You cannot discuss movies or books and ignore the phenomenon that Twilight has become. For the record, I have read all four books and have seen all of the movies (no, I don't want your pity). What kind of media site would this be without the obligatory Twilight post? Before we get into it, let me say this from the very start: if you have not read the books or seen the movies, please be quiet. Nothing is more irritating than someone shooting off their mouth about something they know nothing about, or being forced to listen as someone pontificates based in someone else's opinion. Too many people are quick to jump on the I hate Twilight bandwagon, because it is the cool thing to do. Sure, Meyer loves purple more than Barney, and Mr.Thesaurus probably wept with every stroke of her keyboard, but that does not mean that there isn't something valuable in all of this.
Eclipse begins with Edward trying to convince Bella to marry him. Based on the destruction of her parents relationship, she believes that marriage right after leaving high school is not a good idea. We'll call this score one for the personality-less Bella. She is right, rushing into marriage is not a good thing and the fact that two out of three marriages end in divorce bears witness to this. Even as Edward is trying to persuade her to go down the aisle, he is keeping a secret from her. Victoria, the vampire that we met in the first installment of the Twilight series has not give up on killing Bella to revenge the second death of her mate James. The vampires and werewolves are hunting her to no avail.
Of course, it is Jacob, her friend with an obsessive type love for Bella that finally tells her the truth. Though Jacob tries to act as her protector, his insistence in forcing himself upon her, despite her repeated insistence that she only wants him as a friend, is troubling to say the least. Some would say that this sends a negative message to young girls, but I think that young women are clearly able to see this for what it is -- especially when his attempts to force a kiss on Bella ends with her punching him. Yeah, yeah, I know she breaks her hand -- but let's remember, she punched a freaking werewolf in the face, what did she think was going to happen? One of things that irritates me about Twilight critics, is that when it is convenient they
forget that they are dealing with mythical creatures of unimaginable strength. I also think that it is worth noting, that when Edward rushes to threaten Jacob regarding his violation of Bella he says, "let me give you a clue, wait for her to say the words." This of course is a message that anti-Twilight people ignore, because it asserts that women's bodies cannot be manhandled at will -- and we simply cannot acknowledge that young girls are not necessarily being warped by all of the negative connotations. You cannot have it both ways -- either you accept that there are positive messages in Twilight and admit that the story is more complex than it seems, or you don't trust young girls and women to work their way through fantasy to find a compromise that makes them happy.
Okay, onto the action. It is revealed through one of Alice's visions that Victoria is building an army of newborns. We are told that newborns are stronger than the Cullens, because they still have some of their human blood flowing through their body. Okay you vampire purists, stop your whining and complaining right now. Yes, I know that customarily vampires get stronger as they age, but the mythos surrounding vampires has constantly evolved. Remember that at one time vampires were pale, disgusting to look at, and constantly bloated from copious amounts of blood. Nothing remains static and I don't see this as a major attack upon vampires.
Finally, the film moves from Edward and Jacobs male posturing to an alliance out of necessity. Realizing what they are up against, the Cullens and the werewolves decide to fight the vampire army together. One night Jacob takes Bella to a tribal meeting and she hears the old legends. This is indeed a problem because Meyer simply forced her story upon a First Nations tribe, with no respect for their culture or traditions. There are those that have taken issue with the fact that Jake is shirtless throughout much of the movie and use this as another wedge to claim racism in the telling of the story. Okay, once again I am going to say it loud and clear -- we are dealing with a werewolf. How many different werewolf stories have made it clear that their body temperature runs high? Furthermore, the more clothing that they carry with them, the more that they will have to haul when they change form. Practicalities don't always equal racism, though I will admit that Meyer does a good deal of that all on her own.
