





The wolf’s out of the bag: All five of the Twilight films are now streaming on Netflix in the US.
This saga of vampires, werewolves, and the intensity of teen romance tells the story of 17-year-old Bella Swan and her undead soulmate, Edward Cullen. (He’s “17,” and has been for a while.) You’ll be able to watch the entire franchise beginning May 1, regardless of whether there’s an Eclipse or a New Moon on the horizon.
With its 2008 release, Twilight introduced the vampire craze to a new generation and became a massively successful cultural phenomenon. Through its five films, the franchise grossed $3.3 billion worldwide, and gave us some incredible quotes, unmatched melodrama, and — let’s be honest — plenty of teen angst. It also asked fans to pick a side on one of the most heavily debated issues of our time: Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob?
As you make plans for your Twilight movie marathon, here’s everything you need to know about the vampire saga.
Many people travel through the town of Forks, Washington, across the five films — but here are the main characters you should know.
Yes! The Twilight movies are based on the wildly popular series of young adult novels of the same name written by Stephenie Meyer, with the original four-book collection selling more than 160 million copies worldwide. The first book in the series, Twilight, was published in 2005, and was adapted into the first of five movies in 2008. And if any of the films’ themes feel familiar, that might be because Meyer drew inspiration from literary classics, including Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice; William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Merchant of Venice, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream; and Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights.
The Twilight soundtrack is packed with brooding emo rock that will transport you right back to the late 2000s. From the very first guitar strums, Blue Foundation’s “Eyes on Fire” is immediately recognizable to fans, who now associate the “hoa hoa hoa hoa” with the gloomy weather reminiscent of Forks. It’s impossible not to think about vampire baseball when you hear the English rock band Muse’s “Supermassive Black Hole.” And Paramore lead singer Hayley Williams said in a statement that “the building tension, awkwardness, anger, and confusion between Bella and Edward” inspired the band’s Grammy-nominated song “Decode.”
At the time, indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie was gaining mainstream popularity with several of their songs used in shows and movies, including “Meet Me on the Equinox,” which is featured in New Moon, the second film in the Twilight Saga. Other standouts include “Hearing Damage” by Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, “Roslyn” by Bon Iver and St. Vincent — and who could forget Lykke Li’s devastating “Possibility”? There are plenty more great tracks, of course, and you can listen to them all once the film series returns to Netflix.

After moving to rainy and gray Forks, Washington to live with her police chief father, Charlie Swan (Burke), Bella Swan (Stewart) becomes fascinated by her classmates, the Cullens, who are strikingly beautiful and mostly keep to themselves. Though he keeps his distance at first because he can’t resist her delicious scent, Edward Cullen (Pattinson) eventually pursues the new girl, who soon uncovers his family secret. They’re impossibly fast and strong, their skin pale and white and cold, and they don’t go out in the sunlight, which can only mean one thing — they must be vampires.

After an incident on Bella’s 18th birthday, the Cullens skip town without a trace. A devastated Bella finds comfort in her old family friend, Jacob Black (Lautner), who greets her with one of the most memeable lines of all time: “Bella, where the hell have you been loca?” Bella realizes that dangerous activities conjure a hallucination of Edward, so — hoping to hear the imagined voice of her vanished love — she asks Jacob to teach her how to ride a motorbike, which she purposely crashes so she can hear Edward’s voice. As time goes on, Jacob develops romantic feelings for Bella and shares that he’s recently transformed into a werewolf. Also, vampires are his pack’s natural enemy. Meanwhile, Bella’s increasingly erratic behavior gets back to Edward, who thinks she’s dead, so he turns himself over to the vampire leadership — the Volturi — for a death sentence, and Bella must take drastic measures to save him.

The Cullens have returned to Forks, and Bella is in danger once more — but not because her vampire boyfriend and werewolf best friend are feuding. Rather, a series of mysterious and gruesome killings across the Seattle area has everyone on edge, and the vengeful vampire Victoria (Howard) is behind it. Since the Cullens killed her soulmate, Victoria has been building an army of vampires to take down their clan, with Bella as her top target. With the unknowing human residents of Forks caught in the middle of a brewing war between rival vampire covens, Jacob’s Quileute werewolf pack and the Cullens may have to put their differences aside to protect their home.

In part one of Breaking Dawn, Edward and Bella tie the knot and celebrate their union with friends and family. All is well for the newlyweds, until Bella becomes pregnant — the fetus, developing at an abnormally fast rate, leaves Bella sick and frail. Although the werewolves and vampires found common ground in Eclipse, all bets are off the table once Jacob learns that Bella’s pregnancy is killing her, and he turns his pack against the Cullens. But that’s short-lived, for reasons only a werewolf can explain. Once she gives birth to their half-human, half-vampire baby (and names her Renesmee), Edward has no choice but to finally turn Bella into a vampire to save her.

This love story comes to a close with Breaking Dawn – Part 2. Now a vampire herself — and with an impressive set of skills — Bella is adjusting to her new way of life. But she doesn’t have much time to settle into her new form, because another vengeful vampire sees Renesmee, believes that the Cullens have broken vampire law, and reports them to the Volturi. Now the Cullens and the Quileute werewolves will come together once more as they prepare for a possible war with the vampire leadership. But at what cost?
You can watch them all on Netflix in the US right now.




































