Skillet Seal of Approval: Eclipse

Yes, you read that title line right. I, Skillet, have approved Eclipse. I refuse to call it by it’s “full name” of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse because it’s pointless. The Book is called Eclipse and that’s how I will call it. Now, let me set the scene.

June 30th 2010. I had a day off and I decided to beat the heat by seeing a movie. I had seen Twilight on a whim when it first came out, I knew nothing other than it was a book. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it – the soundtrack, the mood, etc. Then came New Moon. It was awful. Nothing seemed to happen. I felt as if I watched a series of events that could’ve been told in 30 minutes, dragged out over two hours. Uninspired directing, save for the opening shot through the Italian town, uninteresting character development and all in all it was just boring. I am pleased to report that Eclipse is a huge step in the opposite direction.

For starters the look is entirely different. Gone are the earth-tone based browns and reds as seen in the previous film as the story returns to the gloomy overcast of grays infused with mist and fog that surround the Cullen Clan, as well as the rest of the Pacific Northwest. This atmosphere reflects the story, which is much darker as the stakes are higher as the outlook for our characters become increasingly dire.



Bella (Kristen Stewart), still hasn’t decided if she wants to marry Edward (Robert Patinson) but she still wants him to turn her into a vampire, which he is against. This simmers in the background for most of the film as the Cullens, the werewolves, and the people of Forks are in danger as the vicious vampire Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard) is still out for revenge on Bella and she’s doing so by creating an army of new vampires to go after her and her friends. This includes the Cullens, and just about anyone else involved with them.

One of the elements that are improved this time around is the characters. We are given more background about the werewolves, Rosalie Cullen (Nikki Reed) and Jasper Cullen (Jackson Rathbone) which are used to help us understand them, as well as the gravity of their transformations and how they relate to Bella and her desire to become a vampire. It also helps the audience, who haven’t read all of the books (me included) become more involved with someone other than the three main characters we already know.

But of course, the heart of the film lies with the three main characters of Bella, Edward and Jacob (Taylor Lautner). The once obtuse love triangle set up in the first film has become equilateral. Bella now has a better understanding of the consequences of being with Edward or Jacob and sees that it is not as easy as being a “Team Jacob” or “Team Edward”. She sees that being with Edward would be a lot more costly to the life she knows than if she were to be with Jacob.

The action is ramped up and more violent than before as vampires battle vampires and werewolves battle vampires. The violence might be too much for younger children, but that’s to be expected when David Slade (Hard Candy, and 30 Days of Night) is directing. The music compliments the film both in score and soundtrack as it builds tension as well as set the mood for the other scenes. This is one of the better films of the year, and it’s Skillet Approved.