Eclipse - a REAL review

[vaultedthewall]

Since no less than two people have expressed amazement that I went to see this movie and escaped with my sanity in-tact, and since I have some time to waste while I see if my stomach stops feeling like it's going to rebel against the rest of my body, I figured perhaps I better write a REAL review of it explaining myself

Comments

[aberranteyes]

the movies humanize the humans much better thanks to the addition of actors that can't help but make the characters three dimensional and sympathetic rather than the straw men that [are all SMeyer is capable of writing*].

Fixed that for you.

* Or so I've heard, anyway, and your experience with the books makes it sound like I've heard right.

[vaultedthewall]

Quite honestly, that isn't wrong. SMeyer is a writer who you can tell who the author likes and who she doesn't like just by her writing. It really seems when she manages to write three-dimensional characters (According to the roommate that read it, Bree Tanner is wonderfully snarky and just criticizes everything. Is SMeyer improving? idk) it seems to be almost entirely on accident or through omission of not giving them enough screen time to show that she intended them to be a straw man.

[clockworkwings]

From what I hear, I guess not all of the 'Quileute' are American Indian, but they did at least give it a try, which I think is pretty cool. Except for Jacob, of course. As far as I know, they didn't even give it a try for him, so no points for that.

Actually the whole issue of Indians in her books just makes me want to give it the side-eye and walk away slowly. It's a touchy subject.

[vaultedthewall]

Yeah - finding out later that he might be partially the ethnicity you were going for? Lucky for you, but no points for casting it because you didn't know that at the time.

And I admit I'm pretty much an idiot regarding a lot of the issues, but even then every time they brought up the whole "TRIBES! ELDER COUNCIL!" stuff was where the film hit my embarrassment squick. And I can only imagine the movie handled it a little better than the books themselves (again, shocker there).

[clockworkwings]

Yeah. Also, as far as I've seen, basically no Indians consider Taylor Lautner to be Indian like... at all. So it kind of means nothing.

I'm also an idiot regarding the issues, 'cause I really only know the stuff I've picked up from the Indian-related blogs and such that I follow, which ends up boiling down to: SMeyer exploited Indian culture, made lots of money but the tribe she exploited pretty much got nothing (link! + link!). The movies at least made a try at hiring some Indian actors, but apparently only after getting shit for casting a white kid as the Indian 'lead'. Also supposedly one of the Indian actors lied about their ethnicity and might actually be East Indian (wtfff).

[vaultedthewall]

Sweet! Saved to read when I am not high on benadryl.

Kate did actually go on the 'twilight tour' because one of her roommates in college was OBSESSED with the film and yeah, she got to see the reservation AND THE AWFUL CONDITION IT WAS IN because they were getting nothing for the film/books/etc.