Review - Matt Mungle

   

We have all heard the saying, “There is nothing new under the sun”. Sadly it seems the same can be said for the moon as well. In the 3rd installment of The Twilight Saga I hoped for something I could sink my teeth into. But alas it was just more moping and sulking from Edward, wishy washy fence hopping from Bella, and Jacob without his shirt on.

Eclipse finds our freak show love triangle having to come together in a truce of sorts in order to battle against an out of control army of young vampires. Edward and Jacob must put their loathing for each other aside in order to keep Bella safe; all the while trying to find out who is behind this new army of neck biters. This edition also has Bella and Eddy-poo defining their relationship and what that will mean for them both in the long run. If of course Bella can fight her un-admitted love for Jacob.

This is the 3rd film in the series and also the 3rd director. There seems to be a problem in getting someone who is able to capture the essence of the books and characters and transmit it to the big screen. But I am beginning to wonder if it just isn't a strong enough script. Stories like these may only work in print form. Though Eclipse was a better over all package in terms of content this version lacked the visual elements that the second one had. It simply loss the cinematography and visual fluidness that made New Moon at least visually appealing. What I liked about this one was the tension and banter between Jacob and Edward. These two life long enemies enjoy verbally jousting with each other and this does add some funny moments. This of course does not make up for the remaining 90 minutes of a mediocre love story.

As I stated in my review of all of the Twilight films; this is not made for me. It is made for the tweens who will pay good money to stare into the dark, cold face of Edward regardless of what comes rolling out of his mouth. It is also for fans of the book who are ok with having their idea of the characters manipulated into 120 minutes. I get that. But great films such as Star Trek, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings proved that you can make a movie that works on every level for fans and non fans alike. Twilight can’t seem to make that magic happen.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, and some sensuality. I actually think it is safe for those even a tad younger. Apart from the scary nature of vampires and werewolves it is tame in content. It has little or no offensive language plus the very strong theme of sexual purity is rare these days and you have to commend Stephenie Meyer (author) for taking that high road. Bottom line is if you haven't seen the first two, don't start now. If you have then I can assure you that you will find this one to be basically the same. Take that as you will. Personally I give it 2.5 out of 5 red contact lenses.