Warning** This is a movie for the fans. If you haven't read the books, you may not understand everything that's going on right now. If you are a fan, go see it (if you haven't already) and if not, then maybe this isn't the movie for you. If you are willing, open your mind, put away your preconceived notions of vampires and just sit back and enjoy. I am a fan of True Blood, which is much more conventional, so really it's more about how much you are into that sort of genre.
Also, before I start this review, I must take a position on this post that may be different for those who are outside of the world of Twilight. I am a fan, but let me specify. I am a fan of the books by Stephenie Meyer. I think they are such a fast and entertaining read and Eclipse was my favorite of the four books. There is a distinction that people must make about this series, that it is a love story with vampires, not a vampire love story. The main focus is on the love between Bella and Edward (and at times Jacob), but the fact that Stephenie changed the perception of what it is to be a vampire, is a daring move.
Some might balk at even considering the Cullens as real vamps when compared to Lestat or a vampire from an Anne Rice novel. Stephenie was bold enough to create a new spin on a pretty cliche supernatural subject, and for that I think that the books deserve to be read for what they are, a story of young love. The image one has from reading a book is very very difficult to translate into a movie. It is rare to find a movie that hold true to your perceptions of the characters.
I believe that David Slade did capture a great deal of the third book in his movie that was lacking in the two previous movies. For those who don't know the plot (even if you aren't a fan, I'm sure you get the gist), Bella Swan is a normal, clumsy and awkward high school girl who finds herself living in Forks, Washington with her father, Charlie, the chief of police. She becomes attracted to a mysteriously pale yet extremely intriguing vampire named Edward Cullen. Edward is part of a family of vampires that are "vegetarians" who choose to live above their carnal natures and only feed off of animals. In the first books, Bella became the target of an unrelenting vampire hunter named James, who wanted to kill Bella just for the sport of it, but he was killed by the Cullen clan. New Moon brought about the most difficult part of Bella and Edward's relationship, when Edward leaves Forks to give Bella a normal life. It nearly kills them both and brings Jacob, Bella's best friend (who happens to be a werewolf/shapeshifter) into her life in a more meaningful way than she originally intended. Also, this movie sets up the revenge plot of Victoria, who wanted to avenge her mate's death (James) and in the vampire world, if you kill the mate of a vampire, they NEVER give up the fight to return the favor.
Eclipse is a delight for fans, after a mediocre adaptation of Twilight and a slow, filler that was the second movie. I can honestly say that Eclipse is the BEST of the three Twilight movies, not the Best movie ever made as some younger fans may say, but it was definitely filled with fun action scenes, and a few memorable scenes that really got to the love triangle between Bella (Kristen Stewart), Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Jacob (Taylor Lautner). Victoria is back (though with an actress change to Bryce Dallas Howard, who I think did a good job) and with a newborn vampire army lead by Riley, her right hand vamp.
One of the scenes that I just loved, was the proposal scene and so did my friend Kelly. She is Team Jacob and I am Team Edward and after watching that scene she leaned over to me and said, "I might have just changed teams." That's what I love about Edward's character, that in his simplicity and honesty, his love for Bella is truly unmatched by anyone including Jacob. David Slade, the director of the vamp flick 30 Days of Night, is a horror master who had to tone it down a bit for the PG-13 rating but still there were scenes where he didn't hold back, with limbs and heads being torn off in fight scenes and the great opening that was fast and suspenseful. The CGI wolves were much better than New Moon, so hopefully they will get better in the next two movies for Breaking Dawn (so excited!). The acting....oh the acting. The quality of acting has yet to reach great heights with the Saga, but they have all improved. Keep in mind that quite a few of these actors either had small roles before Twilight or none at all, so I give them credit for doing the best with what they had.
I know there are a lot of Kristen Stewart haters saying she can't act or she only has one blank expression on her face, but I felt like she was more herself, more comfortable in this third movie. I've seen her other indie movies such as Panic Room, The Cake Eaters, Adventureland, Speak, and The Runaways, so I know she can act. All of the actors were more comfortable with themselves and that helps with the chemistry. The movie was quite fast paced compared to New Moon's slow pace but still there was a choppiness to the movie that unless you have read the books, you would feel a little lost. I just have to give a shout out to Dakota Fanning who is such a great actress, who chose such a small but powerful role of Jane, the small yet completely commanding vampire guard of the Volturi, the vampires who are considered the upholders of law in their world. With a look, Jane can make a person feel pain like they've never experienced before and Dakota just slips into that role so well.
So far, I have seen Eclipse twice and I plan to see it again before it leaves theaters. After seeing it the second time, it made me like it even more. Also, if I can say anything positive about the Twilight films that even those who can't stand the films would agree with, is the strong quality of the soundtracks. They had such a great soundtrack for this movie with Muse, Vampire Weekend, Bat for Lashes and the Black Keys. So far, Eclipse has made over 300 million dollars worldwide, which shows the dedication of the fans to the franchise no matter what.
Overall I give Eclipse, 6.8/10 newborns.
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