REVIEW: ‘The Twilight Saga: Eclipse’
| [topicblocks id="/m/075wx7_" comment="When you publish this post, this WordPress shortcode will display the TopicBlock you created about 'Eclipse'." params="blocks=%5B%7B%22block%22%3A%22film%22%7D%2C%7B%22block%22%3A%22traileraddict%22%7D%5D"]
RCC Rating: Worth Full Price On Opening Weekend |
The best “Twilight” film so far, “Eclipse” expands on the Bella-Edward-Jacob love triangle and the brewing between vampires and humans. The legions of Stephanie Meyer’s fans will be ecstatic, and non-TwiHards might find something to enjoy as well.
Bella (Kristen Stewart) has returned to Forks and is finishing up her senior year of high school. Along with the stress of graduation, Bella has the added pressure of her vampire boyfriend Edward (Robert Pattinson) proposing, the love for her werewolf best friend Jacob (Taylor Lautner) and his pack of vampire-hating wolves, and an army of freshly-made newborn vampires hunting her and starting a war in her hometown.
With a battle brewing, humans are being killed and fed on. It is only a matter of time before these fresh vampire soldiers, created by the jilted Victoria (the newly recast Bryce Dallas Howard, replacing Rachelle LeFevre), reach Bella. Edward’s family, The Cullen’s, and Jacob’s pack of werewolves form an essential alliance in order to save the love of both their lives. Bella is forced to make many decisions in this third film. Her divided love for both Edward and Jacob is the forefront, but also her commitment to the ancient vampire group, the Volturi, to become immortal or they will hunt and kill her themselves.
The biggest improvements in “Eclipse” from the first two “Twilight” films come at the hands of director David Slade: while the movie followed Meyer’s novel to a tee, it didn’t exclude people who have not read the book (as the first two films did). “Eclipse” was also a more adult film, with some well-choreographed fight scenes (and better CG wolves). Pattinson and Stewart seem to actually have some romantic friction, rather than the brooding melodrama that plagued the first two installments. Their chemistry on screen is great, but is not so overbearing, because you can still see Bella loves Jacob as well. There’s also a well-done back story given to Jacob and his tribe of werewolves.
“Eclipse” takes the “Twilight” film series to a whole new level, and will leave you on the edge of your seat wanting more. After this leap in quality, I’m eager to see what Bill Condon is able to accomplish with the fourth and final installment, “Breaking Dawn.”
