"Twilight," the movie based on the teen vampire novels of Stephenie Meyer, was released this weekend. People who know me know that I'm a fan of all things vampire. There aren't too many vampire movies I haven't seen, from the silent "Nosferatu" to the shameful "Van Helsing." I've read Dracula, I Am Legend, all the Anne Rice Lestat books, and other vampire novels. I own as many of the Hammer Christopher Lee vampire movies as I've been able to find thus far. Anyone who knows anything about vampire movies knows Christopher Lee was the best. I've watched most small screen adaptations of vampire legend as well, even the recently canceled "Moonlight" which I thought deserved a little more time. I've also read a number of books about historic figures in vampire lore like Vlad the Impaler and Elizabeth Bathory.
Against all this background, I have to say that I'm really sick of the hype around this "Twilight" movie. I'm sick of seeing news reports or teen girls waiting to meet the stars at press junkets. I'm tired of hearing how the book series is so hot and appeals to these same teen girls. Hmm, a novel series about young vampires, a human teen girl who is in love with one of them, and the evil forces and other vampires out to get her. Where have I heard this before? Oh yeah, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
Those who remember "Buffy" know that it was a low budget movie starring Kristy Swanson written by Joss Whedon. The movie itself was never really the fulfillment of Joss Whedon's ideas by when the television series, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, was created in the WB network several years ago, he was able to tell the story he always wanted to. It was the story of a human teenage girl who ends up falling in love with a vampire despite the fact that her destiny is to kill vampires and demons using strength and skill she develops as a "slayer." While many people may have found the whole premise hokey, this became my favorite television show for all the years it was on. While I loved the whole vampire theme, I thought the show was incredibly well-written, casted, and acted. It even earned a few Emmy nods which was pretty impressive for a show of its type on the fledgling, and now gone, WB network.
With the exception of the fact the Buffy had super strength, the rest of the series seems eerily like "Twilight" to me. Stephenie Meyer says she started writing the series in 2003. I'm sure she'd say she never saw "Buffy" on TV. Don't get me wrong, there have been lots of vampire adaptations before Joss Whedon's version. But to my knowledge, other than "Lost Boys" there wasn't really a story quite like Whedon's.
My problem isn't as much with what appears to be a pretty blatant rip-off of Whedon's idea, but with the fact that I find it interesting that a man was able to write a more compelling, strong, resourceful female lead than a woman was able to write. Whedon's Buffy wasn't some damsel in distress who just swooned at the male vampire's seductive ways. First, she was the central character, not the vampires. The vampires provide the allegory but Buffy was the most interesting character. She was initially an impulsive, reluctant heroine but she sacrificed a normal life to fulfill a destiny not of her own choosing. She was frequently the one in the group who solved problems, saved her friends, and became the undisputed leader of the forces for good. I thought it was probably one of the best female leads ever written, for television or movies. Buffy was the kind of girl you'd want your daughter to grow up to be. A role model if you will.
The heroine of "Twilight" is the typical teenage female character. She pines for the dreamy boy and the fact that he's a vampire just makes him more mysterious, dangerous, and attractive. She doesn't really have a whole lot more to do than function as the damsel in distress and love interest. Typical, underwritten female role. Couldn't a female author come up with a better female lead than this? I think it's amazing that Joss Whedon could write a female character that women can be proud of while Stephenie Meyer writes one that is the cookie-cutter girl we see in basically every pseudo-horror movie.
I'm sure lots of tween girls will go to see the movie this weekend and it will make a bunch of money. Those same girls are probably too young to have seen much of the Buffy television series. In my opinion, they'd be better off to skip the movie and rent the TV series on DVD. They'll still see a compelling drama and love story only they'll see one with a female character they can respect.
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6 comments:
"They'll still see a compelling drama and love story only they'll see one with a female character they can respect."
And this is what it comes down to really. Not to mention, SMeyer cannot write worth crap. She even admits it herslf, but then she follows up with "I'm more of a storyteller." No, you're not that either, Steph. Keep guessing...
I was actually looking forward to Twilight over a good year ago (before it was universally known and hated or loved by many), but then when I finally did, I was incredibly disappointed and threw the book down in disgust. Literally. Not only is Bella an uninteresting, weak, lacking of depth character... THEY ALL ARE. It's pathetic.
Gina - Thanks for stopping by! And for your comment. I had expected I might hear from some people who would just say I was jealous or that I didn't understand the popularity. While I have no problem with people disagreeing with me, I think your point is well-taken. The writing is amateurish at best. My best friend, who is not yet published, can write circles around Ms. Meyers. More to the point, I just think people, and women in paricular, should demand a little more out of these authors before we make them multimillionaires. All the characters, as you say, are thin but Bella's is especially insulting because she has no reason to exist other than as as plaything for the boys. I just can't understand why teenage girls would find such a portrayal compelliing.
Or even compelling. :-)
And yet it's pretty scary how much pull this flick has with the younger crowd. I feel an unreasonable obsession with this film coming on, and it will then be blamed for all kinds of behaviors, attitudes, and trends that for whatever reason were hitherto invisible to the 40 plus parenting crowd.
I bet sharing your opinion about the seven best albums ever would help you get over this whole Twilight thing. (You've been tagged.)
We have not seen this one, and I have to say that based on the trailer, it does not look good. When I first saw it, I though they were advertising a new made-for-SciFi-channel movie or series. That's what it looks like... not to put down all things made-for-SciFi-channel. Some are not bad to pretty good. Others...
Anyway, the best it will get is a possible rental and maybe not that.
I never watched Buffy but am a fan of Whedon because of Firefly - one of the best shows ever, IMO.
Blue - Well, you know I'm partial to Firefly if for no other reason than Morena Baccarin. However, as good as I think that show was, and it deserved a better shot, Buffy was even better, especially the first 5 seasons. The last couple went downhill but the first few seasons were, in my opinion, some of the best television on the air at the time.
I also think Twilight looks bad. The special effects look like they were done by the same team who did "The Covenant" a couple years ago. In fact, it looks like nearly the same movie. But, since "Twilight" did rake in $70 million from dumb teens with disposable income, I guess we'll also have to endure a sequel.
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