“It All Begins… With A Choice”, reads the official promotional poster for ‘The Twilight Saga: Eclipse’, the story of an average teenage girl trapped between two abnormal guys, one a vampire and the other a werewolf.
SYNOPSIS & DEVELOPMENT
In the third installment of Stephenie Meyer’s wildly popular novels, ‘The Twilight Saga: Eclipse’ picks up just where ‘New Moon’ left you hanging with vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) asking Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) for her hand in marriage.
Despite knowing in her heart that Edward is undoubtedly her soul mate, Bella initially rejects his offer, maybe because she simply fears the institution of marriage, but more so because she has yet to decipher her feelings for Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) that were never fully explored in its predecessor.
Jacob, with full knowledge that Edward has the upper hand, refuses to throw in the towel and fights for the ordinary girl that has won his heart by offering her things that her vampire suitor simply can’t, like warmth.
Once the characters are reintroduced and the love triangle starts to intensify, the main plot begins to form with a string of killings taken place in Seattle, which alerts the Cullens that someone is creating an army of newborns – vampires that have just been change and are more deadly than older vampires.
The new army is led by Riley (Xavier Samuel), but the red-headed Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard), is the culprit backing the newcomer, who has been created to destroy Bella in an attempt to avenge the death of James.
Once again, finding herself at the center of danger, the Cullens and the wolf pack come to an agreement to work together to protect Bella from what seems to be written in the cards, which makes for some very interesting and surprising moments of vulnerability and understanding between the two.
In the pivotal tent scene, Edward puts aside his dislike for Jacob and lets him provide her with the warmth that she is in desperate need of at the moment. As Bella lies half-sleep, half-listening, her suitors finally have a genuine conversation.
Edward realizes that perhaps Jacob is the best fit for Bella, but he also admits that it’s a choice that she won’t make, given by this time she has secretly already agreed to be his wife and he has agreed to give her immortality.
The script, which was penned by Melissa Rosenberg, also provides some nice backdrops to the dislike Rosalie (Nikki Reed) has for Bella and why Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) knows so much about newborn vampires.
Jacob finally learns about Bella’s impending marriage through the manipulation of Edward and he is outrage at the thought, so opts to go join the fight until Bella offers him a reason to stay by shouting “kiss me” and in a moment that is sure to make Team Jacob fans happy, he does.
Sadly for those fans, the kiss only reaffirms to Bella that Edward owns her heart.
PERFORMANCES
The acting, despite an improvement in ‘New Moon’, is hit or miss for the leads.
Kristen Stewart poignantly portrays Bella with the same edge and awkwardness that she struggles through in all four books. She is both assuring and doubtful of her love for Edward, exactly when she needs to be.
Robert Pattinson, who allures as Edward Cullen, is equivalent by unleashing the fury and regret he feels about leaving Bella during ‘New Moon’. You feel his heart and love for her, and more importantly, you realize that although she has forgiven him for his disappearance, he has yet to forgive himself.
However, Taylor Lautner and his mind-blowing frame often struggle to keep his lines from coming across compulsory, which may have as much to do with the script as it does with his questionable talent as an actor.
Another notable performance includes Billy Burke, who steals nearly every scene he is in with his wit and humor, as Charlie Swan.
DIRECTION & VISUAL
Director David Slade adds one commendable element to the film through the upgraded action scenes. The wolves still look completely unreal, but there’s only so much that CGI can do, so we can cut him a break on that front.
That said, the biggest glitch is the overall flow of the scenes, which at times seem placed together without any element or use of a transition component to make it feel natural as oppose to a sharp turning point.
FINAL VERDICT
‘Eclipse’ stands as the strongest and most captivating entry throughout the four books, thanks to the heightened love triangle and the surfacing of a stronger plot.
Fortunately, although ‘New Moon’ still stands as the truest on-screen carnation of the books, this once again transfers from the page onto the screen, and whether ‘Team Edward’ or ‘Team Jacob’, the third film finds an accurate balance.
3½ OUT OF 5
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