Film Review: The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)
If one were charitable, one might say that Eclipse—the third instalment in the inexplicably popular Twilight franchise—represents something of a nadir. Less charitable observers, however, would simply call it torturous. Directed by David Slade, who once helmed the respectable vampire thriller 30 Days of Night, this 2010 offering manages the curious feat of being markedly worse than its already mediocre predecessors, suggesting a trajectory not unlike the last Star Wars trilogy, though comparing the two sagas does George Lucas a considerable disservice. At least The Force Awakens had the decency to offer a modicum of visual spectacle; Eclipse offers little beyond tedium.
The narrative remains stubbornly unchanged. Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), a heroine defined almost entirely by her passivity, continues her inexplicable romance with Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), a vampire whose principal characteristics appear to be brooding and sparkle. Their dreary courtship is now complicated by the return of Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), the werewolf whose primary function is to provide a shirtless distraction from the utter absence of chemistry between the ostensible romantic leads. Meanwhile, a brewing conflict involving a vengeful vampire named Victoria (here played by Bryce Dallas Howard, replacing Rachel Lefevre) and an army of newly turned bloodsuckers from Seattle threatens the town of Forks—though "threatens" is perhaps too strong a word, as the film treats this supposed menace with all the urgency of a mild inconvenience.
What is most galling about Eclipse is not its adherence to formula but its squandering of brief, tantalising moments that suggest a rather different, potentially interesting film might have emerged. A flashback sequence detailing the Cullen family's origins hints at the epic scope this material might have supported. A scene set in a mountain tent carries an unmistakable whiff of Brokeback Mountain, replete with ironic homoerotic undertones that seem to comment slyly on the central love triangle. There are even suggestions that Bella might consider rather more practical solutions to her romantic dilemma than the ones ultimately presented. Yet these flickers of wit and imagination are ruthlessly extinguished by the studio's risk-averse approach—Summit Entertainment having discovered a golden goose in the form of the "Twihard" demographic, and thus unwilling to deviate from the conservative, profoundly dull template established by Stephenie Meyer's source novels.
The result is a film burdened by unsympathetic characters, excruciatingly empty dialogue, and clichés that would embarrass a daytime soap opera. For any viewer with even modest critical standards, the two-hour runtime feels interminable—a slog through grey, rain-soaked landscapes populated by actors who appear to be participating under duress. The performances are uniformly uninspired, the action sequences perfunctory, and the romantic exchanges so stilted that one begins to root for the vampire army out of sheer boredom.
The final insult comes with the knowledge that the concluding novel, Breaking Dawn, would subsequently be stretched into two separate films, extending this purgatory even further. Eclipse is not merely bad; it is cynically, deliberately so—a product designed to extract maximum revenue from its target audience while offering absolutely nothing of value to anyone else.
Rating: 2/10
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