The breakdown of 'Breaking Dawn'

MANILA, Philippines - Like it or not, the Twilight franchise is a worldwide phenomenon that has the hearts of females of all ages aflutter. This did not come without a price, however, as it has also become fashionable to hate the books and films. Stephenie Meyer has been lambasted by no less than Stephen King, saying that Meyer “can’t write worth a darn.”

I have the dubious distinction of having sat through all three Twilight films, and I have to say that I am kind of looking forward to the fourth one. Here’s why:

•The books. The movies would not have been made without the books, and the books got people to read. Say what you want about Stephenie Meyer’s writing ability, but she did what many a parent and teacher could not do: Get people to pick up a book and fall in love with it. One hopes that said readers continued reading other books after the series ended.

•Eye candy. Whether you’re into pale, elegant vampires or raw, animalistic werewolves who like running around half-naked in their human form, there’s someone guaranteed to make your heart go aflutter. And oh yeah, the girls are cute, too.

•Hurt, and lots of it. Twilight is actually very violent. It’s got scenes that make a case for censorship. Bella gets thrown around more than the average action hero, sometimes by the person who professes to love her the most. If you are a hater who has to accompany a Twilight fan to the theatre, this will at least give you comfort.

•The Wedding... Come on, who doesn’t love a good wedding? We get to see the bride in her beautiful gown walk up to her groom, who is arguably prettier than her and whose skin sparkles in the sun, outshining the engagement ring he gave her. As you can tell, I’m Team Jacob.

•… And what happens after. The reason that Twilight was such a big hit with young girls is because it discussed love and sex, but in a safe, non-threatening way. Now that Bella and Edward are married, they are free to get to know each other biblically, with society’s consent. And since the book makes vampire/human relations a complicated, life-threatening act, it would be interesting to see it interpreted on screen.

Equally interesting would be how Bella’s birth scene will be filmed, but that happens in Breaking Dawn’s second installment. I can’t wait.