics of vampire and werewolf lore are only known by book fans of Twilight. These elements are extremely fascinating and went unexplored in the movies.
10Alice Had a Tragic Human Life and Transformation
Born Mary Alice Brandon in Mississippi in 1901, Edward’s sister had a short but tragic human existence that never made it to the screen. She had the gift of sight from the beginning and saw visions of her father killing her mother. Predictably, nobody believed Alice and her father indeed murdered her mother.
To make it worse, he got Alice locked up in a psychiatric ward for her premonitions, where she was subjected to extreme electrotherapy. Fortunately, Alice found a well-wisher in the asylum — a kindly vampire who protected her when trouble followed Alice to the institution. This older vampire decided to transform the troubled girl into a vampire when she was being hunted for her blood: a process that was extremely painful. He gave her a new lease on life, along with the gift of seeing the future with Jasper and the Cullens.
9James Had a History With the Cullens
James may have haunted Bella’s nightmares in Twilight with his ferocity, but it was not the first time he had clashed with the Cullens. The vampire who had hunted Alice when she was a human was none other than James, who was intent on draining Alice’s blood because it “sang” to him. Fatefully, the same fearsome fantasy villain came back to plague Edward and the Cullens again.
To hunt Bella was almost like he was balancing out the scales: the Cullens got Alice, but he would get Bella. This connection was one of the most intriguing ones that added layers to the vampire world in Twilight. The Cullens may have adopted a different lifestyle, but they weren’t immune to the wilder, more dangerous side of their kind.
8Jacob Was Not Actually a Werewolf
The Quileute wolves were called werewolves in Twilight, but technically, they were shapeshifters. In the Twilight universe, “Children of the Moon” were true werewolves who transformed from a bite from another wolf, lost their ability to reason like human beings, and transformed according to the lunar cycle.
They had no control over their phasing and were much more dangerous than the Quileute wolves. The Quileutes carried a shapeshifting gene thanks to their last great spirit chief, Taha Aki’s fight with a cold one years ago. They could phase at will and retain their human natures and thought when they did.
7Edward and Bella’s Interactions Could Be Funny and Teasing
The Twilight movies portrayed Edward and Bella as an intense and passionate couple, but the pair wasn’t always brooding. In fact, readers would know that there was a lot of mutual curiosity and humor in their interactions, in addition to admiration. Early on, Edward had spent entire days asking Bella about her favorite colors, flowers, and other mundane things.
In one instance, Edward went out of his way to block Bella from leaving the school parking lot so that he could witness cocky Tyler ask Bella to prom and her hilariously frustrated reaction to his proposal. They were always teasing each other about Bella’s vulnerability and the irony of their situation, which could never translate onscreen in the dark romance films.
6Bella Broke Down When She Chose Edward
Bella, Edward, and Jacob’s supernatural love triangle was the biggest draw of Twilight, and the book reached an emotional peak when Bella realized that she loved both Edward and Jacob. Her love for Edwards surpassed her feelings for the werewolf, but that did not diminish her love for him. In Eclipse, it was obvious that Bella had to make her choice, and when she did, she went through a difficult time.
The movie never actually delved into the emotional aspects of her choosing Edward over Jacob. In the book, Bella sobbed like a child after telling Jacob who she wanted, and Edward patiently comforted her. The part of Bella that loved Jacob needed to express its grief about losing him, which was a significant part of the story.
5Edward Was Fond Of Angela
Angela Weber, Bella’s kinder human friend, had a very different character arc in the Twilight books. She was shy but had a good heart, which was why Edward had a fondness for her. She had kinder thoughts than Jessica and Lauren, making her mind an easier place to be in and read for him.
In the books, Angela actually ended up with Ben instead of Eric, like in the movies. Edward had a big role to play in Angela’s relationship: he deliberately struck up a conversation with Emmett within Ben’s earshot so that he would get spurred to ask Angela out for prom. Edward appreciated how gentle she was around Bella and wanted to do her a favor.
