Reviews for you, from me..Eclipse.

Happy Weekend! And welcome to this week’s review. So, yes, the movie has been out for a few weeks now but I wouldn’t be Mez if I didn’t review at least one Twilight instalment! I hope you enjoy my review, don’t forget to visit me over at my Blog It’s Days like These, you can become a fan on FB to get the latest updates. I love hearing from the people.

The Twilight saga: Eclipse.

For us fans of the Twilight Saga, Eclipse wasn’t actually a long time coming. In fact upon Eclipse’s release it had only been 7 months since New Moon was released! Summit did back to back production for both films, with Eclipse scenes being shot concurrently with New Moon. With this in mind, the hype surrounding the movie wasn’t as full on as that of New Moon. This didn’t surprise me in the slightest. Why? Well, if you’ve read Eclipse you’ll probably agree with me, that the book always felt like a ‘filler’. Twilight, New Moon and Breaking Dawn all have such pivotal events in them whereas Eclipse kind of just bridges us from New Moon to Breaking Dawn. I think the Studio made the same assumptions about the film, which they really shouldn’t have. Because whilst the book does feel propped up by it’s before and after, the film stands proudly on its own. It succeeds in a way the book failed. To compactly, yet still perfectly deliver the story without the viewer feeling like they’re watching something that is meant to fill in the gaps.

In Eclipse, 30 Days of Night Director David Slade has given us a return to the blue hues of Twilight, a welcome reunion after the heart wrenching reds of New Moon’s Italy. The Pacific Northwest is brought back  to the screen in all its foggy, mossy glory. The most memorable visual of the film shows Edward standing on the edge of a pine tree covered cliff, the sun edging down, the snow covered mountains bearing down on him as he awaits Bella’s safe arrival. Overall, Eclipse is a much darker film than the first two, not only in the visuals but in soundtrack (which is once again exceptionally awesome) and dialogue. The heaviness of Bella’s upcoming choices weight the characters like never before and the impending danger from the direction of Seattle is beautifully brought to life on screen.  It’s obvious that both screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg and Slade had a copy of The short second life of Bree Tanner on their hands, so well woven her perception is into the frame of the movie. In fact, if you have not read the Novella, I suggest you do. It gives the Volturi’s presence much more purpose than Meyer originally led us to believe. Thankfully, unlike the book, the movie brings the newborn Fight scenes to life, much to the delight of my husband and the other males in the audience. Hey, Summit knew they had to appeal to a wider audience and Slade was the right director for this kind of action. The lead up to the actual face off left me nervous and on edge,  for one moment I forgot the story’s outcome, cringing as Riley and Victoria tightened their grip.  It’s clear that the cast had had various forms of fight preparation, removing the ‘forced’ strength aspect that accompanied the Twilight Ballet Studio scene.  The effects are better than ever, the vamp running and movement in general is fluid and smooth. And the wolves now look as real as I think they can be, their movement is far less rigid than in New Moon, with the fur in particular looking as real as the actors on screen.

What about the love triangle you ask? Well the film’s big three  are at the top of their game in Eclipse. Stewart in particular has now firmly settled into the role of Bella, with her interpretation of the character bringing more edge and self assurance to the character, than Meyer does in the books.  Rosenberg clearly gave film Bella much more grunt than Meyer did. And Stewart has successfully showcased this. This is particularly obvious during Bella’s coming of age speech in the Meadow,  which is sure to appease those who lament what they believe to be a weak and one dimensional female character. Robert Pattinson is delicious as usual as Edward. Despite my obvious favouritism he really is a very good actor, one who takes his craft seriously. His mannerisms and speech are perfection as Edward and it’s nice to see the character open up a little more for us.  Pattinson’s make up is executed much better in Eclipse than in New Moon, though this could be a lighting effect as well. Rather than the pasty Edward of Italy, he is restored to the smooth, glowing Edward of Twilight. In the meadow his skin appears almost golden, smooth as butter to the touch. It adds a warmth to the character that I missed in the second film.  Both actors are tighter than ever before as Edward and Bella, the twosome. Their connection in my opinion reflects their very obvious off screen coupling. It’s clear to the savvy viewer that for them it isn’t that much of stretch to portray one very intense couple.

