Hi everyone! Jumping on the blog while I’m on vacation to post a spoiler-free review of Eclipse. Yes, even vacation couldn’t keep me away from a midnight showing!
Not sure what your theater experience was like but Amy and I got to ours 90 minutes before the movie and barely got seats together. The people next to us had been in the theater since 10 a.m. that MORNING to get seats. That’s insane.
If you would like to dish spoilers in the comment section, please just leave a note before you dish so people can pass over if they would like.
Movie: Eclipse
Rating: PG-13
Release date: June 30, 2010
Everyday Adventures’ grade: B+
Summary: Bella (Kristen Stewart) can’t choose between Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Jacob (Taylor Lautner) so she strings both along while they fight to see who can do a better job of protecting her and ultimately win her heart. Edward presses Bella to marry him (can’t a guy give her some space please?) and Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard) assembles a vampire army to descend on Forks and Bella for revenge. I swear, I don’t know what this girl has that makes men and women go after her, but bottle that sh*t up.
My thoughts: As promised, this is a spoiler-free review so there are some things I won’t discuss here. But then again, I’m sure 95% of you have read the books so I’m sure I’m not ruining everything :)
Overall, I didn’t think this was too bad. New Moon was my favorite of the books and after a diasterous first movie (really, it was bad), the previous movie really exceeded my expectations, so I was curious if this would sustain my interest. Fortunately, it did.
Unfortunately, it was not a complete home run. Here are some of the things I liked and didn’t like.
Like:
- Taylor Lautner (and his naked torso)- Yes, his abs are still hot and now that Jacob is in love with Bella and tortured, his character continues to steal the movie. Also, ALL the girls in my theater went bananas whenever he was on screen. Good taste!
- Billy Burke (Bella’s dad) – I really love this character and I loved him more after this movie. Such sweet father/daughter moments and great one-liners. I can’t wait to see more of him in Breaking Dawn
- Jacob/Bella kiss – It was hot. Really hot and my cold, dead heart fluttered a bit, only to be inevitably crushed (that I didn’t like)
- Special effects - The effects, especially with the vampires and wolf pack, continue to be better and more “realistic” than the previous movies. New Moon stepped it up and Eclipse definitely maintained that calibur
- Bella – Sure, she’s still whiny and annoying, but she is more sure of herself and her character seems stronger than she ever came across in the books (in my opinion). It’s nice to see her grow part of “a pair”
Didn’t Like:
- Bryce Dallas Howard - Her role is small in this but I just didn’t dig her as much as Rachelle LeFevre. Recasts in the middle of a series can work (Maggie Gyllenhaal in The Dark Knight) but Bryce didn’t cut it for me. She didn’t have that ruthless nature that Rachelle did
- Tent scene – Before you tar and feather me I need to say that I should re-read this part of the book and then adjust this if necessary. It just wasn’t hot for me at all. Maybe I envisioned it differently from the book but it was anti-climatic
- Kristen Stewart’s wig – She wore one in this movie because of the tragic Joan Jett cut she got and it could not have been MORE obvious that it was a wig and a bad one (remember Jacob’s from the original movie?) Poor Bella had helmet hair the entire time and I could not stop staring at the hairline. Seriously.
- Makeup inconsistency – I can admit that RPatz is an attractive man, but his pale vampire makeup was very inconsistent. He was pale in one scene and almost normal flesh-tone in the next. Yes, it did make him hotter but I just wish it would have been more consistent for him and all of the Cullens. They look totally different now, but not in a completely bad way
- Lighting - Again, this is not major but the big scene on the top of the mountain was supposed to be snowy and cold but you could see sunlight from the set coming in the back and it just looked really…fake
- Bree Tanner - I don’t remember the character too much from the book but given the recent release of Bree’s own short book, she got a lot of screen time she might not normally have had. And it wasn’t even memorable. Disappointing
Verdict: If you’ve read the books, it’s worthwhile to see but be prepared for some cheesy stuff, which I’m sure you know :) I’m still glad I saw it and recommend it!
How about everyone else? Did you see it? What did you like or dislike about it?
spoilery, sorta
My biggest pet peeve was Edward’s reaction to the intial Jacob/Bella kiss. In the book, he was amused and resigned to Jacob’s pursuit of Bella, wasn’t he? Where did all the angst come from? He was worried that Jacob would get pissed and accidentally phase, not jump her bones. Just bugged me. *sigh* I should not think this hard about fictional vampires. I should not think this hard about fictional vampires. I should not think this hard about fictional vampires, damnit.
Didn’t like – the awkward kissing between Bella and Edward. Open your mouth, Bella.
Now, Jacob, I would make out with – 18 or not.
Honestly, I don’t get the need to coat all the Cullens in a ton of makeup. It’s not like Robert Pattinson is an extremely tan person or anything to start with. I get that they are “dead” and all, but I think they could just leave it at the eyes and go lighter with the rest of the makeup.
I typically don’t read reviews, of anything, so you should feel pretty honored here (but I’m also scouring the net today to see what others thought of the movie).
I almost 100% agree with your review though. I didn’t notice the wig, but I also didn’t go in knowing it was one — to be honest, I definitely thought at some points, “Damn her hair looks good,” especially in the final scene in the meadow.
(This comment might be long. No spoilers though.)
I adore Bryce Dallas Howard, but not in this movie. You are so right that LeFevre should’ve remained in the role, and I’ve thought that since I first heard about the changeover. I was hoping Howard would exceed my expectations, but not in the least bit.
My entire theater seemed to swoon over Jacob, and rightfully so. Don’t get me wrong, I’m Team Jacob by far, but I also had some butterflies in scenes with Edward and Bella. The acting was much better this time around and their bond seemed way more realistic. I also thought the tent scene was pretty good, but I haven’t read the books in a year, so maybe I’m a bit off, too.
The makeup inconsistency drove me bananas! It was noticeable in some scenes that RPatz was no paler than Kristen Stewart, though he should have been, by far.
I agree about Bree Tanner. Her role was so small even in the book Eclipse that I cannot believe she got that much screen time here. However, looking at the person who played the role and the new book release about her, I have a slight feeling something more might come out of this.
No comment on Dakota Fanning? She’s just…weird…in the role of Jane. I didn’t like it much in New Moon, and I like it even less here. Ugh.
Sorry this was long, but I’m still all pumped up on Eclipse, lol.