“Vampires versus Aliens”
The production of Stephanie Meyers phenomenal Twilight novel into a film premiered in 2008. Over the span of four years, the rest of the Twilight saga appeared in the theaters. In 2013, another of Meyers’ #1 New York Times best sellers, the Host was produced into a popular sci-fi romance film. Originally written by the same author, similarities exist between the two films, such as forbidden/struggles with love and the theme of isolation, especially with male leads. However, the two films contrast in terms of the setting, the use of superpowers, supporting characters, and the films’ endings. Audience, criticism, and the theory of feminism also create distinct similarities and differences among Twilight and the Host.…show more content… In the case of Twilight and the Host, instead of a dispute between two families, Twilight’s Bella and Edward are separated by humans versus vampires and the Host’s Melanie/Jared and Wanda/Ian are separated by humans versus aliens. Through forbidden love, the characters of both films learn anyone can fall in love with anybody. Bella falling in love with a vampire and Ian falling in love with an alien proves that two people that fall in love do not have to come from the same background, or in these cases, from the same species. Ian and Bella’s infatuation with their heroin and hero also digs deeper into what it means to truly love someone. Ian and Bella take in the fact their opposites are of the supernatural but look farther into Wanda’s and Edward’s personalities, they look deep into their inner core which proves that outer appearances and social/economic background aren’t the only things that matter when looking for a partner. Jared and Melanie’s love story does coexist with Ian and Wanda’s, however Jared and Melanie’s love story (less forbidden) develops in a more conventional manner since Jared and Melanie are…show more content… Bella holds very little intelligence and isn’t always a pleasant peach, instead Bella maintains a dependent, needy and dull personality. On the other hand, the Host’s Melanie maintains a more feministic edge. Melanie holds the least bit of a passive personality like Bella. Melanie’s situation of running away from Seekers, traveling from place to place, deems her more fit for independence and survival, for a woman she can take care of herself and her younger brother. Regarding sexuality, Melanie’s more upfront with Jared, her reasoning for losing her virginity to a man she loves so young is based upon the fact that they “could be taken at any minute, and we only have this” and Jared complies. For Bella, coaxing Edward into taking her virginity isn’t quite as easy. The small kissing scene between Edward and Bella in her room shows a side of Bella not quite respecting her body or she and Edward’s sexual boundaries, at least Melanie owns up to her sexuality and doesn’t throw herself at Jared. Melanie wins the feminist showdown for her confidence in herself and her body while Bella shames the theory of feminism by having low self-esteem, low mental capacity and being a damsel in