The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Ashley Greene, Anna Kendrick, Xavier Samuel, Bryce Dallas Howard, Dakota Fanning
Directed by: David Slade
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Romance, Fantasy
2010

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) continue their romance, while Jacob (Taylor Lautner) makes a stronger push for Bella's affections. Things become even more complicated when Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard) assembles an army of vampires to seek her revenge.

Review:

Tim: The Twilight Saga: Eclipse marks the moment I'd been expecting- the first drop in quality of the Twilight movies. While this is a small drop, this is the first film in the franchise that I didn't really enjoy. It felt like the story was the weakest one yet, and not much seemed to happen. This isn't a bad movie, but it wasn't very good, either.

I enjoyed Twilight because we really learned a great deal about vampires. I enjoyed New Moon because we learned a great deal about werewolves. This film didn't really have any of those revelations- it was just a continuation of the stories started in the previous films, so it was missing that element of newness and surprise. This film felt redundant and missing a critical element. I suppose it did progress the story, but I couldn't really understand how the characters evolved from the beginning to the end of the film. The character development was weak, or at least not explained very well.

I thought much of the problem with the film centered around our love triangle. While this really worked in the previous films, it started to get old and crumble here. Most of the movie involves Edward and Jacob yelling or staring coldly at each other, while Bella pleads for peace. I grew tired of this almost immediately. It seemed silly, as Edward acted very much like a moody, jealous teenager (you'd think hundreds of years of "life" would teach you a thing or two) and Jacob just not seeing the signs that Bella was just not into him. It all seemed so silly and melodramatic. I was buying this love triangle in the first two films, but it didn't work for me here.

I am not saying the film is all bad. I thought this film had perhaps the best scene of the entire franchise- the Bella-Edward-Jacob tent scene. Putting these three characters into close quarters was a fantastic idea, and well acted by all involved. It was fun watching Edward deal with Jacob's necessary but frustrating presence, and to watch these two characters have a few quiet minutes to talk. I loved that scene. I also thought the idea of an army of newborn vampires was a cool concept. The actual battle was pretty anticlimactic, but the idea itself was entertaining.

I have never read any of the books, so I didn't have the background knowledge of these characters or what this book was supposed to be about. From the movie, I'm still a bit confused. Edward and Bella are still a bit up in the air, as their relationship still isn't quite defined. Jacob and Bella haven't resolved anything yet. The film finally resolved the Victoria storyline, but that was about it. It felt like nothing really happened in the movie, although it went on for over two hours. I needed something to actually happen, and I don't believe the film delivered.

Like I said, I did not hate this movie. After enjoying the first two films, this one was a struggle for me to enjoy. The whole story, characters, and premise just started to seem a bit silly. I wasn't engaged in the story, and so I found myself starting to question the whole thing. That is not what the franchise needs. I did enjoy certain aspects of this film, although I believe it's safe to say that The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is easily the most disappointing film of the franchise. Let's hope the two part finale can right this ship.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Twilight, The Twilight Saga: New Moon