Looking back on my reviews for Twilight and New Moon, I’m a little surprised at how generous I’ve been. I suppose it comes down to the fact that I read Stephanie Meyer’s books first, and had already been suitably horrified at the thought that millions of teenaged girls were worshipping this franchise (and disbelieving that grown women were doing the same). Thus, when it came to viewing the films, I could just sit back and turn my brain off. To see the films first (as Mark has) must indeed be quite unsettling.
Rest assured that Eclipse continues the franchise’s horrendous record of setting feminism back several decades. Bella Swan has no ambition whatsoever, and is only interested in being with the man/men she loves. She’s fragile and passive, and frequently needs protection from Big Strong Men.
In its defence, Eclipse does suggest that young women have libidos, which is a nice change from what we usually see in teen films, where the guys are forever craving sex and gals simply put up with it to please them. The men in the Twilight franchise seem more intent on fighting over ownership of their female territory rather than jumping into girls’ pants.
David Slade is at the helm this time around, and I cannot think of a director whose output has been more disappointing since such a perfect debut feature. Of course, Hard Candy is a hard act to follow, but did he have to make 30 Days of Night and then this? In any event, at least you can rest assured that Eclipse looks stunning – Slade has a fantastic cinematic eye. This is easily the best-looking of the franchise thus far, which has definitely become a lot glossier since the overwhelmingly under-budgeted first film. The special effects are quite decent, and this time around, they’ve come up with quite a nifty way of dispatching vampires (I imagine the studio was keen to let Slade work his magic without quite the gore of 30 Days of Night, thus ensuring that the film keep its M rating).
As we have come to expect, the soundtrack to Eclipse is great. Even the most outspoken of detractors can’t deny that the franchise continues to pump out solid albums. Howard Shore’s score is really good also, though at times it sounds a bit like the recurring theme we’ve been hearing in this year’s ‘Doctor Who’.
The performances are more of the same. Robert Pattinson continues to look constipated, though I’m told that this is what a vampire in love looks like. Taylor Lautner is constantly shirtless, though at least this means that the guys in Hollywood get a turn at being nothing more than eye candy, rather than the girls (impressively, Bella is constantly dressed down – I don’t think we ever see her in anything but jeans and a plaid shirt and/or hoodie).
Eclipse delivers exactly what we’ve come to expect, which I imagine is what the studio and the fans want. It doesn’t take any risks, nor does it stray far from the source material. This kind of safe filmmaking is never going to be brilliant, but makes for adequate entertainment.