DEADBOLT: TWILIGHT VS BUFFY-THE VAMPIRE WORLDS OF MEYER AND WHEDON
The Deadbolt.com has another great article, this time comparing the vampire worlds of Stephenie Meyer and Joss Whedon. Twilight or Buffy? You decide.
Deeper into Twilight, New Moon Eclipse, and beyond, The Cullens, as they are described in the Twilight novels, do not share the same traits as the vampires created by Joss Whedon. The Stephenie Meyer vampires don’t incinerate when exposed to the sun. Instead the Meyer Twilight vamps become more beautiful than they were before. The Joss Whedon universe established vampires that follow more in line with traditional lore. However, their physical appeal, especially in the reformed heroes, is a quality that they do share with the vampires in the Twilight, New Moon, and the remainder of the Twilight series.The Cullens are described as being astonishingly good-looking, each in their own individual way from their piercing eyes to their elegant grace. As compared to Buffy, Angel and Spike are both good-looking in their individual ways but the transformation from human guise to vampire facial transformation is something that has not been explored yet in the Twilight series. James, the villain in the first Twilight film, managed to transform slightly when he bit the character Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), which slightly touched on the subject. But the brief transformation tease was nowhere near the same degree as the vampires in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Perhaps the most important difference between the Stephenie Meyer Twilight series and Joss Whedon’s Buffy is the absence of fear in Twilight. Bella is not afraid of Edward’s true vampire nature, which can be attributed to his constant human guise. While Edward of twilight and his family are exceptionally powerful and lithe, those attributes only strengthen their physical appeal. The underlying concept of their true nature only becomes evident with James and his clan, and to a slightly lesser degree, Jasper who continues to struggle with his bloodlust in Twilight and New Moon. Edward’s protectiveness of Bella also serves as a motivator in his ability to try and reign in his more natural impulses of hunting and killing. Edward’s pseudo father Carlisle is able to control his bloodlust so well that he seems almost unaffected in any way by Bella’s all too obvious mortality. In the TV world of Buffy, the true nature of the vampire is made evident in every episode since the very essence of the show is about Buffy being a slayer, and therefore Buffy must slay vampires and demons. In Buffy the element of fear was (and is) always present.
With two similar yet distinct interpretations of vampires and their history, Joss Whedon and Stephenie Meyer have both reshaped and remixed the popular vampire concept and character to create a more compassionate and human world for them to live in. The interaction that the vampires in both Buffy and Twilight maintain with humans is as important as their depictions, both physical and emotional.
To read the entire article, click here.
I love seeing these two worlds compared. For me, Twilight still wins. How can you ever beat vampires who sparkle in the sunlight? Twilight also has a secret weapon: Edward Cullen.
What did you think of this comparison? Which vampire world is your favorite?
