twilight movies parent review

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Parent reviews for twilight.

Common Sense says

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Parents say

Based on 156 reviews

Based on 703 reviews

It's entertaining.

Report this review, horrible role models in dull vampire romance..

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A movie romanticising a controlling obsessive relationship

Horrible but cool plot tho, i wish i could crawl in a hole and erase any memories of this damned movie, twilight is milder than the rest of the series, mixed feelings, if your not sure to watch it or not, silly and unrealistic lol.

Twilight (I) (2008)

Parents Guide

Certification

Sex & Nudity

Violence & Gore

Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking

Frightening & Intense Scenes

Mild 62 of 112 found this mild Severity? None 14 Mild 62 Moderate 29 Severe 7 We were unable to submit your evaluation. Please try again later.

The Parents Guide items below may give away important plot points.

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Twilight Parent Guide

Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) can't seem to help being curious and attracted to her classmate Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). But as she begins to unravel his secrets, she finds herself drawn into a mysterious and dangerous world full of vampires and bloodthirsty assassins.

Release date November 21, 2008

Run Time: 122 minutes

Official Movie Site

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The guide to our grades, parent movie review by kerry bennett.

Bella Swan (Kristen Steward) has moved from sun-drenched Arizona to the rain-soaked coast of Washington state and seemingly lost her sunny disposition (if she ever had one) along the way. Despite the friendly overtures from her fellow students at Forks High School, Bella remains withdrawn and distant from them, as well as her estranged father Charlie (Billy Burke) with whom she now lives.

Her interest is piqued, however, when she meets her new biology lab partner. Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), a pale, mysterious classmate, seems to be not only wary of her but down right repulsed during their first meeting. Rather than let the slight go, the headstrong Belle resolves to confront Edward about his reaction the next time she sees him.

It may be the portrayal of angst that resonates with the millions of fans who’ve bought into the story and waited with, dare I say, bated breath for this movie’s release. Yet from a parent’s perspective this script is worrisome. Bella, portrayed as an independently-minded young woman, develops a dogged attraction to Edward that borders on obsession. Professing her trust in him (not to eat her) is one thing, but pushing the poor boy to the edge of his self-control is another. To maintain their budding relationship, she also lies to her parents and friends, and jeopardizes the identity of Edward’s family. Though Edward refers to Bella as his own personal brand of heroin, it is she who seems to have an unhealthy addiction to the reticent vampire.

For teens determined to see their literary characters brought to the big screen, this adaptation contains only a trio or so of profanities. Showing more restraint and good sense than Bella, Edward breaks away from the pair’s passionate kissing before he loses the willpower to resist her blood. Yet pushed between the lines of stammering, often stumbling dialogue are the murders of at least two residents, a near fatal car accident, bloody injuries from a hand-to-hand struggle, and the dismemberment and burning of a vampire.

While most audience members won’t worry about protecting their necklines when they leave the theater, this script may still expose more dangerous attitudes about young love than most parents will care to lay bare for their kids.

About author

Kerry Bennett

Twilight rating & content info.

Why is Twilight rated PG-13? Twilight is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for some violence and a scene of sensuality.

Forced to move to a new school mid-year is unsettling for Bella, although her new classmates warmly welcome her. Another group of students, however, remain on the fringes of the group. Two youth are sent to the hospital after a near fatal car accident. A group of beer-toting male teens surround a lone girl on a dark street and threaten her. A vampire bites the necks of his victims. Two men are chased, attacked and killed by vampires (deaths occur off-screen). The covered corpse of one victim is seen. A girl is injured by a glass shard in her leg and nearly killed during a brutal fight between two vampires. Bloody injuries are portrayed. Characters are thrown into mirrors, across a room and through windows during the brawl. One character is beheaded, dismembered and burned (without graphic detail). Illustrated depictions of death are seen in a book. Teens host a casino and gamble during a school dance. Characters are shown drinking or with beer cans on several occasions, including while cleaning a rifle. Girls make sexually-oriented comments about male anatomy. Other brief sexual innuendos are contained in the script. A girl wears a low cut dress with the intention of revealing her chest. Teens kiss passionately in a bedroom. Infrequent terms of Christian Deity are used.

