Twilight's Most Over-The-Top Moments Ranked

It's no secret that the "Twilight" saga is practically overflowing with dramatics, campy dialogue, and ridiculous moments. The first film was made on a budget of just $37 million but became so successful that it spawned a blockbuster franchise. Still, the relatively low-budget production aesthetic of that first film remained for much of the franchise, giving the movies a goofy, overly dramatic charm that's become an intrinsic part of their legacy.

You already know the memes — sparkly vampire boys, creepy baby doll props, and an endless stream of so-absurd-they're-perfect lines. From angsty montages and deeply questionable indigenous representation to teenagers (sort of) falling in love with actual babies, there are plenty of things that happen in every "Twilight" movie that are likely to send first-time viewers blinking in befuddlement. Yet, in spite of — or perhaps because of — those moments, the franchise continues to be an absolute titan of modern pop culture.

Whether you're laughing at them or with them, the "Twilight" films are undeniably memorable, and some scenes leave particularly lasting images thanks to their sheer ridiculousness. Here are the most over-the-top moments in the entire "Twilight" saga, ranked.

In the absence of Edward for most of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) takes on a much larger narrative role. Armed with a fresh cut and a cool tattoo, he asserts himself into the franchise as a romantic rival, spawning the infamous (and ongoing) Team Edward versus Team Jacob debate. Of course, if you're going to compete with a vampire, you need some supernatural powers of your own. Jacob must have known this, as he comes out swinging in "New Moon" with a fresh set of werewolf powers.

The scene in which Jacob's wolf form is revealed is one of the most over-the-top moments in the entire film. Concerned by his recent strange behavior, Bella goes to his house to confront him, only to wind up in an argument with some of his friends (and wolf brothers). She ends up foolishly slapping Paul (Alex Meraz), thus sparking his wolf transformation. Fortunately, Jacob is there to protect her by going into literal beast mode midair as he leaps between the two.

Despite the silliness, it's still a definitive cool-guy move. Jacob mostly comes off as a toxic second fiddle in the later films, so it's nice to see him perform some real heroics. Unfortunately for viewers today, the CGI is about as convincing as Lautner is Native American.

When you really like a girl but don't know how to confess your feelings, the right move probably isn't stalking her on an outing with her friends. Unfortunately for Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), no one seems to have told him that. Of course, because this is "Twilight," Edward is rewarded for creepily following Bella (Kristen Stewart) to Port Angeles in the first movie because she ends up being accosted by a group of aggressive men.

Everything about this scene is over the top, beginning with the logistics. We start with Bella shopping for dresses with Jessica (Anna Kendrick) and Angela (Christian Serratos) in what appears to be full daylight. She says she's stepping outside for "a minute," and suddenly she's in a used bookstore at dusk. In the next shot, she's walking through claustrophobic footpaths and alleyways in what appears to be the middle of the night. After the first of the goons appear, she flees to — a massive warehouse parking lot?

Of course, none of this matters. The point is to get Bella in danger so that Edward can swoop in with his tiny car and save her. The thugs seem highly coordinated while pursuing her, but when Edward shows up, they're so drunk they can barely speak. Fortunately, all it takes is some death glares from the vampire to send the would-be attackers packing. Also, did we mention that Edward can Tokyo drift? Since this scene is grounded in the real danger women face when walking at night, it doesn't rate as highly as others on this list. Still, the staging and dramatics are elevated enough to earn it a spot.

It's natural to get cold feet before your wedding day. You might think about your exes or about the different lives you could be closing yourself off to. You might even look at the person you've chosen to marry and wonder if they're actually the one. Beyond that, many brides-to-be have terrifying nightmares about saying their vows while standing atop a pile of their loved ones' corpses. Right? No? Just Bella Swan?

To be fair, the implications of marrying (and then becoming) a vampire are significant. Even still, Bella's dream of a bloody wedding easily qualifies for our list of over-the-top moments. The creepy white everything, the raining rose petals that become a pool of blood, the aforementioned mountain of violently murdered supporting characters — it's all top-tier dramatics. Still, when you love the sparkly skin of a killer as much as Bella, such are the risks!

Fortunately, things don't go quite so horrifically bad on Bella and Edward's actual wedding day. There are complications in their union later on, such as the unexpected vampire pregnancy that almost kills her, but they work through these issues with the power of love. Also, you know, with the supernatural strength and speed of a vampire. That helps too.

Since Edward Cullen is an old-fashioned gentleman vampire, he refuses to consummate his relationship with Bella until they're officially married. That finally happens in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1." On their honeymoon, we see part of why he might have been so hesitant.

Bella and Edward's first night together begins with a moonlight swim and ends with their bedroom in absolute tatters. Edward's superhuman strength and apparent animal urges result in total carnage, though Bella remembers the evening quite fondly. What follows is a montage of sorts through the more intimate moments of their honeymoon, which also highlights the potential danger Bella must consider. To be more specific, Edward's strength at times seems too much, causing him to pull back for fear of hurting her.