While we are at it, lets deal with a few other points concerning the werewolves. Just because they don't immediately trust the Cullens enough to appear in their human form, does not make them paranoid. Can we all just remember that we are talking about supernatural creatures. If they were to appear in human form that would make them vulnerable. I know that the Cullens appear to be all goodness, White, shiny, and light, but I really see this as a realistic form of protection, rather than a statement about bodies of colour. The telepathic communications that they engage in is not a way of erasing their individual status, it is a way of coordinating their action. Do you think that wolves in the wild break into prose, or that they have a way of communicating with each other that humans don't quite understand? Find me a wolf that gives the occasional soliloquy and I will eat my words.
Bella and Edward are alone and she agrees to marry him, as long as he accedes to her condition of pre-marital sex. That was probably a big deal for Meyer to suggest, because she is a Mormon after all. All things being equal, a woman instigating sex would not be a big deal, but in a sexist patriarchal world, it is a step forward to see Bella attempt this and not feel shame for her desire to be with Edward carnally. The female empowerment ends quickly when Eward says to Bella, "stop trying to take your clothes off." Of course he comes from an age of chivalry and such things didn't happen then (that would be snark). He speaks of courting her and possibly stealing a kiss, after he had asked her fathers permission to marry. I am going to call bullshit on this one. I think that many people suffer under the illusion of a mythical past that involves chivalry and men respecting women. There were no good ole days when men magically respected women and furthermore, the idea that he is protecting Bella's virtue is specifically based on a sexist patriarchal understanding of women's bodies, and female sexuality. Finally, how many rotten marriages were created out of lust and a desire to get laid?
I suppose that is the end of the love triangle right? Wrong. Jacob overhears Edward and Bella talking about the engagement and like a tragic warrior he marches off to battle, but he is stopped by Bella who asks me to kiss her. Would it really have been that hard to have Bella use words to relate to Jacob instead of offering her body? Then like a magical fairytale she realizes that she loves Jacob too, just not as much as she loves Edward. Say awww everyone. And the people in the back scream go team Jacob.
The battle ensues and of course the Cullens emerge victorious. Was there ever any doubt? Edward is however forced to take care of Victoria himself, because the others are busy. At the very end a vampire emerges out of nowhere and Jacob gets hurt. The werewolves carry him off while they await for the arrival of the Volture. I think the few scenes involving the volutre present some of the best acting in the movie, which is a sad thing because the movie is two hours long. This is exactly why an Oscar award will not be visiting team Twilight anytime soon. Of course, they discover that Bella is still not changed and they announce that they will be back.
Bella rushes to Jacobs side where he tells her, "I'd rather get all the re-birthing done at once. It wasn't easy making you admit all of your feelings for me". He certainly had that right. He had to stalk her with creeptastic type love and then get half his body crushed by a vamp, but hey, on the bright side she loves him -- she just loves Edward more. But why give up there, "I'm exactly right for you Bella; it would be as easy as breathing with me," he says. Note, this is some of Lautner's worst acting in the movie. He really does better when he is just running around without a shirt on not saying much.
Of course the movie ends with Eward and Bella alone in a field, with her declaring that she belongs in his world. She isn't becoming a vampire solely because she loves him and wants to spend an eternity with him.
I've always felt out of step, like literally stumbling throughout my life. I've never felt normal because I am not normal. I don't want to be. I've had to face death and loss and pain in your world but I've also never felt stronger, more real. more myself -- because it's my world too"
From this we are supposed to understand that Bella has made her own decision to take her relationship with Edward the next step, and that she has thought through all of the ramifications. Along the way you have to forget the creepy way he acted when he first met her, and the stalker behavior that he engaged in, to see this as a light and fluffy moment rather than a moment of capitulation.
The truth is, if you sit and analyze Twilight from beginning to end, you are going to find a mega ton worth of shit wrong with it, but can we really watch anything in the media without compromising some, if not all of our beliefs? I think that people are trying to hold Twilight to a higher standard because the fans are mostly women and that sets the entire series up to fail. The bottom line is that it is a vampire, teenage, angsty, Mormon love story, and if you go into it looking for more than that, you are going to be disappointed. If you need a little mindless bubble gum for the brain and get a kick out of vamps, I say why the hell not, it's certainly better than watching "Grown Ups", Adam Sandlers latest flick.
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