And the third player? Oh Yeah him. Most people know that I am a die hard Team Edward Gal; however Lautner’s spot on portrayal of Jacob has softened my hatred somewhat. There’s no denying he’s got Jacob’s whining arrogance down pat. In all honesty, I felt he played Jacob very, very well. To me there never was a distinction between film Jacob and book Jacob, Lautner having nailed the role early on. Eclipse made me in some ways miss the sunny pre-wolf Jacob. His arrogance grates on my nerves, an obvious sign of Lautner’s successful portrayal.

And the supporting players? Well, the Cullen clan are as usual well dressed and ready to fight in this instalment. In fact, for fans of the ‘other’ Cullens, happiness ensues as we get more screen time with them than ever before. Jackson Rathbone is divine as Jasper, southern gentility mastered. Nikki Reed’s Rosalie grows more on me with each film. She certainly plays the ice queen well, appearing as frozen and cold as Meyer intended.  Both Jasper’s and Rosalie’s back stories are true to the book and well enacted, though I did feel Summit’s choice of Maria was a little off.  Kellen Lutz continues to impress as the loveable and goofy Emmett. I for one was delighted with the amount of screen time he received in Eclipse. His delivery of those one liners warms my very soul.  And of course, the Cullen parentals, Carlisle and Esme are played impeccably by Peter Facinelli and Elizabeth Reaser.  Reaser especially is perfect as the warm and empathetic Esme, her and Facinelli so well matched on screen it almost hurts to witness their flawless partnership. And what about Alice? As usual Ashley Greene is stunningly beautiful and equally as believable as the fairy like vampire. You can’t help but wish she was your best friend too. And might I add Greene and Rathbone would make some beautiful baby vampires!

Unlike in the other films I found Bella’s High School friends to be an almost after thought. There, but not there. Which, is frankly probably the right direction to head in as Bella’s world increasingly becomes that of the Cullens and less of her own. Unfortunately, Anna Kendrick as Jessica, rather than impressing me this time, grated on my nerves. The Graduation speech was not as epic as Bella would have you believe.

The bad Vamps Victoria and Riley are charmingly dangerous, their newborn army more animal than human. To me, the newborns appeared more Zombie than Vamp, their one desire to feed overriding any remaining humanity. Bryce Dallas Howard’s Victoria was much softer than her predecessor’s. She seemed gentler, though no less threatening to Bella. I must admit I did miss Rachelle Lefevre’s fiery red locks. Howard’s just didn’t live up to that red flame effect. Xavier Samuel as Riley Biers was a good choice. A bland puppet in Victoria’s game played to perfection, an Aussie too I might add!

The one supporting cast member that deserves the highest respect though,  is Sarah Clarke, who plays Bella’s Mum. She’s a solid actor and portrays Renee exactly as I imagined. The dialogue between Renee and Bella is gorgeous; I adore the interaction between them. The Florida scenes are touching; giving us a glimpse of what I feel was a pre-Edward Bella. A Bella that is more teenage, more connected to the ‘real’ world than we had yet seen.

And finally, most happily I should mention that all the scenes I loved from the book are delivered in the movie and delivered well. I must give props to the two scenes that made my little old heart skip a beat. The bedroom scene and the tent scene. When Edward hitched Bella’s leg up around his waist, well let’s just say I went to a happy place. (During the Midnight screening I even started a clapping wave when Bella finally said yes!) And the tent scene is hilarious, though I do NOT agree with Jacob’s statement that he is hotter than Edward, I did LOL greatly along with everyone else. Pattinson’s  uttering of “That’s an intriguing idea” to killing Jacob, made my skin tingle. Plenty of crooked smiles in that tent.

I’m going to be honest and say I found it hard to fault Eclipse. Slade promised to stay true to the book and to this he did. Unlike Twilight and New Moon which really focused only on a single element such as love or loss, Eclipse encapsulated many at once. It’s a much fuller film that I thought it would be and frankly it has left me breathless for Breaking Dawn.

So, fan or not, do yourself a favour and see the film. Oh and let me know when you go, cause you know, I’m always up for another viewing or 10.