Vampire-themed films are not uncommon in Hollywood, but given the current trend of turning everything into a series, it's almost a crime that such a lucrative genre, aside from the relatively limited B-movie "Underworld," hasn't been developed into a series. This is where *Twilight* comes into play, brought to life under Matthew's investment and operation.
This series, written by an ordinary American housewife in her spare time, didn't gain its massive following because it presented vampires in a particularly unique way. On the contrary, its popularity lies in its all-encompassing embrace of every vampire cliché and trope.
This approach perfectly aligns with Matthew's consistently formulaic commercial thinking.
If possible, he could turn *Twilight* into a romantic version of "The Lord of the Rings" for the vampire world.
Serializing the films would maximize his profits.
To achieve maximum profit, the film needed to be utterly melodramatic...no, rather, it needed to be the epitome of romance.
Even the most inconspicuous lines had to make young girls scream and go wild.
Thus, Isabella's love lines, which might give someone like Matthew and David Ellison goosebumps, were designed to drive teenage girls crazy with infatuation.
"There are three things I am absolutely certain of. First, Edward is a vampire. Second, there's a part of him—and I don't know how dominant that part might be—that thirsts for my blood. Third, I am unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him."
This line was specifically crafted by Stephenie Meyer for Isabella.
*Time* magazine once described Stephenie Meyer and the *Twilight* series as "brimming with the tension of love and hate, yet elegant and refined like Jane Austen, reaching an extreme of romantic fiction."
As a PG-13 rated film, the interactions between the male and female leads in *Twilight* are both graceful and simple, with their most intense physical contact being just a kiss.
Stephenie Meyer is a genius when it comes to writing romantic lines.
Those cringe-worthy lines in the film mostly came from the original author.
"Even if you're not human, I still love you to death."
This is one of Isabella's lines. And consider Edward's classic declaration of love: "I love you more than everything else put together!"
Matthew hasn't read any of Qiong Yao's novels, and his experience with Qiong Yao dramas is limited to those about princesses, but he imagines that the effect must be something similar to the phrase "until the mountains are flat, the earth and sky unite."
However, the film does have its shortcomings.
Because the plot is clichéd, the pace is slow, it lacks humor, and it fails to create a complete, detailed magical world and complex character relationships like *Harry Potter* or *The Lord of the Rings*, the film remains at the level of a teenage drama and struggles to reach the heights of a blockbuster.
Due to budget constraints, the somewhat crude special effects could also be considered a flaw.
Moreover, Sofia Coppola is not very good at handling action scenes. Whenever the film involves action, the quality noticeably drops. For example, when Edward jumps from one location to another to showcase his superhuman abilities, or when he binds Bella to his back and dashes through the forest, the scenes look somewhat surreal and lack realism.
But none of this matters.
The female audience at the premiere was screaming constantly, far more excited than the most hardcore fans when seeing Optimus Prime and Megatron on the big screen.
The tragic love story between a vampire and a human is bound to draw countless female viewers to the theaters. The young girls who treat the *Twilight* series as sacred as the Bible will empty their wallets for the film's box office and merchandise.
Matthew is confident they will become super fans of *Twilight*: no matter how many books are sold, how many movie tickets are bought, those young girls will cheer and swoon...
No one can deny that all women can be infatuated, even someone like Karolina Kurkova would prioritize a client's appearance.
That's why someone as good-looking as him is so popular.
They love watching various beautiful men, fantasizing that these men are only attracted to them, imagining spending countless romantic moments together. But their fantasies usually stop at the surface; a kiss after the flowery romance is enough to make them ecstatic.
Most young girls go through a phase of having relatively innocent fantasies about love.
*Twilight,* from novel to film, is essentially a product of such fantasies, and now it reinforces these fantasies in return.
This movie, in fact, doesn't have much happening in it. Sofia Coppola simply filmed a story where nothing happens and made it extremely romantic.
After watching the film, Matthew's impression was basically of a bunch of pretty boys and girls walking around, exchanging glances, with sparkling eyes and red lips, speaking weightless vows of eternal love.
