Love it, loathe it or ignore it, The Twilight Saga - along with its source material - had a massive impact on two fronts: it renewed our interest in the supernatural, particularly the supernatural-romance genre, and it pumped fresh vigor into the burgeoning YA (Young Adult) demographic, building on the momentum started by Harry Potter. These days, you can't walk into a bookstore or movie theater without being assaulted by adverts for the latest special-teenagers-save-the-world-and-find-love story. Four sequels followed, and despite less than favorable reviews from critics and audiences, the entire series raked in over $3 billion worldwide. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke (whose previous directorial credits included Lords of Dogtown) with a conservative budget of around $37 million, the film went on to gross just under $400 million worldwide and push its central trio of young actors - Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner - into international stardom. It's also hard to believe that a film series that became such a pop cultural juggernaut around the world started life as a humble indie movie. It's hard to believe that the Twilight film series is reaching any kind of milestone but - in 2018 - the first movie turns 10 years-old.
