Whether you’re revisiting the vampire saga for your own viewing pleasure or your kids are just discovering the franchise (which also stars Taylor Lautner), you’ll enjoy it most if you make sure you’re watching the Twilight movies in order. If you jump around, you might be confused why Bella’s a mom in one film and a single high school student in the next. Keep reading for more on how to watch the Twilight movies in chronological order.
Twilight Movies in Order
Twilight (2008)
Twilight is name of both the first book in the young adult series by author Stephenie Meyer the first movie in the franchise saga, following Isabella Swan (Stewart) as she moves from Phoenix, Arizona, to the small, sleepy, rainy town of Forks, Washington, to live with her father. There, she’s captivated by the mysterious Cullen family and particularly, Edward Cullen (Pattinson). They soon start dating, but not before she eventually figures out that her new beau isn’t human.
New Moon (2009)
In the second film, New Moon, the strong bond Twilight spent establishing between Bella and the Cullens is immediately broken just minutes after the opening credits roll. When Bella gets a paper cut on her birthday, Edward’s brother, Jasper (JacksonRathbone), lunges toward her, bloodthirsty. Edward breaks up with Bella and his family leaves town with very little explanation, which sends Bella, who’s alone and miserable, straight into the arms of her childhood friend, Jacob (Lautner). Thus begins the notorious love triangle between the three because, as you can guess, Edward eventually comes back into the picture. And yes, back to Forks. Oh, and New Moon is also where Bella finds out that Jacob is also superhuman; in fact, everything in legends Jacob told her in Twilight is actually real. And that doesn’t just include vampires; it also includes werewolves.
Eclipse (2010)
The third movie, Eclipse, is where things really get interesting. Jacob’s love for Bella culminates in a somewhat angry kiss on top of a mountain during a kind of vampire war (a group of newborn vamps is after Bella, of course, at the directive of the evil redheaded vampire from Twilight). The third movie is also where Edward proposes to Bella!
Breaking Dawn: Part 1 (2011)
Breaking Dawn: Part 1 is a bit controversial—thanks to CGI babies and a hilariously bad giving-birth scene in which (spoiler alert!) Bella dies and comes back to life as a vampire. Still, if you’ve gotten this far in your Twilight marathon, then you might as well persevere ’til the end. There’s only one more movie to go after this, so bite your tongue through the bad parts… You’re almost there!
Breaking Dawn: Part 2 (2012)
Breaking Dawn: Part 1 ends with Bella’s newly vampiric red eyes opening. Yes, she died giving birth to her daughter, Renesmee, but in Breaking Dawn: Part 2, she comes back to life as a vampire. Her half-vampire child grows incredibly fast (like, way faster than a human child) and most of the movie revolves around Bella getting used to her new powers as a vampire as well as the Cullens (and the wolves) gearing up for, you guessed it, another war. After all, a half-human, half-vampire child is bound to rub some vamps the wrong way… Especially the Volturi. Be sure to stick around for a pretty amazing twist at the end! Next up, all the Marvel movies in order.