Fortunately, this issue is eventually addressed through Bella's own transformation into a vampire. We can only imagine the abject destruction that must occur when both parties have superhuman strength — although the issue is almost certainly covered in fan fiction — but the results seem far more positive. Still, their first intimate encounter remains one of the franchise's more striking moments, both for its role as a long-awaited dramatic climax and the absurdity of the aftermath.

What's it like to give birth to a vampire baby? According to "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1," it's about as dangerous and painful as anything could possibly be. When Bella's labor starts, her bones start breaking at the sheer force being exerted on her body. Carlisle (Peter Facinelli) isn't there at the time, so Jacob, Edward, and Rosalie (Nikki Reed) have to operate on Bella themselves.

The whole sequence is excruciating, with Bella fading in and out of feverish consciousness while a truly horrific array of sound effects plays in the background. From the manic energy to Kristen Stewart's prosthetically enhanced emaciated appearance, it's completely over the top. Then, after the baby finally arrives, Bella dies. The toll of the birth literally kills her, prompting the vampiric transformation she's been wanting for so long. At least she got what she always wanted — even if it probably wasn't under the circumstances she'd always hoped for.

The climactic conflict that ends "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2" is notable for multiple reasons. On the one hand, the battle between the Cullen crew and the Volturi is easily the most exciting action sequence in the entire series. On the other hand, there's the controversial twist that the whole thing was just one of Alice's (Ashley Greene) visions.

It's easy to imagine some fans getting upset at this reveal, but it really only makes the battle that much wilder and, well, more "Twilight." We get the best of both worlds here — a thrilling and impressively choreographed fight scene with tons of drama and a shocking twist that actually makes sense within the context of the story. In a franchise filled with moments that are only ironically great, the end of the saga delivers a climax that's actually worthy of applause.

There are still some silly things here, to be sure, like how the vampires basically just become X-Men, with powers to match. Even then, though, it works. The "Twilight" films spend an inordinate amount of time harping on melodrama and slow-paced angst, which is undeniably part of the appeal. Still, it's nice to see the series let loose and have some real, honest fun. That's exactly what "Breaking Dawn — Part 2" does, and it does it the only way "Twilight" knows how — completely over the top.

Giving birth can be a painful and even traumatic experience, and things only get more complicated when the baby is a vampire. After a labor so difficult that it basically killed her, Bella is looking forward to a relaxing stretch of time she plans to spend getting used to her new life as a mother and vampire. So it's understandable that she's upset after discovering that her werewolf maybe-best-friend and former toxic admirer Jacob has fallen in love with her new baby — forever.

To be fair, it's not quite that simple. As Jacob explains, werewolf imprinting — a kind of soulmate pairing — isn't something the wolf control. He's also quick to clarify that his feelings for the infant Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy) are not romantic but more like those of a close friend or guardian. That softens the creep factor a bit, but according to the future vision Alice has at the end of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2," Jacob and Renesmee do indeed wind up together. Also, she canonically matures fully by age seven, making the whole thing even more uncomfortable. At absolute best, it's super weird.

Kristen Stewart clearly understands this, as she delivers an Oscar-worthy level of outrage upon discovering what Jacob has done. She explodes, and Bella's death glare is unrelenting, especially after discovering that Jacob has nicknamed Renesmee after the Loch Ness Monster — the audacity! Edward's proud smile as he watches his new wife lay into Jacob is just the icing on the cake.

While not quite as action-packed as the end of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2," the climax of "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" gets bonus points because the fights actually happen. From the end of the first film onward, the villainous Victoria (Rachelle Lefevre, then Bryce Dallas Howard) lurks in the background like a shadowy plot device, just waiting for the story to call her name again. At the end of "Eclipse," she finally gets her chance at vengeance against Edward and Bella for the killing of her vampire lover James (Cam Gigandet), and the encounter is wild in about eight different ways.

From the minute Victoria's sad stooge rebound boy Riley Biers (Xavier Samuel) confronts Edward, the dramatics start flying like fireworks. There's a delicious "angel and devil on your shoulder" moment as Edward tries to convince Riley of Victoria's manipulation, which is interrupted when a wolf-form Seth (Booboo Stewart) freight-trains into the hapless fall guy from off-screen. Chaos ensues, then ends with both villains' heads being violently removed from their bodies.

This sequence has everything you're looking for: awkward cuts between obviously different takes, gloomy snarling, and a Riley kicking a wolf in the head. The dialogue oozes melodrama from start to finish, putting a tonally appropriate cap on a movie all about toxic relationships.

There's a strong argument to be made that "New Moon" is the most overly dramatic entry in the "Twilight" saga. The love triangle begins in earnest with Jacob's werewolf transformation, and Bella embarks on a long, sad arc of depression and thrill-seeking after the departure of Edward. She quickly learns that when she's in great danger, she hallucinates Edward beside her. These brief glimpses are enough to turn her into a full-time daredevil.

