The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

David Slade! A clear win and a big problem that this "emo-vampire" series has encountered. It's not a problem to spot the numerous scenes where Slade makes fun of the entire saga. Especially the cockfight over one ordinary girl is done with a detachment that even a serious parody could withstand. Then comes the perfectly "staged" action and the plus points climb high above the average. Yet when you realize that it takes up about 10% of the runtime, you are swept away by the most tragic love mating call in years. Especially in the last film, thanks to Weitz's ineptitude, you could giggle all the way through. Here, Slade’s attempt to make it serious goes severely wrong, making it all mostly an awkward and sad cramp as you sense the director being shackled by the script (or the book) and you suffer along with him. It also obviously didn't entice the fifteen people around me, as I heard an absolute minimum of amorous giggles and excited comments in the crowded movie theater. But I admit that I naively believed in it until the last moment. 2 ½. [this is the best - though at the same time the most boring - film in the series. You'll understand when you watch it in the movie theater]. (2010-06-30)

Probably the darkest (however, I'm still cautious about using that word in the case of Twilight – in short, with a grain of salt) and most action-packed installment of the entire series, but one that still suffers from the same ills that run through the saga – whether it's the emo-gay-metro Ed or the occasionally more-than-awkward dialogue or behavior of the characters (Bella clearly leads the way in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse) Unlike the two previous ones, I was also quite looking forward to the third installment, because I've really liked David Slade's work so far, so I was secretly hoping for a meat scene ala 30 Days of Night)) The result is that THIS is, in my opinion, material so "heavy" and impossible to grasp in a reasonable or tasteful way that anyone would break teeth on it, being limited by a script that doesn't really give rise to any real directorial exhibition. And if I were to overthink it a lot, I could say that at times there was an attempt at a sort of psychology of the characters (specifically the Cullen vampires and their pasts) that didn't bother me that much. Out of the entire series, this for me is the most bearable instalment so far, and the one that pisses me off the least. (2010-09-14)

A step forward, yet at the same time a light stepping in place. David Slade is a director who can best tame a problematic script, and thanks to excellent flashbacks and gripping action, he knows how to build anticipation for the finale. And yet he also suffers from having taken on this particular installment. Eclipse hurts in terms of plot progression. There is no crucial decision made or any action taken that would fundamentally change the situation. There is only one big battle, which is lucky to have attractive fighters on both sides. Though the third installment loses something by not having a solid face of its own (Twilight is a cold opening, Twilight: New Moon is an intimate melodrama), and in the very end it feels like a nostalgic installment with its battles in the mountains, it works great in this form. Even if Bella's doubts and decision-making sometimes get on my nerves. But I have never spit on the Twilight saga and it seems that I won't in the future either. So, we'll see each other at Twilight: Breaking Dawn. (2011-11-30)

The first film had a scene in the woods and a baseball game, the second Italian porn, and the third... has a blooming meadow and the story of Rosalie and Jasper Hale. The recasting of Bryce Dallas Howard's is just one of many oddities, like the fact that Kristen Stewart still doesn't look much older than she did in Panic Room. I mean, wow. However, the lines heard about Bella having to be home by four, graduating from English studies, and Edward asking her if she will get out of the car if he asks her to...? Uh....what? "I kissed Bella. And she broke her hand." "Eau de wolf coming up." "Oh, my God. Dad. I'm a virgin." "I Am Hotter Than You!" "If we weren't natural enemies, I might actually like you."!!! (2011-11-09)

Another unnecessary episode that deals with the same old thing: the same naive and stupid romance, exploiting the current stupidity and silly trend of stupid people. Rather, it's more about immaturity, and there’s plenty of it. And yet, if the series was taken seriously even for a moment, it wouldn't be so bad. Visually, it is a very attractive thing; thematically, however, it's a complete mess. Unfortunately, the “new age romance style” has to be there, even if the devil rides a werewolf and then everything goes downhill. (2013-01-14)