Day 11- Movie 7. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)

Ah, Twilight. The books and films that are beloved by millions of hopelessly romantic tweens and women who should know better. These have really become quite a phenomenon over the last several years. I've (not surprisingly) never read any of the books, and I never will. However, I do have a confession to make (and this is as hard for me to type as it is to admit, even to myself)- I actually enjoy the Twilight movies. Now, I'm not saying I am a Twihard or whatever the hell they call those people. But, the movies are at least passably entertaining.

I personally believe that a story about a love triangle between a human, a vampire, and a werewolf is silly. However, I do have to give Stephanie Meyer (thanks Emily, I never would have known her name without that assist) credit, because that story is at least somewhat unique- there haven't been dozens of movies like that- and I appreciate anything new in films. I also enjoy the movies because they are beautifully shot- the cinematography is actually pretty stunning. The films look so crispy and clear- visually, they are impressive (besides the occasionally cheesy vampire special effects shot). The story is at least somewhat entertaining, and there is a good mix of action in with the more romantic and dramatic elements. So, while I didn't love Twilight or New Moon, I actually did enjoy them as movies.

I can't believe I'm doing this, but I am going to weigh in on the whole "Team Edward" and "Team Jacob" debate. For me, this is a pretty easy choice. I just can't understand why Bella would want to be with Edward. Yes, he's dark and brooding- and horribly boring. I just find Robert Pattinson such a bland actor that he makes me want to yawn whenever he's on screen. Plus, isn't he like 400 years old? That just seems creepy that he's hooking up with a high schooler. Jacob, on the other hand (looking past the occasionally shoddy acting by Taylor Lautner) is at least age-appropriate for Bella. Plus, the dude is ripped. Most of the time, he's a normal human being, but can instantly turn into a giant werewolf, so he can protect her. He gives a much more charismatic performance than Pattinson, and it seems like it would be more fun hanging out with the wolfpack than with a bunch of ultra-serious vampires. So, I'm definitely Team Jacob.

All of that leads me to Eclipse. Emily and I watched this film, which is nice because she's read the books, and filled me in on the deets when I was confused about something. The third film in the franchise is actually the weakest one. While I enjoyed the first two, I had problems with this one. The original film was cool because we found out about the vampires. New Moon was cool because we found out about the werewolves. Eclipse doesn't really have any of those big revelations. We just get more and more love triangle time. If anything, Edward and Jacob just got on my nerves in this film. For someone who is hundreds of years old, Edward sure knows how to act like a jealous teenager. And Jacob really needs to get a clue- she's obviously just not that into you. The whole love triangle just started collapsing under the weight of its own seriousness here. I was actually rooting for zombies to show up- I could jump on board Team Zombie in a heartbeat. Plus, nothing really happens in the movie. I felt like the characters were in very similar places at the end of the movie as in the beginning. I'm not sure there was much development.

I didn't hate Eclipse, but after rating Twilight and New Moon as 7s, I'm going to have to say this film deserves a 6.5/10. It's decent, but not as good as the first two films.

I'm actually really curious about what you think. Am I completely wrong on the Twilight movies? I'm steering clear of the debate on whether these books are good for young girls to read (I'm leaning toward no). Looking at them purely as entertainment, what do you think? Feel free to comment or send me a personal message if you're too embarrassed to admit you actually like them. Can anyone explain why Eclipse was NOT the worst film of the franchise?