Page last updated October 31, 2020

Twilight Parents' Guide

Like many other films, plays and stories, this script is based on a pursuit of forbidden love. Why are these types of relationships often seen as an exciting alternative to the average girl or boy-next-door love story? What problems are implicitly parts of this kind of romance?

Bella continually expresses her trust in Edward. Are there, however, times when trust can be misguided? What responsibility does Bella have to help Edward stay true to his convictions? Do you think she enhances or hampers his ability to honor her faith in him?

The challenge with bringing a well-known novel to the big screen is choosing the actors. What do you like about the performers that were chosen? What do you dislike? Who would have been your choice for the parts? Do you think the screenplay did justice to the book?

Fans of Stephenie Meyer’s novels can find the complete series ( Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn ) at their local library or bookstore.

The most recent home video release of Twilight movie is March 21, 2009. Here are some details…

Release Date: 21 March 2009

Twilight arrives on DVD as a 2-disc set. Presented in widescreen, the movie offers audio tracks in Dolby Digital 5.1 (English and Spanish), with subtitles in English and Spanish. Bonus materials include:

-Audio Commentary by director Catherine Hardwicke and stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.

- Five extended and five deleted scenes (with director introductions).

- Three music videos ( Muse, Paramore and Linkin Park ).

- Comic-Con Phenomenon featurette.

- A seven-part documentary ( The Adventure Begins: The Journey from Page to Screen ).

Twilight also releases on Blu-ray. The movie is presented in widescreen with audio tracks in 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS-HD Master Audio (English), and subtitles in English and Spanish. This disc provides all of the above-mentioned extras, plus an interactive picture-in-picture feature.

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Twilight | 1998 | R | - 6.4.7

SEX/NUDITY 6 - A woman's bare breasts are seen a couple of times, and a woman's bare buttocks and the side of her breast are seen while she skinny dips. A man is shown kissing down a woman's body. A man and woman have sex -- but nothing is shown. A woman puts her hand in a man's pants pocket. A cleavage revealing bikini. Some sexual innuendo.

VIOLENCE/GORE 4 - Several people are shot and killed, with resulting bloody wounds. A man is shot in the leg, a man is shot at several times and a man is shown with bloody wounds. A man is hit on the head and kicked in the stomach, a man's face is pushed into a plate of food, a man is hit in the crotch a man hits a woman. A skeleton is seen with a bullethole in the skull. A man has a heart attack. A man is threatened with a gun. A scene where urine is visible.

LANGUAGE 7 - About 20 F-words, many anatomical and sexual references, many scatological terms and several mild obscenities.

DISCUSSION TOPICS - Secrets, friendship, love.

MESSAGE - Secrets never stay secrets forever.

REVIEWS See ratings & reviews at Critics.com

FILTER by RATINGS Did you know you can now filter searches by any combination of ratings? Just go to our search page or use the search bar, with or without a keyword, from the top navigation menu. Move sliders from 0-10 in any combination, check and uncheck MPAA ratings and use keywords to further filter results -- please let us know what you think.

THE ASSIGNED NUMBERS Unlike the MPAA we do not assign one inscrutable rating based on age but 3 objective ratings for SEX/NUDITY , VIOLENCE/GORE & LANGUAGE on a scale of 0 to 10, from lowest to highest depending on quantity & context | more |

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Twilight – 17-year-old Bella Swan has recently moved to Forks to live with her dad. Attending the local high school, she quickly makes new friends but when the mysterious Edward Cullen takes an interest in her, she is equally captivated by him. After Edward displays a seemingly impossible ability to stop a van from crushing her, he warns her to stay away from him. Unperturbed, Bella discovers his terrible secret and has to decide whether to walk away or continue the relationship which will put her life in danger.

Twilight (2008) – Director: Catherine Hardwicke

Running Length: 122 mins

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke

Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Horror

REVIEW: ‘TWILIGHT’

‘Twilight’ is the first movie instalment of Stephanie Meyer’s novels which are more commonly known as ‘The Twilight Saga’. While the ‘paranormal romance’ market is somewhat saturated these days, Twilight is one of the fore-runners of this modern teen phenomenon and perhaps has a more innocent storyline than some of its successors within the genre.

