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The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

  MPAA Rating: PG-13
Current Showtimes: No showtimes available

All right, so I’m just going to go ahead, stomach the assumed groans, and get right to the point: for someone who was more than ready to give up on this entire series, I didn’t hate The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, the newest novel-turned-film in Stephenie Meyers’s teen vampire series, like I had originally planned to. In fact, I may even agree that it’s the best film the franchise has released thus far, not that it’ll attract any new fans apart from Twihards and those of us with sick and inexcusable guilty pleasures that even we can’t explain; for when I use the word “best,” I use it very lightly. At this point, nothing can quite salvage these attempts at literature and decent cinema. But hey, the way I see it, I’m more than halfway through this; whether I want to or not, there’s no turning back.

For fans of the original novels, be they die hard or closet, this film is a tasty treat that leaves us longing for the series finale, scheduled to be released in two parts beginning in November 2011. Eclipse never strays too far from Meyers’s original storyline. In this film, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is, more than ever, desperate for the vampire love of her life Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) to change her into one of his kind forever. Bella knows Edward has every intention of fulfilling her wish, but only if she complies with his one condition: marriage. 18-year-old Bella’s in no hurry to agree to that, especially when she discovers that her best friend, and werewolf, Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) is also in love with her, and that she just might love him back too. And so, Bella is faced with a choice: Does she spend the rest of her life with Jacob, who can protect her and give her the fulfilling and human life that Edward can’t, or does she give up her entire life, everyone in it included, in exchange for forever with Edward?

As if that wouldn’t cause a girl enough stress, Bella is still being hunted by Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard) who has now created an army of newborn vampires in her quest for revenge after the death of her lover, James. As a result, the Cullens are forced to make nice and ally themselves with the pack of werewolves, their natural enemies, in order to defend themselves, and, of course, protect Bella.

Following in the footsteps of its predecessors, the newest Twilight Saga installment boasts a new director. This time around, David Slade is at the helm, and after having directed films including 30 Days of Night and 2005’s thriller Hard Candy, he has some prior experience delving into darker subject matter, a touch of which he didn’t fail to add to Eclipse. Slade’s approach to the film was something I could definitely appreciate. There was an edginess to the film that escaped Twilight and New Moon, and a darker, more violent atmosphere that added a quiet level of maturity to the depiction of Bella’s internal struggle, and even made the fantasy-action and romance more tolerable. As much as I hate to admit it, Eclipse was the Twilight novel that appealed to me the most, and to see its film realization from Slade’s point of view was quite satisfying.

But unfortunately, neither story nor Slade’s attempt can mask the thrill-less CGI, which continues to remain dull and unimpressive, or the cringe-worthy dialogue written by returning screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg, who I hate to blame entirely considering she doesn’t have much to work with anyway. What is meant to be a movie filled with unrivaled passion, once again falls flat and still leaves us laughing at inappropriate moments. And, again, while it stays faithful to Meyers’s plot, the film rushes some of the book’s most pivotal moments, understandable within the allotted two hours, but whose execution could’ve been approached with more class. What really kills me though is that despite the fact that this is their third time around, the stars still refuse to acknowledge that their acting sucks. Bad. I mean, at least this time around my desire to punch Stewart and Pattinson was at its minimum, and I’ve finally accepted that Lautner is at his best when he’s shirtless and not speaking, so I guess the lesson to be learned is that when you grow to expect nothing, you really lose nothing. Well, that and that The Deathly Hallows trailer preceding it all makes it totally worth it.