It would have been so easy

Rating: Null/10 (30 November 2010)

There are two types of reviews: those by people who don't know the books and just judge on it from an outsider's point of view and those, who actually know and like the books and have certain expectations. There's a huge difference between going to the theater and not expecting nothing, maybe even expecting the worst and going to see a movie you've been actually anticipating. I'm the second type and here's a review from someone who used to be optimistic about the Twilight saga.
I read the books and Eclipse was my favorite so I went in not expecting the best but at least a halfway acceptable compromise since there's no way to squeeze a detailed book into 120 minutes of screen time. But never would I have thought that they would somehow manage to ruin the storyline in such a way that even a fan like me would turn their back on it. I've known Kristen Stewart's non-existent acting from the previous movies and still it shocked me how she made Bella look like a emotionless robot with exactly 2 1/2 facial expressions and a talent to make meaningful lines sound like an instruction to knit a pair of socks. Her expression when facing the possible loss of her best friend is the same as when being proposed. And if the main character isn't working, not even a good soundtrack, impressive scenery or good co-actors can save the movie. Robert Pattinson's performance didn't do much for me either but at least he has the excuse of playing a dead guy. That famous Robsten chemistry? I didn't see it. The mating habits of sea cucumbers seems more exciting. Jacob and the wolves were ridiculously under-represented and instead of investing screen time in that friendship the director/editor chose to waste time on comparatively insignificant side stories. I didn't believe the whole love triangle because there wasn't enough time to establish the relationships in a credible way. In this movie Bella neither loved Edward nor Jacob, and the vampire didn't really hate the werewolf or vise versa, the whole thing was wishy washy from beginning to end and the hand full of good moments like the garage scene with Jacob or brilliant performances by the "humans" were unfortunately drowned by a rushed storyline and some hideous looking wigs. Some scenes seemed endless and made me want to take a nap in between (what's up with those meadow scenes?!) while others were too short and rash. David Slade does have an eye for great scenery and big pictures, the colors were vibrant and the action scenes dynamic with fantastic visual effects. But that is not what the movie was supposed to be about and the actual plot, just like Bella, seemed as deep as a puddle. It would have been so easy to make this book a fantastic movie - it had the suspense, the action, the love, the angst, an emotional roller-coaster. How in the world they managed to ruin so much potential is a mystery to me. I suggest Summit invests money in acting classes and a capable wig maker for their final chance to make the Twilight Saga look like something else than all show and no go.