Even before I caught Twilight on the big screen, I was comparing it to Roswell, the great teen sci-fi/romance series that aired on The WB (and later
It's not exactly the most original story in the world. This sort of thing goes back to Bram Stoker's Dracula, (and probably further back than that). Still, after watching Twilight, I was a bit shocked by its similarities to Roswell, especially since Roswell wasn't half as popular as Twilight. I haven't read the Twilight or Roswell book series, so I can't tell you if the similarities persist in print (but my friend Stephanie can). I can only compare the big screen and TV versions.
From major plot points to character motivations, these two franchises have a lot in common, but one clearly stands above the other. Let's compare, and you'll see what I mean:
The Set-Ups:
Roswell - In the pilot, we're introduced to Liz Parker (Shiri Appleby), a bright Roswell teen who writes everything down in her diary. In the first scene, she's saved from certain death by Max Evans (Jason Behr), her quiet biology lab partner who just happens to be an alien. Max's secret and life are threatened when he publicly uses his powers to heal Liz from a gunshot wound.
Twilight - In the opening scene, we're introduced to Bella (Kristen Stewart) a lonely teen who just moved to the dreary town of Forks, Washington. Bella is soon saved by her quiet (wouldn't you know it) biology lab partner Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), a vampire masquerading as a normal teen. Using his supernatural strength to save Bella from being hit by a car puts Edward's secret and his life in jeopardy.
The Romances:
Roswell - Max and Liz form an alien-powered bond when he heals her. They exchange emotions and memories instantly and fall deeply in love. Unfortunately, Max's alien roots and a revolving door of big bads get in the way of their happily ever after.
Twilight - Um, Edward likes the way Bella smells. That's about it. Her aroma is so intoxicating that he feels the need to gawk at her from a distance day and night. (Is this love or just animal magnetism?) Bella seems to dig that Edward isn't a nice, polite, normal teen who can go out in the daylight like all the other boys. Her sweet stank attracts a sociopathic vamp who tries to kill her and Edward, which briefly gets in the way of their romance.
The Diaries/Voiceovers:
Roswell - Liz Parker's voice is the first thing you hear in the Roswell pilot and in most of the following eps. Her diary entries narrate the bulk of the series and give each ep a warm, intimate feeling, partly thanks to Appleby's sincere voice.
Twilight - The movie opens with a voiceover from Bella, and the voiceovers continue throughout the film. They don't offer much in the way of warmth or intimacy. Instead, they feel mopey and stock, but that might have something to do with Stewart's unimpassioned line readings.
The Lead Characters/Actors:
Roswell - Appleby is endlessly appealing as the sharp, warm and capable Liz. She might be a sensitive teen, but she's rarely mopey, even when circumstances keep her apart from her first love. Jason Behr's subtle turn is perfect for Max, a character who's pulled from the sidelines to become a benevolent leader and protector.
Twilight - Bella is written as a bright girl who's experiencing the thrill of first love. Stewart plays her as an angsty, pretentious, and unlikeable emo kid. Pattinson fares better as the valiant Edward, but it's clear that he comes from the John Lovitz school of ACTING!
Other similarities:
Twilight and Roswell both feature supporting characters with supernatural gifts who feel threatened by the main characters' relationships. In Twilight, these characters come off as one-note, but Roswell's supporting characters were, of course, allowed to develop over three seasons. Also, both franchises portray Native Americans as somewhat mystical people. In Roswell, they have a spiritual link to the aliens. In Twilight, they're territorial onlookers who might be werewolves.
The Verdict:
So -- at the risk of having my likeness burned in effigy by a mob of angry teens -- I must admit that Roswell is the better franchise. Maybe it's an age thing (I haven't been a teen for ten years), but after re-watching the Roswell pilot, I found it to be warmer and smarter, better plotted and acted, and more compelling than the movie version of Twilight. It's also way more romantic. I think Twilighters should give it a shot (especially since you can stream it for free online). It's got all of Twilight's basic elements, but it's a lot less pretentious. Plus, there's more of it (three seasons worth)! Sure, Twilight might seem edgier and more glamorous, but all the hair product and Paramore tracks can't hide the fact that it's one of the most unromantic "romantic" movies out there.
Stream the Roswell pilot below and judge for yourself.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
12-02-2008 @ 10:24AM
vamp this! said...
You said it all....I had the same experience when I went to see this movie. I almost threw my soft drink at the screen. Had it not been orange slice (my favorite) I would have! I don't understand how Stephanie Meyer can go around saying the plot for these books just came to her. Well, yeah I'm sure it came to her.... After watching Roswell. Man I really need an orange slice.
