Ink Blotting - The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Posted on Monday, July 19, 2010 at 12:00 AM

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Either I'm starting to see nuances and subtlety that I missed before from Kristen Stewart and RobPat or they’ve finally found their roles in a script that actually supports characterization this time. It could be a case where if you do something long enough you eventually get it. That could be hitting softballs, growing plants, sewing or something so difficult as to display a changed emotional state in some other way than biting your lower lip. But in Eclipse they finally get it.

Oh, on opening night there was still the tweenlike shudder and squeal when Taylor Lautner took his shirt off, but those tweens are a few years older now – if you can believe it – and are dealing with their crushes in a new way. I don't know what way that is mind you, I am after all a 32 year old married family man.

Unlike Twilight and New Moon, Eclipse actually has a real, concrete plot. Rising Action, suspense, a genuine climax and resolution. The other two movies had none of these elements. Oh sure, there was still mopey emotional drivel – that's why the tweens are still here after all – but it's downplayed in Eclipse. It has to be after all. Bella knows that Edward is a vampire. Edwards knows that Bella loves him and he loves her. Everyone knows that Jacob rips off his clothing and turns into a wolf, oh and that he loves Bella as well. So the only personal conflict remaining is how Bella, Edward and Jacob all get along.

I've read all four novels. In my opinion the third book was the best as well. But who would have thought that with a decent plot that characterization and emotional context would fall into proper place as well? Oh, yeah – every classical writer who ever put pen to paper – Shakespeare, Wilde, Poe in ad nauseum ad infinitum.

Not only is the plot better, but the graphics are better and the film is finally shot in better light. It could be a representation that as the gloom lifts from Bella's life so, too, does the cloud coverage take a break to give us color and life. But I think that it has more to do with production values unfortunately.

Rachel Lefevre isn't missed, and Bryce Dallas Howard does an excellent job as Victoria. She perfectly represented beautiful and deadly at the same time. I think the Volturri were stoney and flat as characters – but that's how they're written in the book too, so we're not breaking the mold to redefine them and create interesting secondary characters in a Twihard movie.

Would this movie have been better in 3D? I'm really glad no one asked that question.

For all viewers of the film – 3.5 stars out of 4.

Kyle Gould is a University of Calgary Graduate in English devoutly trying to make the 25,000 dollar piece of parchment not just a glorified ink blot. Currently it would serve better as a Rorschach test. Feel free to throw some ink his way at wkkgould@hotmail.com.