While ‘teen romance’ is sometimes a nicer concept than that of a more adult relationship, the obsessive nature of Bella and Edward’s attraction towards each other makes for a darker and slightly more sinister storyline than wholesome young love might otherwise imply. Kristen Stewart tries to portray a deep, moody teenager but comes across as rather bland and despite Robert Pattinson’s performance, which is more emotive, the chemistry between them is somewhat lacking. Sadly, this ‘love’ story is the main focus of the movie and the more interesting scenes are kept to a minimum. Characters who could add depth to the plot are sidelined and even the main antagonists are only properly introduced towards the end of the movie. ‘Twilight’ could have coped with the more complex storyline which was hinted at but never properly realised and unfortunately the plot of an unrealistic love affair does not necessarily provide enough entertainment value for a two-hour film.

That said the target audience is clearly that of a pre-teen to teenage market and although Twilight has many shortcomings the inherent appeal of a forbidden vampire love story may well prove compelling enough for those who want to watch this movie to be able to overlook the fact that, when broken down, very little actually happens in ‘Twilight’.

CONTENT: IS ‘TWILIGHT’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

There are several violent scenes during the film which could be potentially distressing for younger viewers. Three vampires are shown to attack innocent people on two separate occasions. While the violence itself is not graphic, the victims are terrified which the vampires enjoy, often saying and doing things which make it worse. Each death is reported afterward as an animal attack so the audience is aware that these innocent people were brutally murdered.

One of the antagonists captures Bella and records himself hurting her. He is seen to stamp on her leg and break it, which makes her scream in agony. Shortly after this, Bella is thrown across the room, landing on fragments from a broken window; she is then seen to pull a large shard of glass out of her leg. Throughout the movie, there are also images of necks being broken (in the background of the shot), necks and arms being bitten resulting in bloody injuries and blood dripping from mouths as well as medieval pictures of people being tortured and disembowelled. The method described to kill a vampire is that they should be decapitated, dismembered and burned. This does occur at the end of the movie although the actual shots of body parts being removed are cut away from quickly or blurred.

There are some sexual references, the worst being when Bella is walking alone and is suddenly surrounded by several men who threaten her. Edward rescues her and is angry that they were thinking ‘vile and repulsive things’ about Bella. She is later on the phone to her mother and when briefly talking about Edward, her mother asks whether she is ‘being safe’. Afterwards, Edward is in Bella’s room and following a short conversation, they kiss passionately and fall onto the bed (Bella is only wearing a T-shirt and underwear). Edward, who struggles to control himself around her, pulls away suddenly. They are then shown to spend the night talking and the scene ends with Bella asleep on Edward’s chest (both characters are clothed).

The obsession that Edward has for Bella is very dark. When she confirms that she knows he is a vampire, he tells her how he craves the taste of her blood like it is his ‘own personal brand of heroin’. In spite of this, Bella insists that she trusts Edward and simply knows that he wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. The movie portrays this acceptance of a dangerous obsession as a good thing and therefore some guidance may be required for impressionable children who trust people easily.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘TWILIGHT’ FOR KIDS?

‘Twilight’ has most certainly been aimed towards a teenage market for its target audience with its tale of forbidden love and misunderstood characters. Although there are some moments which may concern parents, the slow plot is unlikely to interest younger children and we would therefore not recommend it for them primarily for this reason. In terms of actual content we feel that ‘Twilight’ should be suitable for ages 10 and up.

Words by Laura Record

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In Theaters

Kristen Stewart as Bella; Robert Pattinson as Edward; Billy Burke as Charlie; Peter Facinelli as Carlisle; Ashley Greene as Alice; Nikki Reed as Rosalie; Jackson Rathbone as Jasper; Kellan Lutz as Emmet; Elizabeth Reaser as Esme; Taylor Lautner as Jacob; Cam Gigandet as James; Rachelle Lefevre as Victoria; Anna Kendrick as Jessica; Michael Welch as Mike; Gil Birmingham as Billy; Sarah Clarke as Renee

Home Release Date

Catherine Hardwicke

Distributor

Summit Entertainment

Movie Review

“I’d never given much thought to how I would die.”

