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Vatican not impressed with new Twilight flick
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Summit Entertainment
The widely popular movie, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, opened in theaters this week. Though the film had a tremendous turn out nationwide from loyal fans, the Vatican on the other hand, was not impressed.
Manville Cinemas/By: Jennifer Lopez
Franco Perazzolo, of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture, was angry about what he felt the message was in the film. Perazzolo speaks out against the movie to the public stating, “The film was a moral void more dangerous than any deviant message.” He continued to condemn the movie by saying, “This theme of vampires in Twilight combines a mixture of excesses that, as ever is aimed at young people and gives a heavy esoteric element.”
Summit Entertainment
Twilight isn’t the only film to feel the wrath from the Vatican over the years. The Catholic Church has even spoke out against the popular Harry Potter books and the many movies that the book later spawned. Pope Benedict XVI criticized the film for its, “Subtle seductions in J.K. Rowlings stories, which could corrupt the Christian faith in impressionable young children.” –Dailymail (online UK publication). Though the most recent Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Half Blood prince, was approved by the Catholic Church due to the movie making a point to distinguish between good and evil.
Regardless of the Vatican’s negative reviews on the second installment of Twilight; fans young and old fought crowds of people at the cinemas this week. At the Manville Cinemas, the theater was packed with Twilight fans who waited patiently in a line that extended past the entrance to the film. Even with the lines, people looked cheerful and excited as they all waited in eager anticipation to finally be let into the theater. The busy chatter that echoed throughout the theater amongst movie goers pertained to Twilight in some shape or form. Young high school girls stood in their little cliques discussing the Twilight books with one another. Other girls, confessed their desire to see the film had more to do with the two hunky male stars in the movie. Other people admitted that they had never even read the Twilight series, yet enjoyed the first film so much they couldn’t wait for the second one to come out. There were even younger children standing in line clutching their mother’s hand and men were there too, although most of the men appeared to have been dragged out to the movie by their girlfriends or spouses.
Though the Vatican may not agree, the film for the most part, was an innocent tale about doomed young lovers. Yet, you can’t help but acknowledge the lack of clothing on the male characters in the film. For a good duration of the film the young male characters did a lot of prancing around, shirtless. In one such scene, the character known as Jacob (Taylor Lautner), unexpectedly rips off his shirt to tend to a wound on the lead heroine of the film, Bella (Kristen Stewart). The female audience took notice with giggles and catcalls, while the men laughed. The lack of clothing wasn’t necessarily risqué as it was simply a tad bit ridiculously. After all, we know they are studs, there is no need to overdo it and in the end it became excessive and cheesy.
Aside from the lack of clothing, the film didn’t have any sex, no real profanity, and it had only mild violence. The question of sacrificing one’s soul for the sake of love does arise in the film. Nevertheless, all in all, the film was fairly innocent. Yes, the majority of the teenagers in the film were either vampires or werewolves. However, the tale was also one about teenage self discovery, finding ones place in the world, experiencing first loves, and the simple transition involved with growing up. Minus the supernatural from the film and you have a relatable portrait of an everyday teenage society. Even when you do throw in the supernatural, you get more of a childhood love story; not a deviant infused message from the devil that taints our youth. It is fiction and should be treated as such. As long as our youth doesn’t go out biting and attacking people because they “saw it” in Twilight, the Vatican should have nothing to worry about.
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