Movie Review: “Twilight Saga Eclipse”

Though opening weekend isn’t over, the latest movie in the “Twilight” saga, “Eclipse”, is already breaking records. Eclipse pulled in an estimated $30 million from just its midnight opening and is expected to make more than its predecessor “New Moon” did. But regardless of this feat, is it a movie worth writing home about? Honestly, the answer is a simple no.

The biggest problem with Eclipse lies in its story. With the Harry Potter series, though the main evil villain remained the same, the story was always ever-changing (complex, if you will) and they even threw in a new bad character in each one. It’s the third movie in the Twilight series, yet the question of whom Bella will pick still remains. Edward still doesn’t like Jacob, Jacob is still trying to convince Bella he’s the right one for him, and Bella is still annoyingly biting her lip.

In this third installment, evil vampire Victoria is assembling an army of newbie vampires to seek revenge on Bella and the Cullens for killing her boyfriend. Naturally, Jacob and Edward both put aside their differences for a short amount of time to protect Bella. Unfortunately, the fight lasts only about ten minutes and the other hour and fifty minutes are spent on bickering and conversation between Jacob, Edward, and Bella; the same conversation that has been had for the last two movies. I waited longingly for fight scene to come and even that was a sort of disappointment. I’m over the fact that vampires ridiculously glow when they are in the sunlight (something I am glad they cut down on), but why, when they are torn apart by a wolf or another vampire, do they have ice as insides? Yes, they make an emphasis on vampires being cold but they also make note that the werewolves are hot; I still wouldn’t expect a their insides to be fire if they are suddenly pulled apart. This may be author Stephenie Meyer’s fault but even a student filmmaker like myself can acknowledge when something is ridiculous and remove it.

I would love to say that Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner have grown as actors but I would be lying. That’s not to say that their acting is bad, but there is nothing to challenge them. The material isn’t deep, not much emotion needs to be shown except the usual glaring, snarling, and the “I love you” look. The closest any of them come to showing any other emotion is a scene in a tent on top of a mountain during a blizzard. As Jacob is keeping Bella warm, you know, because he’s hot-blooded and all, he and Edward have a…heart to heart, if you can call it that. The scene starts off okay but eventually reaches a point where you start to think one of them will say “screw Bella” and proceed to have their own “Brokeback Mountain” moment. Despite the three main characters not growing much, time and meaningful dialogue was allotted to characters like Jasper and Rosalie and the audience learns their back story, which the film pulls off nicely.

The special effects, for the most part, are also nicely done. Though the mountain ranges look at bit flat, the battle at the end makes up for it. The choreography mixed with the effects make for an epic and pretty rough-looking battle. Nevertheless, there is a problem with this climatic scene. How does a werewolf that is almost as tall as a horse lunge and grab a vampire, sinking its teeth, only grab a piece of their shirt? Or better yet, how can they fall on top of one and not make a mark? Actually, disregard those questions and answer this: how, oh how, can a werewolf be nearly squeezed to death and have their bones broken on one side of their body from a measly vampire? It seems that the filmmakers forgot to add some weight and actual power to the creatures.