So begins one of the most resonant love stories to touch teen culture in quite some time. Love, found in a world filled with terrifying monsters in the moonlight. Love, found at a strange high school in a tiny, rainy town that Bella Swan did not want to live in. Love, found by a cold-blooded vampire who didn’t think he would ever feel warmth again. Love, found by both of them to be intoxicating to the point of creating near giddy insanity.

Bella moves to Forks, Wash., to live with her dad after her divorced mother remarries. She thinks of it as an exile. Certainly she doesn’t think anything good will come of it. She’s from Phoenix, and she hates the cold and rain. She’s a high school junior, so she doesn’t relish the idea of starting over at a new school. She’s uncertain about her relationship with her dad.

But she fits in better than she anticipates. Or at least she thinks she does until she meets Edward Cullen. Butterflies start circling in her stomach the moment she sees him, but all he does is glare at her. It might take a while to smooth out the bumps, but Bella’s determined to make it work with her white-faced dreamboat.

So determined, it turns out, that even when she learns that he’s a bloodsucking vampire, she’s unwavering in her newfound infatuation. “You don’t scare me,” she tells him repeatedly, almost as if she’s trying to convince herself along with him.

Her resolve is continually tested as she learns that it’s all he can do to resist the desire to kill her, as she meets his intimidating family of vampires, and as she becomes the target of a nomadic “tracker” vamp, who’s decided she’s the endgame of an eternal lifetime. But love is love, she figures, no matter the risk. And therein lies the heart and soul of Twilight —exhibited in both grand and shocking ways.

Positive Elements

Family is a big part of what nurtures Twilight ‘s love. Edward’s coven—family—of vampires is a loving one. Each member is committed to protecting the others, even Bella when she becomes part of them through her relationship with Edward.

The Swans, while more fragmented, still show a great deal of cohesion demonstrated through selflessness. Dad opens his arms and home to Bella after years of separation. Uncomfortable at first, Bella tries to give him a fair shake when she arrives. And she does everything in her power to make sure that when her life is threatened, Dad doesn’t become collateral damage.

Superlatively, Bella willingly offers herself as a sacrifice meant to save her mom’s life. She narrates, “Dying in the place of someone I loved seemed like a good way to go.”

Spiritual Elements

Accepting, for a moment, the idea that vampires can exist in a fantasy world and that they are capable of making “moral” choices within the framework of their predetermined natures, it would be fair to say that the Cullen clan’s choice to avoid killing humans is … positive. Edward explains to Bella that they are “vegetarians,” meaning that they have learned to survive on the blood of animals. Beyond being grateful that she’s not going to be devoured mere moments after falling in love for the first time in her life, Bella interprets this as them being “good” vampires who have struggled, some for centuries, to renounce their evil inclinations.

So within the context of a monster mash such as this, we can see a reflection of the Christian calling to put away the old man of sin and embrace the new one—a path that while straight and narrow, is certainly more difficult to walk.

Edward and Bella don’t talk about it much, but it is intimated that despite their ability to choose good over evil, Edward considers himself and all other vampires to be eternally damned, and he resists mightily the idea of allowing Bella to descend into the abyss that he finds himself submerged in. She doesn’t care a whit about that. She’s eager to become a “cold one” if only it means she will be with her beau forever.

Edward can read minds. His sister, Alice, sees visions of the future.

Sexual Content

Clearly tempted to go farther, Edward wrenches himself away from Bella after they begin kissing. (Before he does so, they embrace, eagerly lock lips and slowly lower themselves onto her bed.) There’s a pro-abstinence message in his decision to disengage, but it’s muddied by a couple of facts: 1) He’s avoiding sexual contact because he knows it will cause him to want to kill her, not because he believes the contact itself would be immoral in any way. 2) He says he’s been in the habit of sneaking into her window at night and watching her sleep. And once he admits that to her—and she doesn’t run screaming, calling him a creepy stalker—he proceeds to spend the night with her in her bed (clothed, but cuddling).

Dialogue dips into the sexual arena when Edward tells Bella what people at a restaurant are thinking about. He grins, looking around the room and saying, “Money, sex, money, sex, cat.” Mom asks Bella if she’s “being safe.” There’s a quick joke about a swim team’s padded Speedos.

