Director: David Slade (Hard Candy, 30 Days of Night)
Screenplay: Melissa Rosenberg, Stephenie Meyer (novel)
Producers: Wyck Godfrey, Greg Mooradian, Karen Rosenfelt
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Kellan Lutz, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Bryce Dallas Howard, Billy Burke, Charlie Bewley, Xavier Samuel, Daniel Cudmore, Christopher Heyerdahl, Dakota Fanning, Cameron Bright, Noot Seer, Michael Sheen, Graham Greene, Tinsel Korey
MPAA Rating: PG13
Running time: 124 min.

(3.5/5)

Let’s speak frankly, shall we? The Twilight franchise is not now, nor will it ever be, the all encompassing beast that is Harry Potter. Regardless of how much money the studio throws into the marketing machine, it’s wasted time, effort and dollars because as proven by the previous two films and now with the third instalment The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, they’re never going to win everyone over. The reasons why are too many to argue (and mediocre films are only one of them) and quite frankly, they don’t matter. Author Stephenie Meyer’s stories were never going to appeal to everyone, the key demographic has always been the hopeless romantic (and even some of those take issue with the story) and the films based on those stories clearly haven’t won over a large chunk of the population so why bother trying? The fan base is large enough, and ever growing, that the nay sayers are drowned out, even if they yell as loud or louder than the supporters.

As clear from my thoughts on the previous two films, I am a fan and as one, I came to love these characters long before there ever was a Twilight (review) film and the movies have been a sort of icing on the cake. Some bits of the icing have been sweeter than others but Eclipse is, for this fan at least, the sweetest. By this point in the story, Bella is back with Edward and happier than she’s ever been but Victoria, the rogue vampire who has been responsible for much, though not all, of Bella’s heartache, has a new plan of attack. She’s building an army and brining them to Forks in an effort to wipe out Bella in retribution for the loss of her own mate but to do so, she first needs to dispatch the pesky Cullens who have adopted Bella as one of their own.

In the foreground, we have Bella fighting her own battle; a much more personal one which pits her between two men she loves. On the one hand we have the sparkly, brooding Edward and on the other the also brooding, constantly shirtless Jacob. Early on in the film, Bella quotes Robert Frost’s “Fire and Ice” and it’s a fitting, if obvious, parallel. Yes, “To say that for destruction ice, Is also great, And would suffice” pretty much sums things up. Edward means destruction of a sort but for Bella, he also offers a sort of salvation.

Eclipse is a great improvement on the previous two films. Though there’s quite a bit of magic in Twilight, David Slade’s film is the most ambitious. Slade and cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe (returning to the franchise for the second time) capture the story with style and a sense of understanding of the overall story that was lacking in New Moon (review). It’s a dynamic film with gorgeous visuals and a colour pallet that ranges from blinding white to rich warm hues and the many (many) close-ups do a great deal to elevate the intimacy of the story.

This time around, there’s also a familiarity and comfort with the story which comes through in both the script and the performances. There’s no prancing through the forest in ridiculous outfits or cringing runs up the side of the mountain and though some of the dialogue still elicits giggles, they’re part of the charm of this franchise which has always been a bit too sweet. Here there’s a great deal of good looking action, vampires that move fast but don’t look ridiculous in the process and humour. Lots of humour. Also on the rise, are intimate moments, something which was almost completely lacking from New Moon; writer Melissa Rosenberg seemed intent on cramming as many make out sessions as she could into this instalment something which I and the other fans appreciate (this gauging from the crowd reaction during the screening).

The performances aren’t much better this time around with brooding being a popular approach by both of Bella’s romantic interests but Robert Pattinson has it down to a sort of art while Taylor Lautner just makes it look like he’s squinting. Can’t knock the kid too much, he was pretty good in New Moon but here, he’s flat as a board or more accurately, as his abs so frequently on display show, a washboard. The biggest improvement here is Kristen Stewart who finally gets the opportunity to use some of her acting abilities as her character moves beyond scared, conflicted heroine into one we can cheer for. Mostly gone are the shaking and lip biting replaced instead with a Bella who is much more sure of herself and her place in this world, a point which is reiterated by her monologue near the end of the film. The one consistently great performer of the franchise is Billy Burke as Bella’s father and here he returns with his brand of fatherly cool; I really wish he had more screen time and yes, I’ll be prepping Team Charlie attire for a future instalment.

No, Eclipse isn’t likely to win any Oscars (though it’ll take home plenty of MTV awards and anything else voted on by fans) but it’s a solidly made, entertaining movie. Though there is quite a bit of action to keep the casual fan mildly entertained, there’s also much more romantic drama that will bore them to tears. Slade’s entry into the franchise continues to cement the notion that the Twilight franchise is a fan only affair and we fans are more than happy to bask in the sparkly glow.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is available on DVD from EOne in Canada and Summit Entertainment in the US on December 4th.

DVD Extras: Audio commentary with Rob Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, Audio commentary with Stephenie Meyer Wyck Godfrey, eight deleted and extended scenes, six-part making of documentary (90 minutes), photo gallery, jump to… Edward, jump to… Jacob, music videos.

Disappointed that the special features doesn’t include an audio commentary with David Slade but was thrilled to see that Pattinson and Stewart returned for a second turn at a commentary track after skipping it for New Moon. It’s not particularly informative but the banter is entertaining and they spend quite a bit of time musing on Bella’s wigs (to much of Kristen’s chagrin). The commentary with Meyer and Godfrey provides a few more specifics and is very enjoyable.

The six-part documentary is quite good and provides a great behind the scenes look at what went into the making of the film. As for the “Jump to…” features, let’s just say they’re bound to make both “Team Edward” and “Team Jacob.” Using the feature will take you through the film from the beginning and depending on which team you choose, it will fast forward through the scenes in which the character doesn’t appear. You can even skip through to the next scene. Spiffy!