4Bella Loved the Classics
Small but important nuances about Bella’s character were missing from the movies, but book fans would know about Bella’s taste for classic novels. She loved reading and even ventured out to sit in the grass on a rare warm day in Forks to read by herself. She was a Jane Austen fan, and the books she was confused between that day were Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Mansfield Park.
In fact, the books were full of male love interests called Edward or Edmund, so she gave up on Austen altogether and picked Bronte’s Wuthering Heights instead. Much of Bella’s worldview was shaped by classics, and in Eclipse, she likened herself to the cruel and callous Cathy because of the pain she gave to Edward and Jacob.
3Rosalie Was a Car Enthusiast and Incredibly Talented
Icy and vain Rosalie acted almost like an antagonist to Bella in Twilight, but her character was much deeper and more complex than that. Twi-hards would know that Rosalie loved cars: she enjoyed buying them, driving them, and was even very good at repairing them when any of the Cullens’ expensive automobiles had issues. She was skilled with machines and engineering, which made sense since she had spent her days getting various degrees in the subject.
Rosalie may not have had the extra gifts that Edward, Jasper, and Alice had, but she had talents like playing the piano. She even had a decent level of medical expertise, which she implemented when she helped Carlisle with his patients. Shallow and materialistic as she was, Rosalie had facets.
2Esme Was Married to Someone Before Carlisle
Just like Alice, Esme hardly had any of her backstory appear in the Twilight movies, so her history was only known to those who read the novels. Carlisle was Esme’s soulmate, but she had been married to someone while she was human. Esme’s parents pressured her to marry, and she settled down with Charles Evenson, a seemingly gentle man who was abusive behind closed doors.
When Esme got pregnant, she ran away from Charles so her child would not know his brutality. Sadly, she lost her child and attempted to kill herself, which was how Carlisle found and turned her. Esme went through extreme adversity as a human but found the right man and her chosen family as a vampire.
1Jasper Was the Most Powerful and Lethal Cullen
Casual Twilight fans would assert that Edward, Carlisle, or Alice were the most powerful Cullens, but readers would know that it was Jasper who was the most formidable. His ability to control people’s moods and influence their actions, combined with his training as a vampire soldier, was lethal. The Quileute wolves considered him the most dangerous of the Cullen clan.
Jasper’s powers could even influence Bella, whose mental shield made her immune to Edward’s mind reading. He had the speed, strength, and power to annihilate his opponent mentally. With his wilder instincts, Jasper could be a fearsome enemy to make.
10 Most Controversial Movie Love Triangles
Love triangles can be complicated but breathtaking. Some, like Twilight’s Edward, Bella, and Jacob, can be plain controversial.
One of the best tropes in cinema (whether audiences admit it or not) is a good old love triangle between the main characters. The sizzling chemistry, the tension, and the will-they-won’t-they atmosphere is universally appreciated, but sometimes, these love triangles can be a bit questionable.
The nature of some of the relationships in these entanglements, like in The Graduate and The Accidental Husband was strange, and in some cases, a triangle was completely unnecessary. While these movie love triangles were memorable, they were also contentious.
10Han, Luke, & Leia
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars is known for epic sci-fi rivalries, but Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Leia Organa’s love triangle created quite a stir. In Empire Strikes Back, Luke and Leia shared a kiss that had been alluded to with a lot of tension beforehand, but this became awkward when Leia was revealed to be his sister.
The romance between the two was promptly forgotten in Return of the Jedi when they suddenly became siblings. There was an obvious lack of planning or a complete lack of prominent female characters in the franchise that led to this questionable triangle.
9Bella, Jacob, & Edward
The Twilight Saga
The harsh reality of rewatching Twilight is that the love triangle between Bella, Jacob, and Edward was extremely messy. At first, it was innocent enough with a vampire and werewolf fighting over the human girl, but Stephanie Meyer’s resolution to the triangle was controversial.
In Breaking Dawn, fans found out that it was Bella’s potential to give birth to Renesmee that attracted Jacob to her all along, which was twisted at the very least. Jacob’s romance with a baby made the entire triangle hard to swallow for all fans.