Girls at school wear tops that expose a bit of cleavage. And prom dresses—Bella’s included—reveal even more.

Violent Content

The first question a colleague asked me when I returned to the office after seeing Twilight was, “Were there any gory vampire bites shown in the movie?” It’s a fair question, and it probably mirrors what a whole host of parents began wondering the moment after a whole host of Kaitlins and Ashleys started begging to go see it.

The answer is yes.

In flashback, we watch Carlisle “create” Edward by biting down into his neck. There’s no blood visible in this “transformation,” but there is in other vampire attacks. Bella’s hand is slashed in a fight with the tracker vamp, and he ultimately bites her, too. This takes place in the midst of a frenetic battle that starts with just Bella and the tracker, and ends up a full-scale melee involving Edward, Jasper and Alice. The tracker’s head is twisted nearly off (onscreen) before he’s disassembled and burned in a fire (mostly offscreen or out of focus).

Bella is hurled across a room; she slams into a mirrored wall. The tracker breaks her leg by stomping on it. When Edward tears into the rival vampire, they all but destroy the building they’re in, blasting through floors, walls, windows, etc.

When Bella does a bit of Web research on the “cold ones,” we watch over her shoulder as she sees drawings and cinematic images of bloody killings. We see flashes from contemporary vampire assaults, too; these hint at the violence that transpires rather than fully expose it.

To save Bella’s life, Edward sucks her blood from the puncture wound the tracker inflicted, drawing the venom back out of her. And it’s not the only time she’s in danger: When the Cullens first meet the tracker, they square off in threatening, animalistic crouches to defend her. When a careening van veers toward Bella, Edward stops it with his hand. And when a small group of ne’er-do-wells accosts Bella in an alleyway, she’s crowded and threatened before Edward swoops to the rescue. (To his credit, he resists the urge to kill the men.)

In a sequence used to illustrate a lie told about how Bella got hurt, we see her tumble down stairs and smash through a large window.

Crude or Profane Language

One exclamatory use of “h—.” “Oh my god” is interjected a handful of times. There’s a line about a “butt-crack Santa.”

Drug and Alcohol Content

Bella’s dad downs beer on several occasions. In one scene we see him pile two six-packs onto a friend’s lap. Edward refers to Bella as his “own personal brand of heroin.”

Other Negative Elements

To protect his vampiric identity, Edward has cultivated the fine art of lying. Bored with safe driving rules, he speeds and executes fancy—difficult and dangerous for us mere mortals—quick-turn tricks.

In a ploy to try to protect him from the vampires, Bella reluctantly, yet intentionally, wounds her father with words her mother used when they divorced.

There are two kinds of people who will watch Twilight : Those who have read the books … and those who haven’t. The two groups will see a very different movie. The latter will casually make its way through a romance-obsessed vampire yarn involving a human high school girl and a 17-year-old vampire who’s actually over 100. The former will observe the very same romance, but layer onto it the entire story arc that unfolds through the four Stephenie Meyer novels that have birthed this movie franchise.

That makes it difficult to write just a movie review about a movie that isn’t just a movie, but rather part of tall tale that doesn’t end at twilight, or even the dark of night. It goes beyond into the realm of the eternal—something not really hinted at onscreen … yet.

I’ll give you an example of how Twilight neophytes and Twi -hards, as they’re starting to be called online, will react differently as the film unspools: When Jacob shows up for the first time, he’s ostensibly a minor character who, along with his wheelchair-bound dad, is delivering an old truck that Bella’s father bought for her. OK, fine, right? No big deal. But when he first peeks his head onto the screen, a portion of the audience—primarily female, for the record—is likely to erupt with squeals of delight. They certainly did at the advance screening I attended. Why? Because Jacob eventually becomes A) Bella’s best non-Edward friend, B) a shapeshifting wolf and C) a hunk.

Fans of the books clearly weren’t there to just see a movie. They were there to experience the thrill of “meeting” their favorite characters in all their huge, big-screen glory. This says a lot about how much impact Meyer’s story is having. Readers—and now moviegoers—are soaking in everything she’s written, taking it to heart and wearing it, quite literally, on their sleeves.

