All 5 Movies in 'The Twilight Saga,' Ranked

Publish date: 2024-05-28

The tumultuous love story between Bella Swann and Edward Cullen dominated the pop culture landscape throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s. Played by future Oscar-nominee Kristen Stewart and future Batman Robert Pattinson, Bella and Edward mesmerized audiences worldwide as the protagonists of the much-maligned but simply irresistible Twilight Saga.

Based on Stephenie Meyer's four-film series, The Twilight Saga produced five movies that critics and audiences loved to hate. The film series has some surprising highs and some truly embarrassing lows, cementing its place as a genuine phenomenon and a pioneer in the young adult explosion that would take over Hollywood in the early 2010s. If viewers accept them for what they are, the Twilight movies make for suitable and nostalgic entertainment thanks to their unintentional cringe dialog, bizarre worldbuilding, and electrifying chemistry between its leads. And while no one can say the Twilight movies are "great" per se, some are quite worthwhile and rewatchable, while others are outright inept.

5 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1' (2011)

Director: Bill Condon

It's outright impossible to believe the man who directed Gods and Monsters is behind The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1, and yet, it's true. The film sees Bella and Edward finally getting married and going on their honeymoon to Rio de Janeiro. However, things change when Bella becomes pregnant with a vampire baby, putting her life at risk.

Breaking Dawn - Part 1 has little to no redeemable qualities. Not only is the plot nonsensical, but it's also slow to the point of being comatose. Bella's pregnancy is just not interesting, despite some impressive acting from Kristen Stewart. The film spends long stretches of time doing nothing, making for a rather dull viewing experience. The infamous birthing scene is the film's only glimpse of bravado, and even then, it's not shocking enough to stand out. The choice to split the final book in half was terrible, resulting in a first film that seems to exist just to prolong the franchise's success. Overall, Breaking Dawn - Part 1 is simply boring, tedious, and unintentionally funny, qualities that are never good for a movie.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1

PG-13AdventureDramaFantasyRomance

Release Date November 16, 2011 Cast Robert Pattinson , Kristen Stewart , Taylor Lautner , Ashley Greene , Billy Burke , Anna Kendrick Runtime 108 minutes Writers Stephenie Meyer , Melissa Rosenberg

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4 'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse' (2010)

Director: David Slade

Following Edward's return to Forks, he and Bella rekindle their relationship. A jealous Jacob insists that Bella loves him, and his stubborn claims might not be entirely unfounded. Meanwhile, the vicious Victoria is assembling an army of newborn vampires to take her long-awaited revenge on Edward and Bella for the murder of her lover, James.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse has more action than its predecessors, but it all amounts to nothing. The final battle against the newborns is clumsily staged and lacks any sense of excitement. Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World) does her best to make Victoria a worthy villain, but her performance is notoriously less menacing and magnetic than Rachelle Levefre's. To make matters worse, everything that happens prior to the battle is lethargic and frustrating, with the Bella-Edward-Jacob terrible love triangle growing old extremely fast. Eclipse is ultimately bloated yet still boring, an ironic mix that added further fuel to those who claimed the franchise was among the worst in the new millennium.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

PG-13AdventureDocumentaryDramaFantasyRomance

Release Date June 23, 2010 Cast Kristen Stewart , Robert Pattinson , Taylor Lautner , Billy Burke , Ashley Greene , Jackson Rathbone Runtime 124 minutes Writers Stephenie Meyer , Melissa Rosenberg

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3 ''The Twilight Saga: New Moon' (2009)

Director: Chris Weitz

Following the unexpected success of 2008's Twilight, fans flooded movie theaters to watch the next chapter in Bella's story. The Twilight Saga: New Moon sees Bella suffer an attack during her birthday celebration at the Cullens'. Fearing for her safety, Edward leaves, sending her into a deep depression and bringing her closer to her old friend, Jacob.

Immediately upon its release, and for several years afterward, New Moon was ruthlessly criticized for its depiction of Bella's broken state of mind after Edward's abandonment and what was perceived as weakness on her part. However, in hindsight, the film does a fairly good job depicting depression and capturing teen angst, particularly during the much-mocked "Possibility" scene. Beyond that, New Moon marks a distinct departure from its predecessor, adopting a more blockbuster approach instead of the decidedly small-scale teen romance from Twilight. Scene-stealing performances from Michael Sheen (Good Omens) and Dakota Fanning (The Alienist) further contribute to its entertainment value. It also tries to deal with more mature subjects, and while the results are decidedly mixed, it still deserves props for trying.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

PG-13AdventureDocumentaryDramaFantasyRomance

Release Date November 18, 2009 Cast Kristen Stewart , Taylor Lautner , Robert Pattinson , Billy Burke , Ashley Greene , Anna Kendrick Runtime 130 minutes Writers Melissa Rosenberg , Stephenie Meyer

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2 'Twilight' (2008)

Director: Catherine Hardwicke

2008's Twilight introduced viewers to the stoic and near-inexpressive romance of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. The plot sees Bella arriving at the cold and perpetually cloudy town of Forks, Washington, where she quickly forms a connection with the mysterious and handsome Edward Cullen. Soon, she realizes Edward is hiding a dangerous secret: he's really a vampire.

Twilight's impact on pop culture cannot be overstated. The film defined an entire generation, capturing the subversive, if not necessarily disruptive, emo spirit of the mid-2000s and giving teenagers worldwide something to obsess about. Twilight is a visually distinctive effort from director Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen), taking advantage of its small-scale story to deliver a surprisingly ambitious take on the teen fantasy romance that effectively revived the then-dying genre. It turned Stewart and Pattinson into bonafide modern icons, launched a thousand copycats and a much-discussed franchise and became the only film series able to compete with the other generation-defining phenomenon of the 2010s, Harry Potter. Today, Twilight remains singular and quite rewatchable, thanks to its mesmerizing central performances, hypnotic score, and the unintentional silliness of the whole thing.

Twilight

PG-13DramaAdventureFantasyRomance

Release Date November 20, 2008 Cast Kristen Stewart , Robert Pattinson , Billy Burke , Peter Facinelli , Elizabeth Reaser , Cam Gigandet Runtime 120 minutes Writers Melissa Rosenberg , Stephenie Meyer

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1 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1' (2011)

Director: Bill Condon

Following the birth of her daughter, Renesmee, and her own rebirth as a vampire, Bella begins getting used to her new life alongside the Cullens. However, danger lurks when the Volturi mistakenly believe Renesmee is an immortal child and threaten to attack. The Cullens rally their allies from around the world to make one last stand against the Volturi.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 includes all the action that its flur predecessors didn't, and it does so all with an imaginary, 9-minute battle sequence. Who cares if it's actually a vision? It's by far the coolest and most interesting thing the series ever did, raising the stakes by killing beloved characters, keeping tensions high, and providing satisfying catharsis for fans. The film itself is business as usual for Twilight's standards, but the third act is genuinely inspired. More importantly, Breaking Dawn - Part 2 does what a final film should: it gives its saga a satisfying and exciting ending that makes it easier to forget the less-than-stellar entries that came before. Bill Condon doesn't quite redeem himself, but at least he avoids director jail, a luxury rarely afforded to other franchise helmers.