"Bella, would you please stop trying to take your clothes off?"
Don't you hate it when films never live up to the books? I do. Despite the fact I read through the Twilight saga in two weeks after receiving Stephenie Meyer's wondrous but overly advertised work, I still found Eclipse to be the worst film yet. I think this is because I wanted more, this film did not live up to my expectations, I could see the changes, it was like Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince all over again, too much emphasis on the sexual tension.
If anything, I should not be complaining about the way this was portrayed in Eclipse, as it matches the book perfectly as Jacob strives so desperately to win Bella over. However, what I didn't like about this film is the way the competition between Edward and Jacob as two appealing men in the real world has been dragged in the film. It stunned me when Taylor Lautner turned to Robert Pattinson and stated "I am hotter than you". It triggered a few giggles from the audience, but personally all my face could express was "Oh no, he just didn't..."
This third chapter has not lost the longing stares, but it has ditched the hesitation and frustration between Bella and Edward, although this is not necessarily for the best, as it made me feel almost embarrassed to be watching such an intimate scene with the camera practically touching their noses. One thing I will agree on with director David Slade is that you can sense that these actors are genuinely showing their love for each other, probably because of their relationship in real life. As he said in Look magazine last week, let's hope they stay together, otherwise we'll probably end up back in that science lab with awkward glances. There are plenty of serious conversations, and at times it can feel a bit elongated, other times you may feel like you want to give Bella a good kick, depending what 'team' you're on of course.
The detail from the books on particular vampire's pasts was pleasing; reflected in flashbacks the stories of Jasper and Rosalie were shown superbly, and it meant that you could connect with these two characters more than before. There were also some new characters, such as Victoria's puppet Riley (Xavier Samuel) who could quite possibly give Pattinson and Lautner a bit of a challenge when it comes to screaming teenage girls. We also get to see Leah Clearwater (Julia Jones) and Embry and Quil.
For what limited action there was in the film, it was illustrated brilliantly. We are treated with more visuals of the wolves in action, even mutating from human to wolf, as well as the first scenes of vampires being destroyed. One thing is for sure, if you like your blood, gore and vampires burning in the sunlight, you will hate how the vampires die in Eclipse. Similar to the previous two Twilight films, it does feel as though we are building up to a climax, like a balloon holding all the action waiting to pop. The introduction of new vampires is possibly the only reason this film was worth the watch, and the way wolves and vampires come together to protect Bella.
I have read in August's Empire that the last instalment will be filmed in two parts and personally I don't think there is enough to keep audience's gripped to two films worth of narrative. Unlike the last Harry Potter, where there is a lot to take in, if Breaking Dawn consists of two films with Bella going through pregnancy I dread to think what merchandise they will produce next. All I can conclude is that if you've seen the previous two, you might as well watch Eclipse, and if you're a Twihard fan then I probably can't hold you back.
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