The worldwide phenomenon that tugged at the heartstrings of preteens and middle-aged mothers alike is that much closer to coming to an end: Breaking Dawn Part 1 premiered at midnight on Friday, Nov. 18. The simultaneously worshipped and fiercely mocked book/movie series began in 2005 with the release of the book “Twilight” and rapidly gained a cult-like following and became known by everyone not living under a rock. As middle-schoolers when the books became universal, my friends and I were the perfect age for the Twilight fan base. We have seen all the other movies at midnight, and decided that we couldn’t stop now. So at 10 o’clock on Thursday night, we set off for Edwards (heh) Movie Theatre in San Marcos, coffee and energy drinks in hand, ready to see our favorite sparkling vampire and perpetually shirtless werewolf.

Camped out in the parking lot were a plethora of teen/preteen girls, their mothers, and the occasional good-sport boyfriend. One of these boyfriends took it to the next level, donning a homemade “Team Bella” t-shirt, and sparkly makeup. Many  attendees were there in seriousness, counting down the hours until they got to see Edward, but a good number were there in irony, or for a laugh.

“I’m excited to laugh, I love a good cheesy movie,” said junior Kelly Heard, an anxiously awaiting Twilight “fan.”

But the majority were real fans, those who have read the books 15 times and seen the movies too many to count. When asked why she went to the midnight premiere instead of the following day, junior Ali Sharp replied “I’m a big fan, and going on the next day is not what fans do.”

After hours of waiting in line, and hours of waiting in the theatre, it was the time everyone had been waiting for: the movie. Filled with weddings, sex, fighting werewolves, vampire babies, and a surprising amount of blood, the movie stayed true to the book and fans were not disappointed at the end.

Junior Taylor Sills, a huge fan, said: “It was super amazingly beautiful ridiculously awesome.”
Sharp, her companion in obsession, added: “It was the best thing of my life. I cried”

Of course, cheesy scenes, such as the obviously animated wolves and an overusage of zoom, came up throughout the movie, but that is what has come to be expected with these movies. “It was pretty cheesy, but the experience was worth it. And it was better than all the other movies,” said, junior Jessi Goralski, a self-professed “Not-a-huge-Twilight-fan.”

As for the male opinion, when asked, SDA Alumni class of 2011 Matt Knox, the lone male in a group of eight girls, gave his predictably macho answer “It was good. My favorite part was the end, with all the fighting, wolf-on-wolf.”

Overall, “Breaking Dawn” was good, for what it was. True fans will not be disappointed, as it follows the book much closer than the rest of the movies, and ironic fans will find plenty to mock. Maybe sparkly vampires aren’t so bad after all.