8Mrs. Robinson, Benjamin, & Elaine
The Graduate
The Graduate remains one of the most iconic love triangles in cinema, but it was also a controversial one. Mrs. Robinson and Benjamin’s affair was taboo, and while critics loved the movie, many were also concerned by the uneven power dynamic between the two.
To make it worse, Benjamin then pursued the daughter of the woman he had an affair with. Mrs. Robinson has long been demonized for her part in the movie, but Benjamin was not innocent. This entanglement was entertaining but ultimately very unhealthy.
7Veronica, Sierra, & Jamey
Sierra Burgess Is A Loser
Cyrano de Bergerac has been adapted for years, and Sierra Burgess Is A Loser was another modern Netflix remake. Jamey fell in love with Veronica while Sierra actually texted him and prompted their conversations, but the triangle became weird when Jamey closed his eyes to kiss Veronica, but Sierra switched with her instead.
The relationship was based on lies anyway, but when Jamey was hoodwinked into kissing Sierra, questions of consent and will arose. Jamey was rightfully angry at the invasion of privacy, but eventually forgave Sierra. This love triangle had a bad start and should have stopped at the text messages.
6Tauriel, Legolas, & Kili
The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug
To put it bluntly, none of the Hobbit movies needed a love triangle at all. Tauriel was never even in the books, but her introduction was not a con. She was a much-needed strong female character, but sadly, her importance was reduced to the triangle between her, Legolas, and Kili.
Introducing new characters just to put a misplaced love triangle in a fantasy movie made no sense, and fans of the franchise did not appreciate this aspect of the movie at all. Tauriel could have been a character complete in herself, without a love story, and Evangeline Lilly was wasted in The Hobbit.
5Jeff, Fran, & Calvin
The Apartment
This 1960 movie was a divisive one, which automatically made the love triangle between corporate aspirant Calvin, his boss Jeff, and their love interest Fran a disputable one. The premise of the movie, where Calvin loaned his apartment to his bosses for their adulterous trysts was one that enraged many viewers.
Things got even more twisted when Calvin fell in love with his boss’ mistress, Fran. The film was said to promote adultery and debauchery at the time, causing controversy with this entanglement depicted in it.
4Patrick, Tom, & Marion
My Policeman
The tender love story between Patrick and Tom in My Policeman was marred by how the two deceived Tom’s wife, Marion, for years. A gay relationship was frowned upon during the time, but marrying Marion under false pretenses was a terrible thing to do.
The arrangement, both in-universe and outside, was controversial. Leading a false life was one thing, but Patrick ingratiated himself into Tom and Marion’s married life as a friend, which was not the best course of action here. Tom and Patrick suffered greatly because of social mores but so did Marion.
3Rachel, Darcy, & Dex
Something Borrowed
Usually, the mistress and the cheating husband are condemned in a love triangle involving married people, but Something Borrowed turned that concept on its head. Between these three, Rachel, the best friend who got involved with Darcy’s fiancé, was shown in a sympathetic light.
Morally speaking, some could argue that Darcy was in the right while Rachel and Dex were wrong for starting an affair, but this was not shown to be the case here. This was why this love triangle raised a few eyebrows, but was eventually a good watch.
2Patrick, Emma, & Richard
The Accidental Husband
If there was ever a crooked love triangle, it is the one in The Accidental Husband. When radio host Emma unknowingly breaks up Sofia and Patrick’s relationship, Patrick sets out to get revenge on Emma via a forged marriage certificate between them to wreck her impending nuptials.
Lately, there has been an increase in awareness regarding toxic relationships, and how they appear to be romantic when they are not. This was why this became a controversial love triangle, despite being a fun one to watch.
1Rafe, Danny, & Evelyn
Pearl Harbor
Viewers of Pearl Harbor were unimpressed by the portrayal of the incident in the movie, but the shoe-horning of a love triangle in the midst of it all made it even worse. Moreover, the love triangle between Rafe, Danny, and Evelyn was almost comically bad, with Evelyn parachuting between paramours as they died and came back to life.
Pearl Harbor did not need any love story, let alone a triangle where best friends vied for the same woman, and when one of them died, the other swooped in. This triangle was horrible and made many viewers question the entire movie.
