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[The Twilight Saga:Eclipse]
Plot:Third installment of the "Twilight" series. Has Seattle being ravaged by a string of mysterious killings, and a malicious vampire continuing her quest for revenge. Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob - knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death.
Cast:Kristen Stewart,
Robert Pattinson,
Xavier Samuel,
Taylor Lautner,
Bryce Dallas Howard,
Jodelle Ferland,
Jack Huston,
Catalina Sandino Moreno,
Kirsten Prout.
My Thoughts:Not bad.
Review:As a person who's so not a "Twilight" fan, doesn't really care about being on either team Jacob or team Edward, and who finds the idea of these types of vampires kind of off-putting, going into "Eclipse", I was not very hopeful about the films potential to wow me or anything. But after it was all said and done, I actually came out of this movie finding the characters a lot more tolerable than I did after seeing the previous two films. Even Bella, who annoyed me to no end in part 1 and even more in part 2. "Eclipse" follows the continuing battle between the Cullens and Victoria.
With her plan to avenge James having failed before, now she seeks to create an army of new blood vampires, to help her take down the Cullens, and most importantly Edward. This causes Edward and Jacob, who both are still at odds over Bella, to temporarily put aside their grudge to protect her from Victoria and her army, which is led by a local kid turned vampire who vanished a year ago. Meanwhile, The Volturi watch the havoc the new bloods are wreaking upon Seattle, looking for their opening, should they choose to involve themselves at all. This installment shows a lot of maturity from parts 1 and 2.
The characters are a lot more mature, and the story raises it's game to meet that maturity. No longer do we have to watch Edward and Jacob make googly eyes at Bella all day. Both are seeking to lay claim to her, and this is what creates most of the films conflict and tension. It was quite entertaining watching these two verbal banter with each other almost everytime they crossed paths. But still, with Bella, I just don't see that there's much to fight over. But that's just my opinion. As a character, I have never really thought Bella was too well developed.
She's kind of a lethargic, boring, girl next door type. If you've created a story where two guys from the supernatural end of the spectrum, are fighting over a girl, atleast show the audience why she's so special. I still don't see it, even after three films. But then again, in a place like Forks where most of the girls are either vampires or wolves, I guess the one human one would attract more attention based on principal alone. Per usual, this installment is beautifully shot, and you don't notice much of the difference between David Slade, who directed "Eclipse", and Chris Weitz who did "New Moon".
Both directors manage to capture the action well, and quality of picture and angles and such don't drop off between both filmmakers one iota. That's always a plus, considering shoddy directing can kill any film, no matter how good or bad it is. Bryce Dallas Howard as the new Victoria does well in her role, and Dakota Fanning, who plays Volturi leader Jane, makes the most of her limited screentime. This installment also ups the antie on the violence end, yet also does not spill a lot of blood. Which isn't much of a surprise considering this film is rated PG-13.
Wasn't gonna be a bloodbath, but in the final act, which is where a massive battle between good and evil commences, there's lots of limb ripping, tearing, etc. But the way it's shot and filmed, they manage to avoid shedding too much blood, with the exception of one scene near the end, involving Edward and a fierce enemy of his. But beyond the films final battle, which is quite well done, the story here flows well enough to keep your attention prior to the movies final 25 or so minutes. Something the other two movies didn't have and weren't able to do.
And that's what sets "Eclipse" apart from the first two movies. It was far more tolerable than it's predecessors, because the story was better crafted, more adult, and contained more conflict. Wouldn't advise people to run out and see "Eclipse", but I would say that it's a lot more of an improvement on what's come before it so far.
Positives:Better story with more adult moments and themes, characters maturity has made for a better overall moviegoing experience. Great finale, good performances, and excelent directing.
Negatives:Bella seems to make a decision at the end about who she loves, pretty annoying moment for me.
Overall:Three stars out of four.
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