Seeking near-death experiences for an emotional rush isn't exactly advisable behavior, but when you're lovesick, what can you do? The most dramatic moment in this arc comes when Bella tries her hand at cliff diving, which, as you might guess, almost ends in her death. She lands fine, but the waters turn out to be too strong to fight, and she nearly drowns. Hey, at least she gets a vision of Edward underwater before she loses consciousness. If not for Jacob, Bella would have been a goner for sure. Thankfully, she has plot armor.

This scene is made even more dramatic when Alice misinterprets a vision of her cliff diving adventures to mean that Bella is actually dead. Out of grief, Edward seeks death from the Volturi, kicking off the main action for the rest of the franchise. Maybe you should have just called her?

Most of the "Twilight" saga embraces the core driver of teenage angst, but "New Moon" takes it to a whole other level. After Edward and the other Cullens leave Forks for fear of bringing Bella harm, she falls down a seemingly endless hole of depression. Teen mental illness is a real and serious thing, which is probably part of why so many viewers resonated with Bella's journey in the film. Still, "New Moon" pushes things fully into the realm of melodrama.

The spinning montage sequence of Bella's depressive spiral is maybe the most iconic scene in the whole series. As the camera lethargically swoops around her, the names of the passing months fade in and out on the screen, and we see the seasons changing, as she does, through her bedroom window. Lykke Li's somber ballad "Possibility" drums on in the background, and Bella's hoodie-covered outfit remains the same as the time drones by.

Of course, Bella's breakup blues aren't just relegated to sitting in a chair. We also see her screaming in absolute agony in bed, either from terrifying nightmares (of what exactly?) or just — sadness? Either way, it's loud enough to fill the whole house. Obviously, we're meant to feel for Bella here, and we do, but her dad, Charlie (Billy Burke), is equally deserving of pity and compassion. It's not exactly a happy home life, but it's still completely over the top.

"Since when do vampires like baseball?" Bella asks Edward midway through the first "Twilight." "Well," he responds, "it is the American pastime." Clearly, the Cullens are very patriotic vampires, despite the fact that one of them was an officer in the Confederate army – yikes.

Whatever the real reason for the family's unwavering love of baseball, the scene of them playing is over the top in all the best ways. From the second they all show up in their dorky mismatched ball caps, it's clear that we're in for a good time. There are a lot of absurd details here, like how they have to wait for thunderstorms to cover the sound of them hitting the ball or how Emmett is just so Emmett here.

Things only get wilder when the villainous vampiric trio of James, Victoria, and Laurent (Edi Gathegi) show up. It's the moment when the real action of "Twilight" first kicks off, but the fact that it happens while the Cullens are decked out in sports gear is just hilarious. The tension between the two groups is off the charts, to the point that a game between them might have been a good way to settle things. Of course, vampires can't be satiated simply by the thrill of victory — no matter how much they may love their country.

Is there a more iconic moment in the "Twilight" saga than Edward's first vampire reveal? Probably not. By now, the scene has entered the halls of cinematic legend, with diehard fans able to quote the whole thing from memory. "You're impossibly fast, and strong," Bella begins when Edward asks her what he is. You already know the rest.

This whole sequence is just delicious camp, from the perfectly melodramatic line reads to the hilarious effects on Edward's super-speed and sparkly skin. How long has he been 17? A while, of course. "Say it," he demands. "Out loud." How else, exactly, would she say it, Edward?

It's easy to poke fun at the cheap special effects and the cringey lines, but this scene also embodies what makes the "Twilight" saga so enduringly popular. It's willing to embrace the camp, to pick up the bucket of silliness and angst and pour it all over itself. There's an unabashed sincerity to the drama in "Twilight" that you can't help but respect, and it really shines here, as all the supernatural fun and over-the-top writing come together. This is the scene of a killer, Bella.

While it might not be the most dramatic or action-packed scene in the franchise, there's one Edward moment in "Twilight" fans agree went too far. In the first movie, before he and Bella are officially together, we learn that Edward has been sneaking in through her bedroom window at night and watching her sleep. In a word, oof.

There's no consent here, or even the possibility of consent, given that Bella is completely oblivious to what's happening. It gets even weirder when you consider that Edward is still generally overpowered by her scent at this time. Later in the story, he expresses great concern that he might lose control and bite her. That risk is surely greatest this early on — yet he seems to have no issue hanging out in her room while she's asleep.

The thing that really bumps this scene up to top-tier ridiculous is that it's positioned as a sweet romantic gesture. If Bella is weirded out by the revelation that Edward has been watching her later on, she doesn't show it. Her infatuation with him is so intense that even this huge red flag doesn't seem to pop up in her periphery. Fortunately, the relationship ends in a good place, but this is far from the only bump along the way. It really makes you feel for Charlie, who shows entirely justifiable doubts about Edward's trustworthiness and intentions.