Reconsidering Twilight: Eclipse

Continuing on our journey through the wonderful world of Twilight, we take a look back at Eclipse...

People got a little bit excited over Eclipse when it was released. After the universal panning of both of its filmic predecessors, plus a general lethargy with the gaggle of teenage fans daring to express their allegiances to any particular ‘team’, this third film’s more assured blend of action and romance left critics positively reeling with heady excitement. Instantly hailed as the best in the series, it drew in a whole new strand of viewers, even tempting in some husbands and fathers to join in with the supernatural fun. But did the series win any more fans as a result? Not really, as this is the same old Twilight, just with more fight scenes.
For this instalment has a bit more conflict, and that’s not just a reference to Edward and Jacob’s smouldering looks in each other's direction. I said previously that Twilight was about Edward and New Moon about Jacob, so now it’s time for the two to share a little more screen time, as the stories' central triangle finally gets thrashed out. By all rights, this one should shift the focus back into Bella and her wellbeing but, like the two self-interested guys in her life, the film doesn’t seem concerned with what she might want.
Which is probably a good thing when considering what she wants is to give her soul away to her boyfriend in exchange for eternal life. At the end of New Moon, Edward had proposed to Bella in an additional attempt at total ownership. That’s not the obvious reading we’re encouraged to pursue, as Bella sees Edward as the epitome of the perfect boyfriend, protective where he appears controlling and endearingly tortured where he appears irrevocably damaged. If you thought the feminists where being picky about a light-hearted vampire story, this is the chapter where the abusive boyfriend argument gets a little more weight behind it.

For most of the film is dedicated to pitching the overwhelming case against her decision. Both of her parents comment on how unhealthy her relationship with Edward has become, encouraging more time spent with the eternally shirtless Jacob, and gruesome tales of vampires past are recounted for her benefit. I thought that New Moon had a confused perspective on who Bella should end up with, as we had been encouraged to