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2-21-2009 @ 12:38PM
kch said...
The more I consider as to why I’d like twilight so much. The more I couldn't help to realize the similarities between the two. Out of curiosity, I cross search for “Twilight” and “Roswell” and I was a genuine surprised there are fans out there who think alike.
To break down the “why”, I have considered these following plots to be similar.
Twilight Roswell
Life saving-There could not have been anything more romantic than a man saves his girl’s life.
Edward stops the van from crashing Bella. Therefore, his unusual abilities were questioned by her.
In the very beginning of “pilot”, Max ran to Liz and used his healing power to retreat the bullet out of her and leave a silver handprint on her.
Biology class-Where all chemistry took place.
Where Edward first smells her scent and fight against every muscle in him for his thirst.
When Liz found out about Max’s unusual cells, she confronted him and acknowledging his secret identity.
It’s never safe…
If only Bella is smart enough and values her life, she wouldn’t be anywhere near Edward. However…
It’s not safe. We’re…" said Max. “Just different” said Liz.
Story telling
By Bella, through her thoughts.
By Liz, through her diaries.
Mind reading-
Edward reads minds except for Bella’s.
Max reads Liz’s thoughts when he touches her.
Super powers-
Mind reading Fast and strong v.s Healing power and a lot more.
The families-
Edward and his vampire families.
Max and his family-Isabel and Michael.
The bottom line...
Extraordinary things happen to an ordinary girl. Surely, a gorgeous alien or vampire is a plus!!
Come to think of it, Roswell definitely deserved more credits than it received a few years ago. I’d always feel sorry for Roswell not being such a big hit as twilight is now. Although season two and three was not as exciting to watch as the first season. Still, I wish there have been more people who’re hooked as I did before. In season three of Roswell, certain side effects have surfaced when Liz is getting powers after Max’s healing, I wonder how twilight would go if Bella’s eventually going to turn. I’d call Twilight an experience since it was the first movie I had ever watched and wanted to read the books just to find out more. However, such experience isn’t exactly new to me, it has just been re-aroused that’s all.
12-02-2008 @ 11:09AM
Katie said...
I cannot stand Twilight. Talk about blowing a mediocre book out of proportion. I watched the pilot to Roswell when it first aired and I was instantly hooked. It still is one of my favorite television shows and deserves all of Twilight attention and more!
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12-02-2008 @ 11:22AM
Leah said...
Roswell never aired on the cw. It aired on WB and UPN.
And I've never read the Roswell books, but I'm pretty sure they started after the tv show and I think a few of them followed the story on the show.
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12-02-2008 @ 4:50PM
Lauren said...
Not true. Roswell books came before the show (they were based on them) and ran as a complete series. The plot of books diverge from the show quite completely after the first or second.
They are a good YA read.
12-02-2008 @ 11:40AM
Anita said...
I totally agree on all of your points. However, as a sci fi buff who is still a mental adolescent, I'm always attracted to shows/films likes Roswell/Twilight, yet am almost always disappointed. With Roswell I was disappointed with the acting of all the leads save Jason Behr. With Twilight, I was impressed with the acting and chemistry of the two leads, but couldn't stand the writing which took emo melodrama to a new high. Maybe I should stop looking for a supernatural 'My So-Called Life' and just be thankful when I encounter good TV/films -
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12-02-2008 @ 12:18PM
Leslie said...
I think your review is actually more inspiring than both the movie or series. No seriously, I have a busy life, and sitting through a two hour movie or even a half hour sitcom is just not a possibility; even less so if I'm surrounded by kids years younger than myself. But now I actually wouldn't mind carving out some time to watch Roswell.
Thanks
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12-02-2008 @ 12:59PM
Ggrrl said...
I am just now reading the first of the Twilight books, upon a friend's recommendation (she described it as very teen angsty and ridiculous but a delicious reminder of being a teenager). Anyway, while reading it the other day, I suddenly thought, this is like a really bad Roswell. So, I would say that the book has the same ridiculousity of the movie (which I haven't seen). I'm still reading it, though, so it must be doing something right. Ah, if only it weren't too late for a Roswell revival!
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12-02-2008 @ 12:59PM
Jaime E. Galvan said...
I agree the idea that Twilight is not a very original idea, but I have to say Catherine Hardwicke did a pretty poor job of getting the most out of the cast for each scene and a very poor job of editing the film.
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12-02-2008 @ 1:43PM
Amy said...
While I haven't seen Twilight, I'm glad I'm not the only one who holds Roswell as a standard of good teen angst.
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12-02-2008 @ 1:58PM
lola la maquiladora said...
