The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Movie: The Twilight Saga: Eclipse released June 2010 by Summit Entertainment

Books: Twilight(2005), New Moon(2006), Eclipse(2007), Breaking Dawn(2008)

Author: Stephenie Meyer

Of course I can't resist reviewing Eclipse now that it's in theaters! I'm going to start with some thoughts on the Twilight series books though.

I didn't get into the series right away when the first book came out, as vampire stories are not usually something that I read. I kept being drawn to them though because their cover art is GENIOUS. I would go to a book stoere and pick up Twilight (again) because I loved the cover, and then put it back (again) because I don't read vampire books...or teen fiction for that matter. Then a friend of mine started reading the series and said she was really enjoying it and that I should give it a try, which I did. And now I'm a Team Jacob twi-mom :)

The funny thing is, that I don't particularly like Stephenie Meyer's writing style. They are easy reads, but there's something about her style that bothers me at times. What I do love though is her characterization and creative story lines. I may not love her writing style, but she is great at writing characters that capture my attention and that I want to know more about, even the characters I don't like (such as Bella, LOL). I love that Stephenie uses things we've seen in other stories - vampires and werewolves - but in a new and unexpected way. Usually the villains, but now the good guys?? (At least the Cullen and Denali clans)

My biggest complaint about the series would be that I really dislike the Bella/Edward dynamic. That is not a love relationship, it's obsession and really annoying at times (most of the time actually). That being said, their relationship is pretty much the core of the series, so we probably wouldn't have the series without it (in all it's dysfunctional glory).

Now on to the movie review!! I've seen Eclipse twice now, so I feel I can give a good review, but I'll try to keep it short :) I had high expectations for this movie because I had listened to some reports from people who saw early screenings and everyone said that this is the best Twilight Saga film so far. I don't disagree, but I didn't think it was as amazing as they made it sound. Overall, I would say it was a good movie though and fairly accurate for a book to movie adaptation.

What I loved: The acting was much, much better in Eclipse than in the first two films, especially Kristen Stewart. The flashback scenes were great - Rosalie's was my favorite. The battle scene was really good! I loved that we didn't just get Eclipse, we also got pieces from "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner" when we got to see the newborns in Seattle, the Volturi, and the battle scene. The conversation portion of the Jacob/Edward tent scene.

What I didn't love: The Jacob/Bella kiss scene after the tent scene. They just didn't get that one right. I was hoping to see a bit more Seth Clearwater, simply because I like his character :) A few too many cheesy lines (but that's to be expected in a Twilight film, right?). We didn't get to see any of the emotional aftermath from the Jacob/Bella "breakup" scene - Bella's night of emotional breakdown and Jacob running away.

My rating: I would give it a 4 (on a scale of 5)

Would I recommend it: I definitely recommend it for anybody who is a Twilight series fan.