There are a lot of people who hate Twilight, and, superficially, one might assume that i would fall into that bracket. But i don’t. I still see the thousands of reasons why i shouldn’t be enjoying these films (reading the books would be a step too far in the wrong direction), and every time a girl audibly swoons in the theater cinema dies a little bit. But the fact is that vampires are cool and these films do an almost perfect job of cashing in on that.
The love triangle that was established in ‘New Moon’ comes even more to the fore here with Jacob (Taylor Lautner) repeatedly telling Bella (Kristen Stewart) how much he loves her. It’s all very sweet if a little desperate given her total and uncomprehendable infatuation with Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). The question of Team Edward versus Team Jacob no longer seems relevant: it’s Team Insane-Life Destroying Choice versus Team Happy Compromise.
The action gets a bigger platform under new helmer David Spade. The baseball scene in the first film highlighted the potential of vampire fights and whilst that isn’t fully exploited here, the set piece showdown between the Cullens/Werewolves and the New Borns is pretty neatly done. But it’s the emotional menage a trois that takes centre stage here; especially in a particularly uncomfortable tent scene where the wereboy utters immodest but self-aware phrases like ‘Well, we both know i am hotter than you.’ The fleeting man-love in that scene borders on homoerotic and shows how desperate the producers are to cash in on the Worldwide obsession with Twi-Porn.
Bigger and better than ‘New Moon’ if lacking in the sense of adventure of the first movie, ‘Eclipse’ is a film that deserves a little less blatant emotions, especially given the developing stories that surround the threesome. A perfect springboard for a proper vampire movie in ‘Breaking Dawn: Part One.’
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