When I got to the theater at 5:30 to purchase my Eclipse tickets, a small line of pre-teen girls in Twilight shirts had already formed in the lobby, evidence that the night was going to be an interesting one regardless of the quality of the movie. I amended my plan to arrive at the theater at 10:45, so instead Stephanie and I got there at 9:30.
The line was already stretched outside the theater doors.
In the line I met Tammy, a 50 year old Twilight super fan. On first glance she looked to be an ordinary middle aged female, but a minute of conversation revealed her to be a lunatic. She professed to having read all 4 Twilight books 12 times, watched the first movie in theaters 39 times, and the second 35. She also has won several Twilight trivia contests.
Talking with this woman made the first hour of waiting in line go by amazingly fast. At 10:45, the time I initially planned to get there, the line was roughly 300 yards long, stretching all the way past the parking lot to the bus stop.
At long last, (11:15) the line began to move, and the Twilighters were divided up into four (FOUR!) large theaters. The movie started about a half hour late because people were still being seated until the bitter end. Crazy!
As for the film, well, it is a Twilight movie, and that's about all there is to say. Admittedly, it is an improvement on the first two, which I felt took themselves a little too seriously for movies about mopey teenaged vampires. This one had more of a sense of humor (although having recently seeing Grown Ups, perhaps my own sense of humor is tainted now). The acting performances from the three leads had already improved from "god-awful" to "dreadful" from the first to second film, and I am happy to report they have been upgraded again to "wooden". Perhaps by the fifth and final Twilight film one of them will win an Oscar? (HAHAHA)
As for the story, this one suffers from the same problem as the second, namely, it is an intermediary plot, driving the overall story forward to the ultimate climax in the last book. So, nothing really that spectacular happens. The characters all just develop a little bit more. I understand though that this problem is inherent in any series. The character development I appreciated the most is the back stories of some of Mopey Teenaged Vampire's siblings, those stories are by far more interesting than what is going on in Forks, WA, present day.
On the plus side, I must admit that this film isn't really half bad. The direction by David Slade, newcomer to the series, is a lot more focused than the earlier films. Rather than scenes just happening, then ending, then something else randomly happening, each scene in Eclipse leads into the next much more smoothly. And none of the plot points felt as rushed as some did in the earlier films.
Ultimately, I can't say that I enjoyed Eclipse, because I didn't. But I never rolled my eyes. It is a solid film, just not directed at my sort of audience. If you love Twilight, you will love it. If you hate Twilight, you will hate it. No minds are going to be changed this late in the game.
The theater I was in was 100% full, as were the three others (apparently). Everyone was super into it, predictably, and Jacob got lots of hoots and hollers. Before the film started a theater employee ran a basic scream-survey, Jacob vs. Edward. I think it was about 70-30 in favor of Team Jacob. The film ended to thunderous applause and lots of teenaged girls screaming (also predictably).
Attendance: 5/5
Crazy Fan Boy Factor: 5/5
Crowd Response: 5/5
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Production Value: 4/5
Acting Performances: 2/5
Plot: 2/5
Sulking: Down 20% from the last film
Overall: 5/10
