Last night marked my first Twilight midnight premiere, and I cannot get over the sheer pandemonium in the theater. I am talking about massive amounts of our city’s female (and the occasional forced boyfriend) population crammed into dimly lit theaters to catch a peek at sparkling vampires and werewolves with washboard abs! It was an all night event as the theater played all three films, and one could not step out for a break without coming across lines of pajama-clad fans waiting for the midnight hour to arrive. The overall excitement of the audience was comparable to waiting in line to see a favorite rock band.
This was the camp out for this film outside of a Los Angeles theater
Finally, the moment arrived and a hush fell over the crowd. Eclipse was on, and suddenly it was either zip your lips or have them zipped for you by a 13 year old girl with braces sporting a “Team Edward” shirt.
The storyline picks up right where New Moon left off with an unanswered proposal, and a battle looming over the Cullens as Victoria is still trying to seek revenge for her fallen mate by making attempt after attempt on Bella’s life. However, this time she is doing it with an army of bloodthirsty newborn vampires.
For those who have not kept up with the latest news on the third installment, Bryce Dallas Howard took over the role of Victoria after the departure of Rachelle Lefevre. It was a tough job, but she pulled off the fiery-haired vixen in style. The Volturi are still breathing down everyone’s neck, but the main focus was on how to deal with the scorned villain.
Quality was still low on the werewolf construction (the visual effects), but no one seemed to mind. In fact, most of the women were wishing for a shape-shifting hunk of their own. The trouble with these films is the need to take a gigantic novel and cut it down into a two hour film, but director David Slade seemed to keep with the spirit of the original literature.
Unfortunately they still look this bad
He brought to the table more intensity in the action sequences whether it was a romance or battle scene. In fact true fans will be happy to know the speaking parts were diversified, and other characters were able to have their say. Jasper, played by Jackson Rathbone, was key in the battle preparation and audiences were able to learn more about his interesting past.
All-in-all it was a good night for the Twi-hards. The film managed to fix many of the problems even the fans had with New Moon, and throws in more scenes in there that can appeal to a broader range of people. It's well above average, but still falls short of greatness.
If you are a fan of the saga, have no fear when going to the theater this week. If nothing else, go watch Edward and Jacob constantly try to snipe at each other in a rather comedic fashion.
-Carla