I really wish there was a Roswell Revival of some sort...It was such a soulful show. Unfortunately, it just didn't get its dues. Maybe some rich fans can launch crashdown diners along the southwest...Writer Melinda Metz once said she'd like to see that. Poor Jason Behr has to fight Dragons for a living now...
12-02-2008 @ 2:05PM
laurie said...
I gotta say, you make some good points. I loved Roswell back in the day, and I do like Twilight a lot now, too... I have to say, though, one real drawback for Roswell is that the last season was just awful! I went from watching every episode obsessively to just tuning out entirely! I was so jaded that to this day I don't know how the series ended, nor do I care. Whether or not Twilight will drop the ball the way Roswell did (very possible, considering how bad the movie was) remains to be seen.
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12-02-2008 @ 3:40PM
lola la maquiladora said...
Laurie,
You're right, unfortunately Roswell did suffer in the last season. Most of it was due to a lot of loose ends the writers never cleared up. However, the last episode "Graduation" was actually quite beautiful. Max delivers a speech that was one of the warmest I've ever seen on a show. It hit all the notes the pilot did. I was crying by the end of it....You really ought to watch that last episode. For me, it made up for a lot of the the slack in the third season.
12-04-2008 @ 9:48PM
sindy said...
omg i dont even have 2 think of course TWILIGHT IS THE BEST. i loved roswell i waz actually kinda obsess with it but when i found out about twilight omg it just change everything. just face it vampires are so better then aliens. i still love max lol but edward is just 100% better :).
TWILIGHT
TWILIGHT
TWILIGHT
TWILIGHT
TWILIGHT YEA!
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12-02-2008 @ 4:21PM
Sarah said...
Ok thats just crazy thinking.... You could say that about all stories... People are just so negative... Im 27 and have 2 kids who loved the movie and my daughter has read all the books as have I..I used to watch roswell so different in theme wise UMM Aleins hello... come on people.. I think you should really stop being so negative when It comes to a good story.. And really when it comes to a good story isnt it better as long as kids are reading it....does it really matter.. Its better then being on the computer all day complaining about something that you werent smart enough to think of yourself....
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12-02-2008 @ 5:36PM
Vamp this! said...
I think all of us support kids reading and we're not complaining so much as trying to point out something that has been overlooked. Putting in a vampire and getting rid of an alien doesn't make a story different at all. Those are superficialities. We're talking about significant plot points here. Also, the stories don't have different themes. Doomed love is a theme, Teen angst is a theme. These stories have both. But themes isn't the problem here, it's pivotal plot points. It's about parading some else's work and calling it your own. This is not about the kids reading either. I think we can all applaud that. It's about defending Metz' and Katims' work, which has been underrated. It's also about critiquing an artform and critiquing it harshly if it's taken from someone else. We , the commentators are not the ones who weren't "smart enough" to think of an original story. I believe that title goes to Stephanie Meyer.
12-02-2008 @ 6:53PM
gwens said...
I'm 54 years old and love books. There is no such thing as an original idea. Everything has been done before, okay? Just like songs, plot points can be repetitive. I never saw Roswell, but you seem to be comparing apples to oranges. If Twilight was a series, or Roswell a 2 hour movie, ok, compare, get my point? I liked Meyer's fresh approach to the vampire and werewolf legends, and her taut romance. And I liked the movie. Roswell, evidently, never caught my eye, ear or heart. Twilight did all three.
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12-02-2008 @ 7:19PM
Cameron said...
I loved Roswell, there hasn't been any couple as romantic as Liz and Max on TV ever. I disagree Anita, the entire cast was wonderful, specifically Shiri and Jason, their chemistry was off the charts.
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12-03-2008 @ 12:24AM
Lynn said...
This was my first reaction when I started reading Twilight! I was trying to tell the girl who gave it to me how similar the book was to the show. Watching that pilot really takes me back. I didn't really care for Twilight and didn't care to finish the series, but I watched Roswell till the end, even when it got bad. Max and Liz's chemistry has never been matched for me, to this day.
Another similarity to the books is the kind of family group. If Max was outed as a alien, that sort of outed Michael and Maria too. Same way for the vampires.
And also, the acting was about 20x better on Roswell. And that does not say a lot at all because those were not award wining performances by any means.
Loved Max and Liz. Loved the show. Roswell wins hands down.
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12-03-2008 @ 3:00AM
Brian said...
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Moonlight (the recently cancelled CBS show) yet! It's much more recent, and instantly popped in my head as being similar to Twilight as soon as the movie started. I agree Roswell is also similar too, but that show was on so long ago that I didn't make the connection. And also, Twilight's lead girl wasn't cute (like Roswell's) or pretty (like Moonlight's). :P
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