One Twilight T-shirt being sold (and which I saw at the movie) proclaims, “Forbidden Fruit Tastes the Best.” And that’s certainly one of the film’s underlying themes. This isn’t about me beating up Twilight for being about vampires, though. There are positives in it that bear repeating: The Cullens refuse to be party to murder even when it’s their “nature” to kill and feed off humans. Edward consistently controls his own blood lust around his classmates and especially around Bella. He cares for her. He protects her. Bella offers up her life for her mom.

But there’s enough negative undercurrent even in this first outing (the books get darker as they progress, so presumably the movies will follow) to justify some pretty serious conversations afterwards for those families that decide to defer their better judgment—which would normally push vampire flicks out of bounds—and go ahead and go with the flow and see the show. The positivity of Edward and Bella’s abstinence needs to be tempered with a discussion about what’s so very wrong with them “sleeping” together and him sneaking into her room. His resistance to turning her into a vamp must be contrasted with her desperate desire to become one. Her obvious love for her father needs to be stacked up next to her willingness to deceive him both when his life depends on it and when it just suits her romantic desires.

Bella finds herself inexorably drawn to the “bad boy,” and she does little to resist. She calls herself a “stupid lamb” (and there’s already a T-shirt out there that splashes the phrase across its front), refusing to wise up for fear that clarity might mean her heart will be broken. Indeed, she waves away Edward’s objections as if they were just annoying mosquitoes buzzing around her head.

We know that he doesn’t want to hurt her. But she doesn’t.

There’s an important life lesson lurking in Bella’s obstinance. But don’t look for Twilight to unpack it for you. It’s too dizzy from breathing in the heady fragrance of heedless and headstrong young love.

Steven Isaac

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Twilight by Stephenie Meyer | Parent Guide & Review

silhouette of man and woman facing each other during golden hour

Twilight will always have a special place in my heart because I remember reading and discussing it with my friends when I was 13 and 14. After all of the books came out, my mom mentioned that if she had read all of them first, she would have made me wait until I was older. That conversation sparked the idea for The Book Nanny and made it possible almost ten years later. Keep reading for the Twilight Parent Guide parents should have had 15 years ago!

Summary of Twilight

When Bella Swan shows up in the small town of Forks, her plan is to endure high school for two years and get out. Instead, she discovers that vampires are real and not a nightmare. One of those vampires craves her blood above all others.

Twilight Parent Guide

Language: 7 biblical swear words; 1.4% of pages contain language; Adult Content: PG-13 a couple of heated kisses and allusions to sex; Violence: PG-13 for the boss fight at the end, and thematic elements

Judging a Book by the Movie

Everything has both pros and cons. However, when it comes to Twilight, I just hear the bad. There is a bad stigma around the Twilight series from the movies, book critics, and relationship experts criticism. Let just start by saying the books were way better than the movies.

While I was reading, I pictured Kirsten Stewart as Bella but with a completely different personality. If you base your ideas of Twilight on the movies, you got the main story. But it’s hard to represent the inner thoughts of characters on film. So I suggest at least reading the first book (or half of the first book) before forming your opinion.

Critics of Stephenie Meyer

As for the criticism from readers and relationship experts, yes, the book isn’t perfect. Stephenie Meyer tried her best when writing it. I can’t fault her for accomplishing something that I only dream of someday. She has written not just one book but nine. Plus, she has more than made up for her shortcomings by rewriting Twilight twice! Once as a gender-flipped novel and again from Edward’s perspective. Is Stephenie Meyer’s writing perfect? Nope, but no one’s writing ever is. For more about Stephenie Meyer and her writing journey, check out this author spotlight.

Is Twilight Abusive?

One of the biggest criticisms of Twilight and later books in the series is the characteristics of a toxic relationship in Bella and Edward’s relationship. Some critics argue that Twilight romanticizes abusive traits and holds them up as a standard for ideal relationships. I can understand why they would say Bella and Edward’s relationship is toxic. They recognize and acknowledge this is the series and then work to change it. As long as you realize that it isn’t a perfect relationship and don’t try to copy it, you’ll be good.

