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What it's about:
Seattle is being ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a murderous vampire whose continuing quest for revenge inevitably puts Bella in danger once again. In the midst of impending doom, she finds herself in a love-triangle and is finally forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship (and unresolved feelings) for Jacob - knowing that doing so could ignite the age-old struggle between the vampires and the werewolves.
What we thought of it:
Love it or hate it, The Twilight Saga is without a doubt the biggest phenomenon to hit pop culture since Harry Potter. With the massive amount of support it has garnered from fans around the world, both Twilight and New Moon quickly exploded and became box office hits (the psychotic Twi-hards unfortunately seem to wield a large amount of power).
While it mattered little to them that the movies were actually poorly produced and poorly directed (sorry Twi-hards, but over-the-top effects can't mask poor acting, lame dialogue and bad script writing), the movies were never a hit with critics.
That said, I think Eclipse may change that.
Making use of a bigger budget, better effects, and a more assured director (David Slade, best known for two rather hardcore movies - Hard Candy and 30 Days of Night) Eclipse is, by far, the most cinematic of the series. The movie is far from perfect, but it does leave one with the feeling that someone actually read the book and caught the underlying tone and nuances that Stephanie Meyer conveys throughout her books.
The opening scene which introduces local small-town boy Riley being bitten by an unknown vampire in a dark and gloomy Seattle, sets the tone for a fast-paced, understated (read: non-hammy) movie filled with surprising twists and turns before the build-up to the action-packed climax.
Despite the generally morose, 'woe-is-me' tone of the Twilight Saga, Eclipse manages to be light-hearted with some much needed humour injected into the script.
The problem with the last two movies was that, for the most part, the script stuck too closely to the dialogue as it appeared in the novels, resulting in a stilted onscreen translation and phony performances from an otherwise good cast. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, we've always felt, were better than this.
Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg has long been blamed for sucking the life out of the story, so to speak. Thankfully, she's learned some hard lessons from her previous adaptations (and the fans' online wrath, no doubt) and has taken some liberties with her script. Maybe it's due to the influence of a new director, or the effect of spending so much time together, but Stewart and Pattinson are, for the first time, almost believable as madly-in-love couple Bella and Edward.
Their performances have certainly improved, but that curious lack of chemistry between them (considering that they're an off-screen couple too) has endured. They still have a long way to go before shaking off that eerie flatness in their scenes together. And, at this stage in the saga, Stewart's vapid attempts at emoting have become tiring and inexcusable. Bella Swan is not the most inspiring of literary creations, that's for sure.
The real stars of the show are Taylor Lautner (as werewolf Jacob), Jackson Rathbone as sullen vampire Jasper and newcomer Xavier Samuel as Riley. Considering that he is shirtless for most of the movie (yes ladies, your prayers have been heard) and delivers the best one-liners, Lautner is as captivating as he was in New Moon - even with his clothes on. He has an engaging expressiveness about him and seems far more at ease in front of the camera than his co-stars. Rathbone also surprises with a much better and more emotive performance. Samuel is certainly one to keep an eye on too, making an instant impression as bad-ass vampire Riley.
Another surprising factor was how the background characters came into play. We get to see the backdrop to both Jasper and Rosalie's histories with a couple of well-placed flashbacks that do not detract from the movie at all.
The action scenes, CG wolves and all round visual effects have noticeably improved and the climactic fight scene proved to be no let down. Minus the awful make-up, creepy contacts, lack of gore and the fact that most of the movie was spent building up to the action, Eclipse redeems itself with just a few well-placed tweaks. It's not as bad as you probably think it is.
Seattle is being ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a murderous vampire whose continuing quest for revenge inevitably puts Bella in danger once again. In the midst of impending doom, she finds herself in a love-triangle and is finally forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship (and unresolved feelings) for Jacob - knowing that doing so could ignite the age-old struggle between the vampires and the werewolves.
What we thought of it:
Love it or hate it, The Twilight Saga is without a doubt the biggest phenomenon to hit pop culture since Harry Potter. With the massive amount of support it has garnered from fans around the world, both Twilight and New Moon quickly exploded and became box office hits (the psychotic Twi-hards unfortunately seem to wield a large amount of power).
While it mattered little to them that the movies were actually poorly produced and poorly directed (sorry Twi-hards, but over-the-top effects can't mask poor acting, lame dialogue and bad script writing), the movies were never a hit with critics.
That said, I think Eclipse may change that.
Making use of a bigger budget, better effects, and a more assured director (David Slade, best known for two rather hardcore movies - Hard Candy and 30 Days of Night) Eclipse is, by far, the most cinematic of the series. The movie is far from perfect, but it does leave one with the feeling that someone actually read the book and caught the underlying tone and nuances that Stephanie Meyer conveys throughout her books.
The opening scene which introduces local small-town boy Riley being bitten by an unknown vampire in a dark and gloomy Seattle, sets the tone for a fast-paced, understated (read: non-hammy) movie filled with surprising twists and turns before the build-up to the action-packed climax.
Despite the generally morose, 'woe-is-me' tone of the Twilight Saga, Eclipse manages to be light-hearted with some much needed humour injected into the script.
The problem with the last two movies was that, for the most part, the script stuck too closely to the dialogue as it appeared in the novels, resulting in a stilted onscreen translation and phony performances from an otherwise good cast. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, we've always felt, were better than this.
Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg has long been blamed for sucking the life out of the story, so to speak. Thankfully, she's learned some hard lessons from her previous adaptations (and the fans' online wrath, no doubt) and has taken some liberties with her script. Maybe it's due to the influence of a new director, or the effect of spending so much time together, but Stewart and Pattinson are, for the first time, almost believable as madly-in-love couple Bella and Edward.
Their performances have certainly improved, but that curious lack of chemistry between them (considering that they're an off-screen couple too) has endured. They still have a long way to go before shaking off that eerie flatness in their scenes together. And, at this stage in the saga, Stewart's vapid attempts at emoting have become tiring and inexcusable. Bella Swan is not the most inspiring of literary creations, that's for sure.
The real stars of the show are Taylor Lautner (as werewolf Jacob), Jackson Rathbone as sullen vampire Jasper and newcomer Xavier Samuel as Riley. Considering that he is shirtless for most of the movie (yes ladies, your prayers have been heard) and delivers the best one-liners, Lautner is as captivating as he was in New Moon - even with his clothes on. He has an engaging expressiveness about him and seems far more at ease in front of the camera than his co-stars. Rathbone also surprises with a much better and more emotive performance. Samuel is certainly one to keep an eye on too, making an instant impression as bad-ass vampire Riley.
Another surprising factor was how the background characters came into play. We get to see the backdrop to both Jasper and Rosalie's histories with a couple of well-placed flashbacks that do not detract from the movie at all.
The action scenes, CG wolves and all round visual effects have noticeably improved and the climactic fight scene proved to be no let down. Minus the awful make-up, creepy contacts, lack of gore and the fact that most of the movie was spent building up to the action, Eclipse redeems itself with just a few well-placed tweaks. It's not as bad as you probably think it is.
