Twilight Saga: Eclipse Movie Review

There are few books that, when made into movies, meet the expectations that readers of the book held. And what’s worse, as more movies are made, they slaughter their legacies even more. The Twilight Saga, which just wrapped up the grand release of its third film adaptation, Eclipse, is the exception to that rule.

Eclipse, specifically, is QUITE the exception. While dedicated readers of the series felt that the first movie, Twilight, did its novel counterpart little justice, it still creating an enthusiastic following (the hot, young, and intriguing cast had something to do with it I think). However, the movies are getting BETTER, not worse as the way of many franchises.

Eclipse was my least favorite of the four books. It wasn’t the longest book in the series (Breaking Dawn gets that honor) but at times it often felt like it. Scenes were long and drawn out, making the book difficult to get through at times (though I still managed to finish reading it in 4 days, twice as long as it took me to get through the other books!)

Eclipse the movie, however, is standing strong as my favorite movie of the series so far. David Slade managed to turn the book into a thrilling, visually stimulating, and at times really funny movie. At no point was I questioning his choices, and the changes that he made from the book were for the better. Scenes that were described second hand in the book got a much needed visual counterpart, and long scenes were cut and made necessary and to the point. And while I am on Team Jacob all the way, this movie makes you question your alliances. New Moon was my favorite of the books, but I found myself a little disappointed that they managed to turn my favorite character into a ball of mush in that movie. Slade and his team managed to resurrect snarky, pig-headed Jacob and pit him up against a witty, often-funny Edward. The banter between these two characters is classic in this movie, and you find yourself switching teams several times throughout.

I also love the way that all the characters got some decent screen time. Bella’s friends and the rest of the Cullen clan have gotten left in the shadows with nothing than a few measly lines in the past, but we really got to see the rest of the cast (except for poor Elizabeth Reaser, who plays Esmee. She still has a fairly minor role) this time around. The back-stories of Jasper and Rosalie were great, and I could have not been happier with the casting of the Clearwater siblings.

The wolf CGI was exceptionally better than New Moon, and the acting has also significantly improved. Kristen Stewart, who has the best job on the planet, manages to get prettier with every movie. Taylor Lautner successfully added another row of abs to his stomach (he is “hotter” than Edward, after all!), and Robert Pattinson was truly captivating this time. I have found his portrayal of Edward kind of stale in the past, so it must have been all those movies he’s doing in between Twilights that are sharpening his acting chops. But what really got me about Eclipse was when it was over, I realized that they haven’t even begun filming Breaking Dawn yet, which is being split Harry Potter-style into two films. This means at least another two years of my life will be dedicated to the anticipation of the next films, and I am 100% ok with that.

I’m purposely leaving out the juice details (and there were LOTS!) so that you will go see the movie for yourself. Even guys will be able to appreciate the action this movie has to offer, so reluctant boyfriends and husbands shouldn’t fret about having to sit through a 2-hour teenage smoochfest. Eclipse meet and exceeded all my expectations, and as the movies age and improve, I’m looking forward more than ever to see how they pull off the complexities that Breaking Dawn will present filmmakers and the cast.

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