The Twilight Saga:
Eclipse
Year: 2010
Director: David Slade
Starring: Taylor Lautner, Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart
Runtime: 123 mins
BBFC: 12
Published: 06/05/21
Director: David Slade
Starring: Taylor Lautner, Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart
Runtime: 123 mins
BBFC: 12
Published: 06/05/21
Although I knew what Twilight was, my first real exposure to the series was with 2010’s Eclipse, the third film in the series. I saw it at the cinema and although I had gone in expecting the worst, I left having actually enjoyed myself a little. I had spent so long listening to everybody tell me how awful the films were because glittery vampires and terrible dialogue, and whilst Eclipse certainly didn’t change that I found myself marginally pleased by the whole thing. So, when I started rewatching the series for these reviews I was kind of looking forward to Eclipse, a midpoint high in an otherwise droll saga. Thankfully, even all these years later, I wasn’t disappointed.
Riley Biers (Xavier Samuel) disappeared from Forks one year ago, but in that time he has been transformed into a newborn by Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard), under her influence he has been building a newborn army in Seattle to take on the Cullen family and kill Edward (Robert Pattinson).
Meanwhile Edward and Bella (Kristen Stewart) have agreed to transform Bella following her graduation in a few months. This will give her time to say goodbye to her family and friends, as well as ensure they do it fast enough to avoid her being tracked down by Victoria and the Volturi.
Jacob (Taylor Lautner) learns of the short time frame left for Bella until she becomes a vampire, and angered this reignites the feud between wolves and vampires. This causes Jacob and Edward to fight for Bella’s affections, while Bella must make her final decision as top whether she wants to leave her family and friends behind for good for a life with Edward.
Riley Biers (Xavier Samuel) disappeared from Forks one year ago, but in that time he has been transformed into a newborn by Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard), under her influence he has been building a newborn army in Seattle to take on the Cullen family and kill Edward (Robert Pattinson).
Meanwhile Edward and Bella (Kristen Stewart) have agreed to transform Bella following her graduation in a few months. This will give her time to say goodbye to her family and friends, as well as ensure they do it fast enough to avoid her being tracked down by Victoria and the Volturi.
Jacob (Taylor Lautner) learns of the short time frame left for Bella until she becomes a vampire, and angered this reignites the feud between wolves and vampires. This causes Jacob and Edward to fight for Bella’s affections, while Bella must make her final decision as top whether she wants to leave her family and friends behind for good for a life with Edward.
So, what do I like about Eclipse? I often get asked this question, and usually mostly by fans of the series who seem to disagree with me that it’s the best one. It stems from the fact that Eclipse is the only film to have genuine emotional conflict, as well as actual physical conflict that has believable stakes. The physical conflict is easy to outline, as there are regular and often somewhat brutal fight sequences in the film that Bella is at the centre of. It’s either between the wolves and the Cullen’s, or between the Cullen’s and Riley’s newborns, or involves all three factions. These fight sequences aren’t incredible, but they have actual physicality behind them now in comparison to the relatively pathetic offerings provided in the first film and New Moon. I’m also surprised they managed to get away with a 12 certificate from the BBFC as there are heads and limbs being ripped off all over the place, it is actually relatively graphic at times, but I guess it all stems from there being little to no blood shown.
The emotional conflict is not one of romantic love between Bella, Edward, and Jacob, but instead is one between Bella, her parents, and her friends. Bella often frames these emotional conversations as her leaving for college, and how she knows she’s going to miss seeing people. Despite the fact that they have no idea that she’s actually intending to end her life to live with a vampire clan, the responses provided, particularly from her mother (Sarah Clarke) and her father (Billy Burke), are extremely touching. In fact, they stand head and shoulders above almost any other scene in the series, they’re well written, well-acted from all parties involved, and do provide the necessary emotional clout. It’s proof that Twilight could have been significantly better than what audiences were provided with if the script has just been up to par.
The emotional conflict is not one of romantic love between Bella, Edward, and Jacob, but instead is one between Bella, her parents, and her friends. Bella often frames these emotional conversations as her leaving for college, and how she knows she’s going to miss seeing people. Despite the fact that they have no idea that she’s actually intending to end her life to live with a vampire clan, the responses provided, particularly from her mother (Sarah Clarke) and her father (Billy Burke), are extremely touching. In fact, they stand head and shoulders above almost any other scene in the series, they’re well written, well-acted from all parties involved, and do provide the necessary emotional clout. It’s proof that Twilight could have been significantly better than what audiences were provided with if the script has just been up to par.
But as always there are things to not like, so what are they? The whole Bella being conflicted storyline is contrived as all hell. She has no intention whatsoever of staying human, but acts as though she does for the sake of Edward, and even then, if she does stay human that will ultimately lead to her death anyway because either Victoria or the Volturi will hunt her down. Becoming a vampire is quite literally the only choice she has left right now, and all the Cullen’s act as though she has another choice when in reality it’s either get turned into a vampire by them, or actually die by being eaten by their enemies.
There’s also so much toxicity in how people view Bella, as though she is an object to be won. The two worst culprits are of course Edward and Jacob who both want to permanently own her in some way. Edward is emotionally manipulative whereas Jacob is a total fuckboy who will absolutely be a domestic abuser and justify it on his raging testosterone and wolf instincts. But even beyond this almost every character acts like they own Bella, the only exception being her friends who are only in the film for a couple of minutes at graduation. I’m not sure it’s as bad as it was in New Moon, but it’s still so wrong and why was this deemed ok for young girls to expose themselves to!?
Add to this the usual bad acting, awful dialogue, and mediocre special effects work and it definitely feels like a Twilight film.
Despite the fact that I’m absolutely getting some joy from talking about how bad these films are, it’s really a shame actually because the moments in Eclipse that are good are proof that the series could have actually been fairly competent has the script been written by someone who knew how to talk like a human being, and the acting not been so horrendously wooden for the most part. Seeing Eclipse attain those moments of success is fantastic and makes the film so much more enjoyable than any other film in the series, but it also casts a greater shadow over the other films and the moments where it does faulter because we know the creators are capable of something so much better.
There’s also so much toxicity in how people view Bella, as though she is an object to be won. The two worst culprits are of course Edward and Jacob who both want to permanently own her in some way. Edward is emotionally manipulative whereas Jacob is a total fuckboy who will absolutely be a domestic abuser and justify it on his raging testosterone and wolf instincts. But even beyond this almost every character acts like they own Bella, the only exception being her friends who are only in the film for a couple of minutes at graduation. I’m not sure it’s as bad as it was in New Moon, but it’s still so wrong and why was this deemed ok for young girls to expose themselves to!?
Add to this the usual bad acting, awful dialogue, and mediocre special effects work and it definitely feels like a Twilight film.
Despite the fact that I’m absolutely getting some joy from talking about how bad these films are, it’s really a shame actually because the moments in Eclipse that are good are proof that the series could have actually been fairly competent has the script been written by someone who knew how to talk like a human being, and the acting not been so horrendously wooden for the most part. Seeing Eclipse attain those moments of success is fantastic and makes the film so much more enjoyable than any other film in the series, but it also casts a greater shadow over the other films and the moments where it does faulter because we know the creators are capable of something so much better.