As a male film writer in his late thirties, I'm not exactly what you'd call this film franchise's target demographic.
All the same, credit must be given when a movie can stand alone as a worthwhile, action-packed film which allows all characters to at least contribute to the plot without having to sit one out due to onscreen overcrowding.
Twilight Saga: Eclipse acts in such a way, a sort of payoff to legions of fans who've followed the adventures of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart, The Runaways) and her undead vampire beau Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson, Twilight) as they struggle to stay together, despite threats by the elite Volturi as well as renegade vampire locals who don't exactly follow the same rules as the Cullen clan.
What to Expect in Twilight Saga: Eclipse
(Note: If by some fluke you're reading this review without having seen the first two films, you're likely to see some spoilers. -- DM)
The movie begins in rainy Seattle, where a young man named Riley (Xavier Samuel) gets attacked by Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard, previously played by Rachelle Lefebvre), and is turned into a newborn vampire.
Such a random act wouldn't normally seem out of the ordinary, save for one small factoid: Riley is from Forks, the same town where Bella, Jacob and the Cullens have lived for years. Victoria is still holding a serious grudge against Bella and her friends, for killing off Laurent (Edi Gathegi) in the second film.
And so, she turns Riley so he in turn can raise an army of newborn vampires, so they may take on the werewolves and vampires of the Forks region once and for all. This poses a considerable threat in that newborn vampires are at their strongest and fiercest in the first few months of their undead existence.
Meanwhile, the Edward-Bella-Jacob love triangle has issues of its own: Bella has to marry Edward and be turned into a vampire by a certain date, as per the Volturi ultimatum given at the end of New Moon. Fair enough, Bella is willing to turn once she graduates; Jacob, however, is opposed to the idea. Once she becomes undead, he and she would become natural enemies.
Jacob lets out the feelings he has for his friend, explaining he has yet to "imprint" (think of it as mating for life in wolf terms) and had hoped she'd be the one. Edward, all gloom and perfect coif, won't have this. Tensions rise, tempers flare. Shirts come off. Sparkling abounds. You get the idea.
With the incoming army of newborns headed straight for them and the Cullen/Quileute Clan truce on the line, will our favorite heroes survive the ordeal unscathed, as the Volturi watch on in silent judgment?
(Answer: Well, probably, because the two-parter Breaking Dawn is on the way. Still, wow, what a ride.)
Eclipse as a More Balanced Film Than Twilight and New Moon
It goes without saying that any first film in a planned series or franchise will usually suffer what could be called "prequel-itis", in other words an urgent need to offer a huge amount of exposition to the audience, if only to explain exactly what kind of world the characters live in. This often results in a weaker story, due to less time being spent on actual plot progression (see Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace as a prime example) than utilizing the running time as a living Wiki.
Catherine Hardwicke's take on the first film, Twilight, arbitrarily had to spend some time establishing its locale (Forks), its major players (Edward, Victoria, James, the Cullens and also Jacob, to a lesser extent.) as well as the importance of something otherwordly happening in the rural Western America countryside.
New Moon allowed viewers to witness changes to said characters, such as Jacob's evolution into a shapeshifting wolf; the Volturi were introduced. The rules were changing, and stakes were getting ever higher.
Eclipse is where the tale picks up in pace and intensity, with less talking and more fighting. This comes as a much needed relief for many male viewers led into the first two films with their doe-eyed companions seeking their Team Edward fix.
As such a viewer (and film critic) I approached this third installment with much apprehension. Imagine my surprise when, having never read any of the books, I found myself taken in by detailed answers revealed in flashbacks: why is there animosity between wolves and vampires? Why are some vampires yellow-eyed while others' are blood red? What would happen to Bella once/if she'd become a vampire?
Director David Slade takes a practical approach by involving the majority of his cast, giving them equal screen time and allowing secondary characters to flesh out their own back stories. We know most of the Cullen children are only so in name, as Carlyle took them in and turned them into benevolent vampires. All the same, it's refreshing to see characters like Emmett, Jasper, Alice and Rosalie come out of their one-line-per-film shell, and partake of the onscreen action.
So, if there's anything to learn from Eclipse, it's that you don't necessarily need half your cast clad in tight PVC, fighting it out with guns and swords on the rooftops of some European capital (à la Underworld); sometimes, it's just as much fun seeing your favorite characters duking it out in a melee of claws, fangs and more claws.
Hits and Misses on the Eclipse Bluray Extras
Please note that as interesting as hearing a feature-length audio commentary by the movie's leads might sound, it doesn't always hold true. Originally conceived as a means for an audience to share the creative experience with the director (sort of an inside track on some relevant background trivia), many of these turn out to be a banal experience, often out of contractual obligation.
Such is the case here. Though you'd think Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart would have the most to say as the central figures in this franchise, they never really offer anything of value to the fans. Moreover, Stewart even shoots down the film at times, calling it stupid. You can be sure it's a good thing that movie companies now offer "the opinions are that of the talent and do not reflect the views of the studio" disclaimers before each home video release.
Instead, invest your time watching the six-part "making-of" segment, as it contains some interesting insights as to the progression of the franchise thus far, and what to expect character-wise in the two part finale, out in 2011 and 2012.
The Final Word on Twilight Saga Eclipse
If films like those of the Twilight are any indication, it's that some franchises only get better by each subsequent installment. Given that Eclipse was a better, well-rounded product, I can only imagine how the two-part finale will turn out. In the meantime, help yourself to a few viewings of this one, to tide you over.
Eclipse Bluray: 4 out of 5
Dominic Messier - Dominic Messier is a Toronto-based Film & TV writer, Sci-Fi TV and Film Dramas Topic Editor, and creator of PopCultureLandscape.com
