SYNOPSIS: Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger as Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge. 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 struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella is confronted with the most important decision of her life...Review:
When a Twilight film comes around- it is always a big thing. Even though the fan base is mostly comprised of people who have read the books, they are still captivated when it is put on screen and acted- and they will flock in there thousands to catch the first showing. I wouldn't class myself as a die-hard fan, but I went to see the first showing at 12.01 am. I was just as excited to watch what I have read. I wondered how different the movie would be from the book- and the simple answer is: not very. The third book is a faithful adaption. This time however David Slade (30 Days of Night) takes the reigns. I managed to watch the trilogy back to back and I felt that it was a perfect way to immerse myself and set myself up for what would be the best in the saga so far.
First lets compare the general look of the film. Where Twilight was a lot of muddy gray and New Moon was stuck in a sepia, woodland look- Eclipse is neither, it is a cross in between. Don't get me wrong Eclipse has it's moments where it looks dull but generally there is a lot more sunshine. New Moon was left on a cliff hanger of sorts- Edward (Robert Pattinson) would turn Bella (Kristen Stewart) if she would agree to marry him. The third film addresses this every now and then but is generally forgotten about- it's a lingering thought, between them both.
The two leads: Pattinson and Stewart have evolved together considerably since the first film. There is a very strong connection and you could believe that these two people are actually in love with each other. Pattinson as Edward, continues to be the brooding vampire that we are used to, but for someone so indestructible, he appears to be one of the most vulnerable characters in the film. Despite the cold, hard exterior this is really a 17 year old teenager in love. As the films have progressed so has Robert Pattinson's acting ability- unfortunately however I can't say the same for Kristen Stewart's Bella. She is still the same Bella from the first two movies- there is no development. Edward's feelings grow stronger and we know they are- but Bella remains, just Bella. During the movie- I would forget that she is the primary character, it appeared she floated through the scene's while the other characters carried her through. Although the rivalry between Jacob and Edward were touched upon during the previous films, Eclipse really gives it some teeth and I mean that literally. It is often comical, but always tense. If you have never read the books, you will benefit most from this. Team Edward, Team Jacob... FIGHT!
It really surprised me at how faithful the adaption was- obviously there were bits added and tweaked but it never really distracted or threw me off. I would be quickly skimming the book in my head and I enjoyed the fact I wasn't scrutinizing the film against the book. As well as the love triangle, some of the Cullen's are given brief back stories. These are neither pointless or dragged out, but Jasper's back story may confuse those who haven't read the book. It wasn't really clear as to why his past was important and Rosalie's story is exactly how I pictured it.
This film is more violent than the first two. I was happy to see this as it changed the basic chemistry of the film. It wasn't over the top and the more violent bits weren't dismissed. To maintain the family friendly rating of a 12A I feel the killings were a bit disheartening- the vampires break like glass as opposed to the True Blood style blood and gore. It is better paced than New Moon which I felt dragged some scenes out as time filler's. Eclipse doesn't settle for too long on one scene- it gets its point across and moves on.
The CGI has improved since New Moon and we see a lot more of the Werewolves. The scene where Jasper is training both the Cullen's and the Werewolves on how to fight the new born's is entertaining and exciting to watch and the ultimate stand off between the new born's and the vampires and werewolves gave me goosebumps. A lot of people in the audience were giggling with excitement at the wolves jumping on top of the vampires and ending them. Unfortunately this scene is shorter than I would have liked. It was one of the main focuses in the trailer, but after watching the trailer there isn't much more of the fight left.
Edward's stand off with the red haired and fiery Victoria replaced by Bryce Dallas Howard, stays out of the film for a good hour before making a very brief appearance, and the recent new born Riley appears more in the film than the book, I felt he was over used in some places- I understood why they used him as much as they did but his moody and brooding look was just making me feel nauseas.
An honorable mention goes to Bella's dad- Charlie played by Billy Burke. He finds the balance between comic relief and caring father- and the excruciatingly embarrassing 'birds and the bees' talk had most of the audience in stitches. He gets used more in Eclipse than he did in Twilight and New Moon and I am glad he did.
The film crams a lot into two hours- it sometimes appears rushed, but then slows down and finds it's feet again, although as previously mentioned it stays well paced.
CONCLUSION
Best in the current saga? I think so- for fans everywhere you will not be disappointed. Three films in and the saga is really starting to find it's soul. It is well directed, acted (minus Kristen Stewart) and has a lot of heart. The love story has finally landed- and I cannot wait for Breaking Dawn part 1. Do what I did- watch all three, the difference between the three films is astounding! Don't Take the film too serious- take it for what it is: A teenage love story with added bite!
4/5
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