KiMi RobinsonArizona Republic
The “Twilight” movies can be elusive at times on streaming services.
For those who don’t own digital copies of the “Twilight” movies or haven’t been treasuring the special-edition DVDs theypurchased the moment they were released a decade ago, it can be difficult to watch the films —which are both derided and beloved —online.
The five films have rotated around various streaming services, including Netflix, Peaco*ck and Amazon Prime Video, over the past decade. And sometimes they're inexplicably not available to watch anywhere (legally, anyway). It might make you say, “Where the hell have you been, loca?”
Some of the movies were briefly available on Showtime, but some of them were taken off. The good news is, after months of being off streaming platforms, the original "Twilight" movie has returned to Hulu.
Whether you’re a first-time watcher or hunkering down with the saga for the 101st time, here’s a guide to watching the “Twilight” movies in 2023.
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Where can you stream ‘Twilight’ in 2023?
As of May 2023, "Twilight" is now available to watch on Hulu. But watching the rest of the saga requires switching between platforms or buying or renting the films.
If you want to watch all five movies, you can start on Hulu then buy or rent the second through fourth films (more on the order of the movies below). The final installment, "Breaking Dawn — Part 2," is streaming on Showtime, which requires a paid subscription. The service also offers a free trial period. Paramount+ and Hulu users with a Showtime bundle can stream it, too.
Here’s where you can rent the “Twilight” films:
- Amazon Prime Video: $3.99 to rent, $9.99 to buy a digital copy.
- Google Play: $3.99 to rent, $7.99-$9.99 to buy.
- iTunes: $3.99 to rent, $12.99-$13.99 to buy and $29.99 to purchase the entire saga.
- Vudu: $3.99 to rent, $7.99-$9.99 to buy.
- YouTube: $3.99 to rent, $7.99-$13.99 to buy.
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How many ‘Twilight’ movies are there?
“The Twilight Saga” has five installments.
Each film is an adaption of the four “Twilight” books. The final novel, “Breaking Dawn,” was split into two films.
The ‘Twilight’ movies in order
The “Twilight” movies do follow a chronological storyline, so if it’s your first time watching, you are better off watching them in order:
- “Twilight” (2008).
- “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” (2009).
- “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” (2010).
- “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1” (2011).
- “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2” (2012).
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Which ‘Twilight’ movie is the best?
As a reporter, my answer to “Which is the best ‘Twilight’ movie?” would be: The one that started it all, “Twilight” (2008), according to the critic and audience reviews compiled by Rotten Tomatoes.
Here’s how each movie scored:
- “Twilight”: 49% critics’ consensus, 72% audience score.
- “New Moon”: 29% critics’ consensus, 61% audience score.
- “Eclipse”: 47% critics’ consensus, 60% audience score.
- “Breaking Dawn — Part 1”: 25% critics’ consensus, 60% audience score.
- “Breaking Dawn — Part 2”: 49% critics’ consensus, 70% audience score.
But if you ask me asa fan since 2007 and a frequent re-watcher,“New Moon’s” cinematography and direction (by Chris Weitz) make the movie so much more enjoyable for a Team Edward fan than the book was.
The cozy orange hue, the visions of Edward (Robert Pattinson) that make sure we don’t miss him too much in his absence and the stellar soundtrack (featuring Death Cab for Cutie, Thom Yorke, The Killers, Bon Iver and St. Vincent, OK Go and Muse) combined to make a stunning film.
It also helps that there are minimal wigs in this movie, compared to the later installments — which makes it a bit less camp, in my opinion. The “Twilight” universe expandsas Dakota Fanning and Michael Sheen are introduced as iconic villains and we now have werewolves, too.
And one of the most beautiful sequences in the entire franchise —which involves Rachelle Lefèvre, a werewolf chase and a Thom Yorke song — can also be seen in "New Moon."
But that’s obviously not the popular opinion. I recently re-watched all five films with someone who had somehow never seen them before, and “Breaking Dawn — Part 2” reigned as the most dramatic and entertaining installment for someone who hasn’t been invested in the franchise for half their life.
Reach Entertainment Reporter KiMi Robinsonat kimi.robinson@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @kimirobinand Instagram @ReporterKiMi.
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