Eclipse is the third movie in The Twilight Saga and this franchise is starting to get better. It only took three movies to get there. Personally, I am not a big fan of these movies. This is the first Twilight movie I have even seen in theatres. I have not read the books, but as far as the movies go, they do not impress me that much. The acting is okay but borderline corny at times and the stories are not that fascinating.
However, Eclipse improves on all of these things I have just mentioned. Bella (Kristen Stewart) is in trouble again and there are some new-blood vampires forming an army to kill her while Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard) has come back for revenge. If that was not stressful enough, she must choose between Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Jacob (Taylor Lautner), and no matter who she chooses, it could end poorly.
Eclipse is directed by David Slade (Hard Candy, 30 Days of Night) and this is not his first time dealing with vampires in movies. But he changes the mood and tone of this Twilight movie in a way that you start to believe in these characters and what they are trying to do. This is a darker movie but still has action and romance. It’s really about this love triangle and that is the focus. It is more about the characters than the mess that is going on around them.
Stewart is a good actress. Earlier this year, she was fantastic as Joan Jett in The Runaways. And she really tries in this movie. Her and Pattinson know their characters better and know each other better, and their chemistry becomes more believable. They are comfortable with each other and it shows. Lautner is better in this but his performance still involves always being mad and never having a shirt on. He always has to squint his eyes and show how angry he can get. It feels forced, but I guess when werewolves and vampires hate each other that much, you are not allowed to smile.
Overall, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is better than the first two. Again, the first two were not that good but at least the story and the characters are evolving into something that is more believable and watchable. This franchise has its dedicated fans and will always make money no matter what the story is or how it’s told. But director Slade made a big difference in this movie because he lets the characters carry the story and everything else comes second.
Eclipse has some good action sequences, but there is a lot of talking and most of the conversations are between or about Bella, Edward, and Jacob. But that is where the heart of the movie is and that is what everyone wants to see. Breaking Dawn could very well be a great finale, and Eclipse is a sign of hope.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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