Thrills of days past and forever gone

Film review: Eclipse

 MANILA, Philippines - I am the middle-aged mother of a teen-aged girl. And like all other protective mothers, I want to be very sure that what our kids are watching is safe, that is, not extremely violent and will not give them wrong ideas about relationships in general and sex in particular. That is why, I had to watch Eclipse before my daughter went to watch it with her friends. What? You don’t believe me? Oh, alright. I admit to being an avid follower of the quadrilogy written by Stephenie Meyer. I have read all of them. I watched the first two movies. Yes, I am a fan, and my daughter will be embarrassed that I am even writing this.

But what is wrong with someone of a certain age totally enjoying this meant-only-for-teenaged-girls movie based on a book series categorized informally as teen-lit? Ah, to see the passion of Jacob fighting for his first love; to feel the pain of Bella over having to choose between two loves; to watch Edward control his jealousy; to relive vicariously the sweetness of one’s first kiss. The movie gives us back the thrills of days past and forever gone.

I will not dwell on how unremarkable the first movie was and how disappointing the second movie turned out to be. This third installment was truly worth my time and effort and the millions of fans all over the world agree with me, judging from its being the highest grossing movie for several weeks now earning around half a billion dollars as of this writing.

Why is the movie Eclipse so much better than the earlier two? First, the actors have become better and more attuned with their roles. Taylor Lautner, now bigger and beefier, playing Jacob Black, a werewolf and the series’ tritagonist, is more confident with himself and is credible in his character’s pleas to Bella (Kristen Stewart) to choose him and live a “normal” life (that is, as normal as it could possibly be) than live with someone who is dead and forever cold. Second, the movie capitalizes on the enjoyable rivalry between the two male leads injecting humorous exchanges that send the audience to fits of laughter, as when Edward (Robert Pattinson) asks, “Doesn’t he own a shirt?” to the forever-shirtless-showing-his-muscles-and-perfect-abs Jacob, or in my favorite tent scene where Jacob, offering his body heat to the freezing Bella, tells Edward, “Admit it, I am hotter than you.” With Eclipse, the debate among us females, young and feeling young, as to who should win the heart of Bella has become stronger than ever. And, everywhere I go, the winner is always … Jacob. Yes! (Obviously, I am with Team Jacob. Hahaha.)

Making the movie more thrilling are the great fight sequences between the wolves and the vampires and those among the vampires themselves. This action factor makes it okay for boyfriends (or husbands) to tag along. Also, I liked the part where two of the Cullen family members, Rosalie and Jasper, narrate how they came to be vampires. This makes it clear to the audience that, yes, for each vampire, there is an accompanying dark back-story. Another great thing about Eclipse is the introduction of Xavier Samuel who is a stand-out as the head of the newborn vampires fighting the extremely good-looking Cullens. I should also not fail to mention the wonderful music and the outstanding cinematography.

There is not much oozing of blood (but more of like porcelain heads breaking here and there), hence, the violence is controlled. Virginity should be sacred until marriage as espoused by Edward, hence, pre-marital sex is clearly not encouraged. A father talks to his daughter about the birds and the bees, grounds her for reckless acts and disobedience, and directs her to more acceptable company, thus, parental authority is reinforced.

With all these and more, will I allow my daughter to watch Eclipse? You all know my answer.

(E-mail author at [email protected] or text 0927-5000833.)