Movie Review: "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"

Seen on: June 30, 2010

The players: Director: David Slade, Writer: Melissa Rosenberg, Cast: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Anna Kendrick, Billy Burke

Facts of interest: Slade also helmed "30 Days of Night."

The plot: Bella is back, and she's still having trouble deciding between dead-looking Edward and the warm Jacob.

Our thoughts: The vampires and werewolves are back on the big screen, and this time, they all look a little more agitated. Well, part of it is certainly because we’re getting closer to the end of “The Twilight Saga,” and that means things should technically heat up, right? Even though David Slade’s “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” does indeed pack a bit more punch than its predecessors, I’m sorry to announce that in my book, it’s still coming up short.

Of course, I also have to point out that I’m not the biggest fan of the series, even though I’ve definitely been giving it a fair shot each time I sat down to watch the latest installment. This third one is more entertaining than the others, but in terms of story, and characters, it’s unfortunately just more of the same. That’s not a good thing, because neither “Twilight” nor “New Moon” really kicked butt in terms of suspenseful, action-packed filmmaking.

I understand “Twilight” is all about drama and romance, but that’s where I believe the movies simply don’t work. The dialogue in “Eclipse” is still as cheesy and childish as in its predecessors, and I still found myself unable to connect to or feel for these cold characters. No matter how hard Edward, Jacob and Bella try to get me sold on their love drama, I simply don’t care. I really rather watch them fight.

“Eclipse” features a big battle scene in which good vampires and werewolves fight evil vamps, but it takes forever for this sequence to arrive, and before you know it, it’s over already. The whole rest of the film simply focuses on how Bella tries to deal with the two men who are in love with her. There’s a lot of making out and a lot of repeating the same old song, but that’s about it. Not too exciting… 

Luckily enough, the acting’s gotten better. Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart still look a little like they’re bored with their roles, but the ridiculous words they get to say on-camera at least sound a tad better than before. It’s hard to explain, but I guess what I’m saying is that the acting isn’t as terrible as it used to be. Billy Burke is still the best guy there, and even though she only has a short onscreen presence, Bryce Dallas Howard doesn’t disappoint either.

Anyway, I am already running out of things to say, so please feel free to share your thoughts about the movie below. This is just my personal opinion, so before you rant about how much of a vampire/werewolf hater I am, consider than not everybody is obligated to dig this stuff. In terms of filmmaking qualities, “Eclipse” looks and feels better. David Slade did a decent job directing, and he did pull off a decent atmosphere as well. But yeah, the script still sucks…

Freaky quote: "You wouldn't have to change for me Bella. I'm in love with you, and I want you to pick me instead of him." - Taylor Lautner, shirtless as usual

The final word: I can only hope things will get more interesting in the “Breaking Dawn” movies. Needless to say, it’s about time, right? On the other hand, it may be too late already. “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” may be the better of the three films, but then again, it could’ve been so much better. At least Taylor Lautner is still in great shape. I guess that’s incredibly important to a lot of “Twilight” fans. I may be wrong, but that’s my wild guess.

Article by Franck Tabouring