Thanks for checking out our The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Review
Genre: Fantasy/Romance/Thriller
Directed by: David Slade
Staring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Peter Facinelli
Released: 30 June 2010
THE GENERAL IDEA
As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues 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. But which is which?
THE GOOD
Right of the bat, I’ll say this: Eclipse is the best entry of the Twilight franchise so far. Director David Slade somehow manages to make Eclipse almost a decent, “ok” film. He delivers by stirring us away from the boring/draggin’ Edward/Bella stare/love fest and adding a much needed injection of vampire/werewolve action. I also noted that this entry, in deed, was more fun and was a bit more relaxed; it wasn’t as lazy as the first one, or as stiff as the second one. Eclipse seemed to be aware of some of it’s silly content. It even made fun of itself in some spots. I really enjoyed this.
The action was more frequent and much better. In this one we get chases in the forest, vampires fighting amongst themselves, and of course, werewolves fighting vampires. For the guys, this will be a most welcomed addition. The effects look better than in previous films. The climax battle was pretty cool. I was looking forward to watching vampires and werewolves battle it out in this one, and I was not disappointed. Although some of the shots were cutting too fast, I enjoyed it.
Something else I really liked in this one was how some of the supporting cast was given some time to shine. With every film, I find myself really enjoying the Cullen family interactions. I really enjoy when they are given screen time. This time around, the movie includes some most welcomed flashbacks sequences, were some of the Cullen members explain how they became vampires. Here’s were Jackson Rathbone and Nikki Reed shine. These scenes worked for me.
THE BAD
Although it’s the best one so far and it’s a vast improvement for the franchise, Eclipse is still a pretty bad film. Once again the plot is just too stupid, and the acting is really underwhelming. I still don’t understand how these movies, that make millions of dollars and have a great following, are not done with a better effort. The should take their time, and deliver a film that fans really deserve. They keep making them quickly and cheap. Fans deserve better.
What can I tell you about the acting? Everyone seems more relaxed and having fun, but in the end, the acting is still pretty bad. Add to that a dialogue that is mostly stale and ridicioulous. Kristen Stewart, at last, smiles a couple of times. Robert Pattinson, looks more relaxed in his vampire makeup. And, Taylor Lautner is shirtless almost the whole movie. At least, I believe that of the three, he’s the one that has matured the most. I enjoyed how his character has become more cocky.
I also want to add that Bryce Dallas Howard is just horrible in this one. Her red-haired vampire, Victoria, is just a waste. Even the hair looked suspicious. I believe Anna Kendrick was really underused in this one; she basically has about two scenes.
OVERALL
Overall, Eclipse is a great improvement over the two previous entries. It’s the best one of the franchise so far. Director David Slade manages to deliver a Twilight movie that seems more complete and focused. It’s less boring than the other ones, thanks to some doubled action and some pretty nice flashback sequences. Also, thanks has to be given to what seems to resemble an existent plot. All that said, Eclipse is still a bad film. It still includes some horrible dialogue, a stupid plot, and some lazy acting. I still believe fans should ask more from these films and their makers.
If you’re not into Twilight, I wouldn’t recommend you watching this. If you are, then you must see this. Twilight hardcore fans will not be dissapointed; this is the best one so far. As for the rest, you can skip this one without shame.
I give The Twilight Saga: Eclipse a 3 out of 10