This would be a great topic to discuss with your teen or young adult while reading the books. Books are great conversation starters. You could talk about what a healthy relationship looks like and the warning signs of a toxic or abusive relationship. Talking about touchy topics in a book can provide a natural setting for hard but necessary conversations.

Twilight Parent Guide Recommendations

Twilight has some sexual innuendos. In later books, there is making out, an attempted seduction, and a honeymoon. There aren’t any sex scenes, but I recommend waiting until at least 16 to start the series, so you can read all of them at once. I appreciate that only biblical profanity is used and is relatively low compared with similar books.

If you enjoyed Twilight, here are some other books you might enjoy: City of Bones, Vampire Academy, Marked, A Kiss of Deception, Everless, and A Court of Thorns and Roses. Right now, I’m working on a long post with lots of fantastic fantasy reads. Keep an eye out or join our email list to get blog updates.

Happy Reading! Emily

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Is the Twilight Series Age-Appropriate?

Vittorio Zunino Celotto / Getty Images

Is the "Twilight" series of books age-appropriate for your adolescent or young teen?

The book series by Stephenie Meyer and the movie adaptations have been wildly popular with that audience age. While some parents, teachers, and librarians suggest those ages are appropriate, others insist the books are not age-appropriate at all for younger teens and tweens.

Parental Concerns

Content concerns that parents have about "Twilight" include:

Age Compared to Main Character

The main character, Bella Swan, is 17 in "Twilight."

One mother said her rule of thumb is that a book is most appropriate for a child or teen who is no more than three years younger than the main character. In this case, that would be age 14.

Movie Ratings as Guides

The movie adaptations came out with PG-13 ratings, suggesting that the content was best for teens age 13 and up, and parental guidance may be needed. "Twilight," "New Moon," and "Eclipse" contain some disturbing images, sexuality, and violent content.

The "Breaking Dawn" movies that are fourth and fifth in the series struggled to get a PG-13 rating rather than an R rating, which would deny entry to anyone under age 17. This reflects the violence and sexual content of the books themselves.

Many parents found fewer concerns in the first three books, but "Breaking Dawn" had more adult content. One parent said, "The fourth book is a glorious celebration of sex and pregnancy."

Laurie Halse Anderson, Young Adult Author

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IMAGES

Twilight Movies Ranked
'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse' Review
Twilight Movie Review for Parents
Twilight (2008) Full Movie Watch Online Free Soap2day
Twilight Movies
Twilight Movie Review for Parents

VIDEO

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Twilight Movie Review Part 1
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COMMENTS

Twilight Movie Review
Twilight ; Common Sense says. age 13+ ; Parents say. age 12+. Based on 156 reviews ; What Parents Need to Know. Parents need to know that this adaptation of author
Parent reviews for Twilight
There's one fight scene near the end that could be easily skipped. The romance isn't more graphic than most PG-13 movies, and there's no language. Overall, this
Twilight (2008)
Parents Guide · Sex & Nudity (4) · Violence & Gore (6) · Profanity (2) · Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking (2) · Certification.
Twilight Movie Review for Parents
Why is Twilight rated PG-13? The MPAA rated Twilight PG-13 for some violence and a scene of sensuality. Run Time: 122 minutes. Official Movie Site
Twilight [2008] [PG-13]
Three vampires threaten to attack a teen girl and other vampires snarl and hiss and threaten them. A vampire threatens to kill a teen girl's mother. ▻ We see
Twilight [1998] [R]
SEX/NUDITY 6 - A woman's bare breasts are seen a couple of times, and a woman's bare buttocks and the side of her breast are seen while she skinny dips.
Twilight (2008)
Although there are some moments which may concern parents, the slow plot is unlikely to interest younger children and we would therefore not
Twilight
Movie Review. “I'd never given much thought to how I would die.” So begins one of the most resonant love stories to touch teen culture in quite some time.
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Twilight Parent Guide Recommendations ... Twilight has some sexual innuendos. In later books, there is making out, an attempted seduction, and a honeymoon. There
Is the Twilight Series Age-Appropriate?
The movie adaptations came out with PG-13 ratings, suggesting that the content was best for teens age 13 and up, and parental guidance may be