Eclipse review
So, I wrote a review for Eclipse, because I'm procrastinating other things that I really have to do.
3/5
There is no doubt, Eclipse is the best film in the series, this far. David Slade manages to put together something that Catherine Hardwick and Chris Weitz failed to. By avoiding unnecessary clichés, and cheesy lines that makes you fight your gag reflex, the film is hard not to enjoy. He also avoids the constant narrative of Bella, only use it when it needs to be, trusting the viewer to think for themselves for the first time in this series.
Just from the first scene you notice a big difference between the previous films. Where the previous directors have gone for the easy to swallow and cutesy scenes, despite the themes they were dealing with, David Slade pushes it further, and puts his background of making thrillers to good use.
Though, many scenes are redundant, and some scenes that would have aided the viewers into understanding what the main protagonists are going through, were simply ignored and their absence was palpable. Too many shots looking over the forest, most of them stuck out uncomfortably and ruined the rhythm that had been established. David Slade goes for artsy, but ends up with a film that at times seems like it is half finished..
The plot was as predictable as always, even if you had not read the book. Bella is once again in danger. Victoria, played by Bryce Dallas Howard, is after revenge because Edward had killed her mate, James, in the first film, and goes after Bella. To get to her she creates a army of new borns -- Stephenie Meyer’s name for newly changed vampires. And avoids being seen by Alice, played by Ashley Greene, who sees the future, for some reason that I have yet to understand. Because while the plot is predictable, the explanations for a lot of it seems to confuse the viewer even more.
The predictability and bad explanations for plot holes are already known to most, so it should not come as a surprise when you hit play.
Continuity, when it comes to special effects, is also a problem while viewing the film. In New Moon vampires cracked, whereas in Eclipse they shatter like porcelain. When Bella hits Jacob her hand bounces off like she had hit a concrete wall, but in New Moon she hit one of the werewolves and he stumbled back from the blow. Chris Weitz messed up in the previous film when he included that punch into the film.
What made the film likeable was the humor, even though it was, as everything with the franchise, predictable and half-assed. It served its purpose and caused a few chuckles. It was the fact that the film includes more of the characters this time around, instead of having them melt in with the background, trying to give the illusion that they actually have some importance in the film.
Nikki Reed and Jackson Rathbone gets a lot more screen time because of this, and their acting is nothing to rave about. They say their lines, and they play it the way they’re expected to. The same with most of the cast. Their acting is done in a way like it’s written on cue-cards, and makes the film choppy, yet again.
The acting by Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattison and Taylor Lautner has improved a lot from previous films. It might be the very slight improvement of the script, or the director. The cheesy lines, that goes hand in hand with the franchise, are not as painfully obvious, because it doesn’t look as painful to say them.
Robert Pattinson manages to control his English accent better than in previous films, it doesn’t shine through as often, and Kristen Stewart avoids the stuttering and the tics, that many have expressed a big dislike for.
As for Taylor Lautner, I was disappointed yet again. His acting was stiff, and only at one point during the film, when he yells at Bella, does he show that he has some acting skills besides being able to deliver lines with a straight face.
Overall, the film is enjoyable, compared to the previous films this film is fantastic. However, compared to other films out there, this one is far behind.
3/5
There is no doubt, Eclipse is the best film in the series, this far. David Slade manages to put together something that Catherine Hardwick and Chris Weitz failed to. By avoiding unnecessary clichés, and cheesy lines that makes you fight your gag reflex, the film is hard not to enjoy. He also avoids the constant narrative of Bella, only use it when it needs to be, trusting the viewer to think for themselves for the first time in this series.
Just from the first scene you notice a big difference between the previous films. Where the previous directors have gone for the easy to swallow and cutesy scenes, despite the themes they were dealing with, David Slade pushes it further, and puts his background of making thrillers to good use.
Though, many scenes are redundant, and some scenes that would have aided the viewers into understanding what the main protagonists are going through, were simply ignored and their absence was palpable. Too many shots looking over the forest, most of them stuck out uncomfortably and ruined the rhythm that had been established. David Slade goes for artsy, but ends up with a film that at times seems like it is half finished..
The plot was as predictable as always, even if you had not read the book. Bella is once again in danger. Victoria, played by Bryce Dallas Howard, is after revenge because Edward had killed her mate, James, in the first film, and goes after Bella. To get to her she creates a army of new borns -- Stephenie Meyer’s name for newly changed vampires. And avoids being seen by Alice, played by Ashley Greene, who sees the future, for some reason that I have yet to understand. Because while the plot is predictable, the explanations for a lot of it seems to confuse the viewer even more.
The predictability and bad explanations for plot holes are already known to most, so it should not come as a surprise when you hit play.
Continuity, when it comes to special effects, is also a problem while viewing the film. In New Moon vampires cracked, whereas in Eclipse they shatter like porcelain. When Bella hits Jacob her hand bounces off like she had hit a concrete wall, but in New Moon she hit one of the werewolves and he stumbled back from the blow. Chris Weitz messed up in the previous film when he included that punch into the film.
What made the film likeable was the humor, even though it was, as everything with the franchise, predictable and half-assed. It served its purpose and caused a few chuckles. It was the fact that the film includes more of the characters this time around, instead of having them melt in with the background, trying to give the illusion that they actually have some importance in the film.
Nikki Reed and Jackson Rathbone gets a lot more screen time because of this, and their acting is nothing to rave about. They say their lines, and they play it the way they’re expected to. The same with most of the cast. Their acting is done in a way like it’s written on cue-cards, and makes the film choppy, yet again.
The acting by Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattison and Taylor Lautner has improved a lot from previous films. It might be the very slight improvement of the script, or the director. The cheesy lines, that goes hand in hand with the franchise, are not as painfully obvious, because it doesn’t look as painful to say them.
Robert Pattinson manages to control his English accent better than in previous films, it doesn’t shine through as often, and Kristen Stewart avoids the stuttering and the tics, that many have expressed a big dislike for.
As for Taylor Lautner, I was disappointed yet again. His acting was stiff, and only at one point during the film, when he yells at Bella, does he show that he has some acting skills besides being able to deliver lines with a straight face.
Overall, the film is enjoyable, compared to the previous films this film is fantastic. However, compared to other films out there, this one is far behind.