The first official trailer for this summer’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse debuted today (and is embedded at the end of this article), which means one thing: June 30 can’t come fast enough. After careful deliberation (read: re-watching the trailer over and over again), we’re more curious than ever to see genre director David Slade’s take on the teen vamp franchise. Here’s why you should be, too.
Fans were spoiled with a bounty of sneak peeks at both Twilight and last year’s New Moon, but since Summit’s playing this one close to the chest we haven’t seen much of the David Slade-directed third film, Eclipse. Until now. What kind of new vision did Eclipse director Slade (Hard Candy, 30 Days of Night) bring to the franchise? Has he fixed any of the awkward elements of the first two films, i.e. vampire make-up and special effects? And what tone has he chosen for the third and arguably most exciting chapter in the Twilight Saga, a story filled with romantic entanglements, big choices for Bella, and the looming threat of not only Victoria, but the Volturi as well? All of those questions and more get answered below as we highlight the best parts of the first Eclipse trailer.
David Slade’s Naturalistic Cinematography
It’s been clear through Slade’s on-set Tweets that the man has an eye for gorgeous photography; that sensibility is evident in the way he’s chosen to film Eclipse, with naturalistic cinematography unlike both Catherine Hardwicke’s lo-fi Twilight and Chris Weitz’s crisp and polished New Moon. The landscapes we see in the trailer, all mountains and sparkling rivers and muted light peeking through the clouds, emphasize the setting of Eclipse’s big showdown (without a single glimpse of Victoria’s new hunting ground, Seattle) with location filming that looks fantastically authentic.
First Look at the New Victoria in Action
No matter how you feel about Rachelle Lefevre’s departure from the Twilight franchise, you’re just going to have to get used to Bryce Dallas Howard’s new Victoria. So it’s a good thing that the trailer introduces her in a big way, by leaping across a river in one impressive effects shot. More importantly, it also shows how Slade’s vampire action might solve the weightlessness problem of Twilight’s wire work while feeling more realistic (i.e. not too CG heavy) than that in New Moon. (Then again, we don’t know how his fight action will look just yet.)
No Mention of Vampires
Okay, we all know Eclipse is a Twilight film, and therefore about vampires. And unless you’ve been under a rock for the first two films or have never read the books, or have never spoken to a single person who has, you may not know that heroine Bella Swan has a vampire for a boyfriend and therefore a BIG CHOICE to make in Eclipse. But the trailer avoids any specific mention of the word “vampire,” leaving us to focus instead on the swirling interpersonal dramarama building between characters: longing, hesitation, doubt, revenge, and good old-fashioned lurve – step one to making Eclipse more accessible to more than its core fan base, if such a thing is possible.
The Volturi Come to Forks
Hardcore Twilighters know that Jane (Dakota Fanning) and Co. only briefly show up in Eclipse, but their appearance in the trailer emphasizes the Volturi as a constant threat throughout the film. We may not actually see them until the end, but it’s nice to know there’ll be more of Dakota’s sinister Jane, who is incidentally rocking some new blue eye makeup.
Jacob Black is All Grown Up
Finally, little Jacob Black looks like he could actually give Edward Cullen some competition for Bella’s heart!
Quotes from the Book are Worked in Naturally
In this 90-second trailer alone we get a handful of familiar quotes from the book, which should delight those who know Eclipse by heart. Thankfully, lines like “I’ll be there when your heart stops beating” sound a LOT more natural than lines about lions falling in love with lambs.
The Proposal Scene!
When we spoke with screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg, she told us to watch for Eclipse’s proposal scene… and we get (part of) it right here in the trailer! (“Isabella Swan, I promise to love you every day of forever.”) Squee away.
Bella’s Mom is Back
After all of the time we’ve spent in dreary, rainy Forks, it’s nice to see Bella basking in the glow of the sun again – and hugging her mom Renee (Sarah Clarke), who we haven’t seen since Twilight!
Edward Cullen Almost Looks Like a Real Boy! (Almost.)
Real talk: the vampire make-up in Twilight bordered on theatrical. Though Chris Weitz toned it down in New Moon, it’s never looked as subtle as it does here in Eclipse, where Edward looks only slightly otherworldly and Victoria just looks like a girl who’s never been out in the sun. We’ll reserve judgment until we see more of the vampires in the full film (and see how Slade handles sparkling, if at all), but if the trailer’s any indication, Eclipse could give us the most realistic looking Twilight vampires yet.
More Shirtless Jacob Posing, If You Like That Sort of Thing
Of course, there’s the obligatory shot of a shirtless Jacob, standing tall in the mountains as his bare chest glows in the sunlight. And he’s upgraded to khakis.
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