There were also many close-ups, and the boys and girls all looked great, which is a plus.
Even the villains are like beautiful fleeting flowers, appearing briefly but stunningly.
The vampires live in a high-class house in the mountains, and when the sun hits them, they shine like diamonds. This is clearly a setup straight out of a Barbie doll game, something girls love.
To cater to these young girls' tastes, Sofia Coppola has truly mastered the art of infatuation.
Sofia Coppola once told him during post-production that she herself had gone through such a phase, so she understood what these young fans wanted to see.
Female directors have a natural advantage in this area.
It's precisely because of the needs of these infatuated fans that vampires have evolved in literature and film from monsters into the handsome characters they are today.
It's hard to trace exactly when it began, but at some point, vampires became synonymous with male beauty. In early films, vampires were akin to zombies with a mind, common villains who highlighted the hero, with terrifying appearances.
As vampires gradually became protagonists, their looks started to improve, adding a touch of wicked charm. By the time *Interview with the Vampire* came out, where Hollywood's two most famous handsome men crossed paths for the first and only time, vampires became synonymous with handsome men, a legacy that continues to this day...
Physiologically speaking, vampires often lack blood, leading to their pale complexions and odd appearances, which happens to align with the modern Gothic aesthetic. Genetically, most vampires come from noble backgrounds with excellent genes, and after hundreds or even thousands of years of refinement, it's no surprise they produce many beautiful men.
Stephenie Meyer adhered to these traditional standards while giving Edward the perfect model: pale and handsome appearance, elegant and brooding demeanor, luxurious and noble origins. Like most other vampires, he has lived in this world painfully for hundreds of years. The difference is that he's eternally seventeen, an age everyone envies. This alone cements *Twilight* as a hit among young fans.
However, since the novel portrayed Edward as too perfect, the film's male lead was bound to have detractors. After all, a hundred people have a hundred different Hamlets in their hearts.
Additionally, the vampire background adds to the romantic appeal.
As we all know, in films and literature, vampire romances are unrivaled. Their passion, wildness, and life-and-death actions make vampire love stories far more thrilling than human ones. Moreover, since the romance usually occurs between a vampire and a human, the inherent incompatibility makes their forbidden love even more captivating.
Looking at the past two decades of works, vampires, whether good or evil, are often the most passionate lovers. Their relationships always seem to last until the end of time. In *Bram Stoker's Dracula,* even after his lover has reincarnated through several lifetimes, Dracula can still awaken her, making a vampire's romantic rival the unluckiest person in the world.
*Twilight* is a very immature film; even Matthew can't deny that. But many immature films often achieve great commercial success.
If a fantasy film like *Harry Potter* requires some brainpower and emotional investment, then *Twilight* is a work that only requires eyes to watch. Using your brain might even be a disadvantage, as it could get tangled up in the story.
A girl overflowing with romantic fantasies would definitely adore this super Mary Sue story.
Matthew once wondered why Jin Yong and Qiong Yao were so popular. Now, the answer seems simple: men love fighting and flirting, while women love romantic stories where the male lead is handsome and, ideally, rich.
This perfectly aligns with the most common part of human nature.
After the premiere, Matthew was confident in *Twilight* in front of anyone and the media. His confidence wasn't just based on the film itself but also heavily on the market.
Since the end of last year, Hollywood screens, which had mostly been dominated by male-oriented films, have seen some significant changes: female-centric films like *Enchanted* and *Juno* were huge hits, achieving impressive box office results and making a splash at the Oscars. This year, *27 Dresses,* *Mamma Mia!*, and *High School Musical 3* have sold out theaters, with strong momentum; not to mention the record-breaking debut of *Sex and the City* in May, which grossed 57 million, almost entirely from female audiences!
From these so-called Chick Flicks—a term men use disparagingly for women's films—Hollywood producers have been shocked to realize that the influence of female audiences in the movie market far exceeds their expectations.
The enormous potential of the female audience has not only led to a noticeable shift in Hollywood's film production focus but also reflects the inevitable result of the women's rights movement and the rising social status of women.
Thus, the emergence of *Twilight* also fits the current social climate.
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