Okay, so Eclipse, the movie: Meh. Now look, I LOVED Twilight, the book, and the movie was awesome because it was a decent length, they did a great job of weaving the bad vamp plot in earlier with the storyline (in the book it shows up like 3/4 of the way through). Plus the best part about the movie -- all the screaming teenage girls in the audience! It reminded me of when I was in college and we used to watch all the cute guys walk into the cafeteria, the thrill we got, the stories we'd make about them, how we thought they were looking at us, the flirting.... ah, the good ole days of early dating and first love.
New Moon: couldn't really read past the part where, well, you know -- that big part that leaves Bella in a stupor for months on end. I went to the movie with my inner teenage girl channeled, and I enjoyed the flick. It was a bit long, but the parts with Jacob were done well, the other scenes weren't too gut-wrenching, and Taylor Lautner did a great job getting his upper body into shape for the role so it was worth it. ;-)
Okay, now, Eclipse. My friends told me that they loved the movie, it was the best one of the 3 -- but Eclipse was also their favorite book. For me, Eclipse was my least favorite novel in the Twilight saga. Why? Well, in the novel itself, there is talk of Wuthering Heights, and I never liked that book (sorry!!). I'm into character-driven novels, and the only character in Wuthering Heights I liked for a brief moment was Isabella when she left Heathcliff. Everyone else -- couldn't get into them.
Same thing with Eclipse (the novel). Edward was controlling (when a guy takes apart your car to prevent you from going somewhere because he can't "protect" you -- that's not love). Jacob is very truculent -- angry because he wants Bella, and wants to try to win her over, Bella is stuck in the middle and can't make up her mind, so she rebels this way and that, Rosalie tells us she only ever wanted a family and kids and she can't have that now she's a vampire, which is why she's jealous of Bella (which just shows every terrible female trait possible -- jealousy, cattiness, the idea that the ultimate goal for a woman is to be a wife and mother), and oh yeah --Victoria from the first novel is raising a vampire army to try to kill Bella.
Whew! As if bizzarre love triangles weren't enough, there are newly-formed, bloodthirsty fledgling vampires loose in Forks!! Run for your lives!!! Fortunately, the Wolf Pack (hey -- they've got a female leader, Leah -- wohoo for the girls!!!) forms a truce with the Cullens and they agree to band together to attempt to fight off the threat, and along the way there's some very uneasy scenes (for me!) where Jacob and Edward trade barbs over who is best for Bella (didn't like reading it in the book, didn't like seeing it in the movie).
Now, before this review just gets all negative, I will say that the fight scenes are REALLY GOOD, the soundtrack actually sounded good too, Bryce Dallas Howard was very good as Victoria (nice to see someone who can actually act in these movies!), and Ashley Greene was her usual stellar self as Alice, though she's not in this one that much.
What didn't I like about it? I don't know -- I think it's just me -- I loved the 'chase' scenes in Twilight, New Moon had a new relationship, but Eclipse -- the plot just didn't do it for me; watching Bella hang out with Jacob and he tries to kiss her, Edward being too controlling, oh, and he gives Bella an engagement ring, too, which she puts on but then wants to become a vampire (that whole "make me a vampire, Edward!" "No Bella! You're better off as a human!!" is getting tedious by now). Like I said, the plot in this movie just didn't do it for me.
Other than that -- the movie is very pretty, visually, and if you do like Wuthering Heights, star-crossed lovers, watching people in love do crazy things to win the affections of someone, then this movie is for you (if you're like me -- wait, rent it, and skip forward to the fight scenes!! ;-)
Something Wicked -- 3/5
