Total Eclipse of My Heart

July 2nd, 2010

Eclipse

I’ve been counting down to the film adaptation of Eclipse BEFORE the Twilight movie came out, about two years ago. Why? Cause its my fave. The bestest. The book itself has all the elements to make a great movie and as a Twihard fan girl, I held on to the hope that I would see its translation onto the big screen and that it would do the book justice.

I know you’re thinking “But Twilight didn’t become massively popular until the first movie came out. How could you have known that they would have made it all the way to a third movie (and soon to be a fourth and fifth movie)?” Unfortunately, my ethnic heritage did not pass on any mystical, psychic abilities (though I did try to induce them through meditation – FAIL). I just had a feeling.

So, was I right? Unless you have said psychic abilities and can predict my take on this summer blockbuster (in which case, TEACH MEH), check out my (spoilerific) review of Eclipse right after the jump!

There’s been quite a bit of a jump between New Moon and Eclipse. A new director, a new set of cast members, and an increasing difficulty to cater to an even larger audience, especially one that is split between the story’s major protagonists, Edward and Jacob.

Yeah yeah. There are plenty of sexy times with those two mighty attractive lads, but let me just give you a rundown on the central plot before I spend three paragraphs describing Taycob’s abs (because they’re not plastered everywhere you go, right?) and Rob’s tousled hair (why hello!).

Eclipse picks up exactly where New Moon leaves off. With an impending deadline set by the Volturi to be changed into a vampire, Bella is trying to come to terms with the realities of immortality, including saying goodbye to her family, becoming a blood thirsty newborn and giving up the finer points of a human life, such as having children. I guess it doesn’t help that her mighty attractive boyfriend wants to marry her before going forward with Bella’s wish to leave her human life behind. I mean, why delay things?

It seems that danger magnet Bella has all the personal desire in the world to move forward into her new life, but simply cannot. Victoria is still out there, biding her time to seek revenge. A series of murders in Seattle leads the Cullen clan to believe that there is a newborn army being raised to track and kill Bella. To fight this new enemy the Cullens organize a truce with the werewolf pack to protect Bella. The alliance, while forcing Jacob and Edward to cooperate, is a tad sticky, considering Jacob’s persistent efforts to convince Bella that she is also in love with him and that she has a choice to take on an easier life.

Oh dear. Who said Forks wasn’t exciting!?!

The concept of choices being important is central to Eclipse, and I really think director David Slade did a great job in highlighting character decision-making processes, demonstrating personal motivations and the consequences of such actions. The main triangle between Edward (Robert Pattinson), Jacob (Taylor Lautner), and Bella (Kristen Stewart) really drove this aspect of the film, as we see Edward and Jacob struggle to keep their conflict at bay while trying to protect the love of their lives, and Bella hoping to maintain a civil cooperation between the pair. I found these types of explanations to be missing in the other films, but that can also be blamed on the script and delivery of such important lines.

This leads me to my next point: Melissa Rosenberg has finally succeeded in adapting a Twilight book well (THANK YOU!!!). Considering the running time for this movie was a little over two hours, fans will be pleased to hear that all of the major scenes and components of the book were included, sewn almost flawlessly together to make this film more unified than the previous two films. Rosenberg, though simply faithful to the books in her screenplay for the last two films, incorporated the original material a whole lot more, and also managed to balance the Edward/Bella scenes with the Edward/Jacob scenes. Both Teams will be equally pleased, though by the outcome of the movie, some may be more pleased than others. I pinky promised I wouldn’t say anything more for those who haven’t read the books – but let’s just say I am a happy camper.

Rosenberg and Slade collectively did a great job at bringing the darker side of the series to light (I am witty – hear me roar). I enjoyed the fact that we got to see aspects of the story from other perspectives rather than just Bella’s, providing viewers with a little more insight into Stephenie Meyer’s world. From the opening scene of *SPOILER* Riley being chased by Victoria on a shipping dock to the ravaging newborn army, it certainly reinforced the dilemmas that Bella was having with regards to becoming a vampire. I really enjoyed the smaller details, like darker visual tones for more evil scenes and even the consistency in vampire eye colours *keke nerd alert.

But what’s really appealing is that the Cullens FINALLY got to show off their bad assery to the max. The fight scenes were very well choreographed, the chase scene was visually stunning, and if you guys didn’t already think the world of Kellan Lutz, Ashley Greene, and Jackson Rathbone, you will now. For fans of the book you do get the background information on Jasper and Rosalie, and they do their stories justice – Rosalie is actually a HBIC. Dayum. The Werewolves were bigger this time around, and I kind of wish the pack as a whole got more screen time because they were the source of a lot of comedic relief.

Now for fans of the book, let me put your minds to rest: the proposal scene is absolutely perfect, scandalous leg hitches and all, with the dialogue taken from the book directly. What I liked this time around is that there were a lot more intimate moments shown between Edward and Bella, scenes that were the missing link in the other two films. They made my heart flutter, but I have to admit, the Bella/Jacob kiss was kind of hot. As always, you get your fair share of Taycob abdominal exposure, but you also get a sense of the hurt and pain Jacob is going through by having to see Bella with Edward. I liked seeing Taylor and Rob interact more on screen, especially during the tent scene. Though I sometimes questioned the trio’s acting (Kristen Stewart particularly bothered me this time around), I was able to look past the melodramatic aspects and enjoy my favourite book come alive.

Newcomers Bryce Dallas Howard and Xavier Samuels were great additions to the cast. I was one of many who doubted Howard’s ability to take on Rachelle Lefevre’s portrayal of Victoria, but it seems like she made a smooth transition and brought everything Rachelle had in the first two films. Xavier is just … Xavier. NOM NOM NOM.

There were, of course, some aspects of this movie that I did not particularly enjoy and questioned. While the fight scenes were done well I would like to understand who on earth thought that breaking a vamp’s limb would look like a piece of ice, leaving a sort of dust behind – just a BAH *blank stare* moment. There was also a scene in the book that I am almost 100% certain was filmed between Angela (Christian Serratos) and Bella, but I suppose for pacing purposes was cut. The humans don’t play much of a role in Eclipse, but Anna Kendrick killed her time on the screen and just left me wanting more (personally, I think a web series needs to be created about Jessica. Just gonna throw that one out there). While I am a huge fan of the film’s soundtrack (its dope!) and thought was used well throughout the movie, they totally did injustice to Florence+the Machine’s contribution, shoving it in the credits when it is such a hauntingly gorgeous track. Finally, WHERE was my “I can’t fight an eclipse” line!?! I’m looking at you Rosenberg.

Overall, the film was adapted very well and is a fast paced, entertaining piece. I think, much like the other films, it plays out better for fans of the book, but for those who solely enjoy the movies, you’re going to like this one for a handful of witty, comedic lines, romance, and action. This movie reminded me why I fell in love with the series in the first place, and that’s a good place to end up in (though I may prefer a hug with Kellan Lutz, but you win some, you lose some). What’d you guys think?

PS – Billy Burke as Charlie Swan is genius. The sex talk is so awkwardly hilarious.
PPS – Taycob rocks fiited black tees well. Just sayin.
PPPS – I take it the Denalis will never show up in these movies. Sigh.

Tags: Eclipse, kristen stewart, robert pattinson, Taylor Lautner, twilight