Unless you’re feeling experimental, or have accidentally watched a chunk of “Eclipse” on network television without prior context, the best way to watch “Twilight” is in chronological order. Yep, that seems like a no-brainer, as the series has a strict linearity that cannot be creatively jumbled up, and there are no prequels or alternative perspectives offered (except in Stephenie Meyer’s original books, where the companion novel “Midnight Sun” recounts the events from Edward’s perspective). So, let’s start with 2008’s “Twilight,” which kicks off with Bella moving to Forks, a town that feels as dreary and melancholic as the undead featured in the series.
Here, Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) is introduced before Edward as Bella’s childhood friend, and soon after, Edward and Bella have their meet cute at a shared biology class (where Edward acts dramatically repulsed to her scent, but it makes sense in hindsight). The two eventually fall in love, and Bella’s humanity poses a threat to her very life, as a vampire named James (Cam Gigandet) hunts her down. The aftermath of this averted crisis is picked up in “New Moon,” where the central lovers undergo a period of separation, allowing Jacob to enter the equation and making matters more convoluted with an inter-species rivalry and vampire politics that dominate the rest of the films.
The next entry, “Eclipse,” is the turning point where everything gets serious — this is no longer just about teenage love and fantasy aspirations, as the Cullets and the Quilete have to work together to defeat a common enemy and keep Bella safe. The big bad is defeated and both Edward and Jacob exhibit problematic behavior, but all’s well (for now) after Edward and Bella decide to get engaged.