The Gown Student Newspaper at Queen's University Belfast

REVIEW: Twilight Eclipse

Films of the Twilight saga never struck much of a chord with me, perhaps because it was always more of a teenage melodrama. Surprisingly, the trailer of the third installment naturally draws you in and the film does not disappoint. It’s the best yet. There is certainly enough throughout to keep it entertaining and the feature ends without need for complaint. Fortunately, there is plenty of varied vampire imagery to make Twilight Eclipse a substantial effort towards the vampire film sub-genre.

 BY LAURA SHEARER

The tense vampire hunt of the opening scene takes viewers back to the original vampire narrative style, with much heavier and darker motifs than the two previous films have dared to include. From the rainstorm to the overhead shots of the forest landscapes, it’s all very high spec, while the deep focus photography of director David Slade gives it a fresh edge. The chase sequences are finally the bold and graphic scenes that fans of the novel have been waiting for, scenes which the other films didn’t have the creative drive to produce.

If watching giant, CGI wolves fighting glass-like vampires doesn’t tickle your fancy then the main action scene will not excite. Yet it is impressively choreographed and the rapidly changing camera angle certainly makes it a more interesting sequence.

The usual lack of depth to the novel’s characters yet again leads to black dialogues and a distinct absence of mystery in the actors’ deliveries, although the inclusion in the plot of the mysterious new born vampires goes some way towards readdressing this. As newcomers to the saga, not much is revealed about their past or what they are exactly; Slade masterfully transforms the same basic reaction and establishing shots into something unfamiliar within the saga’s filmic style.

Slade’s involvement results in an interesting synthesis of the structure and familiarity of the Twilight saga films with his own unique visual style. His work on Hard Candy gives this film more subtlety and impulse, but 30 Days of Night has given him the advantage of experience with action scenes and the vampire sub-genre. It’s thrilling and exciting to watch the action unfold, but as usual most of the narrative focuses on the love triangle of Bella, Edward and Jacob. Edward still charms his way around discussions with his smouldering stare and Jacob, always half-naked, huffs his way through the run time.

There’s no fear of the so-called “twihards” feeling neglected in any respect. Mass “oooh”s as Bella and Edward share that kiss and “aaah”s as the characters make their first respective onscreen entrance will occur at almost every screening. However, this time Twilight doesn’t seem to be solely targeting an already familiar audience. Adding to the feeling that this is easier for new viewers to enjoy, the narrative is quickly explained so there are no shocking gaps for the uninitiated.

Slight alterations to the fan-loved moments of previous instalments, such as the flowery meadow Bella and Edward share, seem like improvements and the whole feature has an added pizzazz. Slade has upped the game considerably. It’s going to be difficult to see this film followed up in such a skilfull fashion.

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This entry was posted on Friday, August 6th, 2010 at 6:07 pm and is filed under Arts + Ents. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.