Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, and some sensuality.
Directed by David Slade (30 Days of Night and Hard Candy)
Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson
Taylor Lautner
Is Eclipse the vampire word for bad choices?
Yes, this installment of the series continues to follow the love triangle between Bella, Edward and Jacob, and chronicles one bad decision after another.
Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger as Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob — knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella is confronted with the most important decision of her life.
Wow. Seeing a Twilight movie on the opening weekend is quite an experience. I saw the first one with my wife. I saw the second with Jonathan and David. This time I got to see it with my new friend Jake (Jr. High pastor at my church) and Hannah (one of our students). I was surprised that about ninety percent of the packed out audience were moms, and a quarter of them were wearing Twilight t-shirts. It is clear to me that age is not a factor and that Twilight has some passionate fans.
In this review I will talk about the movie itself and the message of the film.
As far as the movie goes, I can’t be too critical. The cast is back, the pace is much quicker than the second one and had even a few lines that made me laugh (“You know I’m hotter” and my personal favorite, because I said it before it was said on screen, “doesn’t that guy own a shirt?”
Unfortunately, the more interviews I see with Kristen Stewart, the harder I find it to like her and her character.
The biggest problem I have with the movie continues to be the characters and the choices they make. Edward is so “in love” (aka obsessed) with Bella that he seems unable to make any rational decision outside of their relationship. Likewise, Jacob, who is still in love with Bella, refuses to accept the reality that she will never feel that same way towards him even though she has told him many times. Then there is Bella. She is willing to sacrifice everything, including her family, her dreams and even her soul, to be with Edward (i.e. become a vampire). It’s the same old thing that we saw in the second film, New Moon (Jonathan and I talked in great detail about these elements in our 2009 annual movie review podcast).
Besides being overly dramatic, Bella continues to push the sex issue. In one scene in particular the two begin to kiss. Edward stops and says he wants to wait until they are married. The exact quote, “I want to make sure at least one rule isn’t broken.” Bella responds by saying “that is an ancient tradition.” How’s that for a message to our teenage girls?
It is scary to think that millions of teenage girls will be seeing this movie more than once and looking at Bella as their hero.
Even though the pace was quicker and there was more action, the love story triangle and the character of Bella make it impossible for me to go any higher than a score of “Only If Free.”
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
Jonathan and I have been discussing this since the first Twilight film. Realistically nothing has changed. I think Jonathan and David’s Youth Culture Window article, “I’m in Love with a Vampire” summed up our feelings about the movie then, and ring true for the entire series still. The characters are far from role models. As parents and youth leaders we need to be equipped and ready to discuss these issues with our students.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
Q: What was the theme (or the message) of this movie?
A: Eclipse’s message definitely hinges on the unhealthy love triangle between Edward, Bella, and Jacob. Edward’s obsessed, Jacob’s unrealistic, and Bella’s out of control. The message of the movie seems to be “as long as you’re in love with the person, whatever you decide to do with them is fine.” That’s not a responsible message, though.
Q: How should we – as serious Christ-followers — react to this movie?
A: We can’t get sucked into thinking that a relationship like Bella’s, Edward’s, and Jacob’s is healthy. It’s easy to think this sort of relationship is normal because of the movie’s incredible fame and influence. Plus, we see these kinds of relationships all the time.
But “feeling good” is very different from “being good.”
No matter what they say, Edward, Bella, and Jacob are searching for what feels good or what feels right. We must remember that God has issued us a call to purity. Our lives do not belong to us; our lives belong to Him.
Q: How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
A: First, we need to analyze our relationships. Do we want the best for our significant other, or are we just trying to satisfy our own wants? Are we “in love” with that person, or just “in lust”? Do we help make them a better person, or do we drag them down? Do they help our commitment to Christ? Are they a distraction to our faith?
Secondly, we must take action based off those answers. If we discover that a person continually takes us away from Jesus, we need to take a hard, long look at whether we need that relationship.
We cannot let someone else stand between us and Jesus.
Jonathan McKee
Jonathan McKee is the author of over twenty books including the brand new The Guy's Guide to FOUR BATTLES Every Young Man Must Face; The Teen’s Guide to Social Media & Mobile Devices; If I Had a Parenting Do Over; and the Amazon Best Seller - The Guy's Guide to God, Girls and the Phone in Your Pocket. He speaks to parents and leaders worldwide, all while providing free resources for youth workers on TheSource4YM.com. Jonathan, his wife Lori, and their three kids live in California.