Warning: Spoilers from the book included in my discussion of the movie.
Like many
Twilight readers, we headed out last week to watch
Eclipse. After being a little disappointed by
New Moon (please say someone else giggled at the scene that shows Bella and Edward running through the forest), I was a little nervous to see
Eclipse, but have to say that I actually quite enjoyed the film. I can't say that I paid enough attention to discuss the cinematography, the musical score, or even the action sequences enough to really speak about them with any authority, but will say that as for plot lines that I'd worried about and waited to see, I think they got them. Nervously, I waited for the moment that Edward would propose, hoping it wasn't overly dramatic, or something too cheesy. They seemed to play out that scene with a lighter hand than I expected, so it turned out better than I thought. Overall though, I enjoyed the film, and it had me thinking about how they might film, and/or split up
Breaking Dawn into the last installment.
Having revealed that I enjoyed the film, let me follow it with my thoughts on why I think that was the case. In June, I started rereading both
New Moon and
Eclipse. After the last film, I felt like I needed to go back and reread the story so that I could remember some of what happened. In part, because I finished the novel only minutes before we walked in to watch the movie, I think I then had the story fresh in my mind. This helped me really place everything going on, and anticipate certain scenes. Not that I didn't know that rereading a book before a film was good if you felt shaky about the plot, but I think I'd underestimated how much better a film can be if you really remember the storyline.
As I've mentioned in other posts, I always like to read a book before seeing the movie version of the story. Nine times out of ten, the book ends up being better than the movie because of the amazing detail the book can go into, while the movie tends to put visually what I only could imagine. Reading and viewing have their pros and cons, and you can sometimes be gambling with being frustrated over a poorly made movie of a book you love, but sometimes you do get a nice surprise. For me, that was
Eclipse in this scenario, and I think that my last perusal of the novel helped make it a better viewing experience than with the second film.
Have you ever reread a novel before seeing the film, and thought it helped you enjoy the film more? If you had a chance to see Eclipse last week, what did you think, better or worse than the second?
This non-review actually counts as my third and fourth in the
E-book Reader Challenge, as well as the ninth and tenth in the
2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge.
I recently reread Eclipse for the same reasons. I still have to go see the movie though. Hopefully it will be better than New Moon. I might be a minority, but I really enjoyed the Twilight movie. New Moon was a huge disappointment.
ReplyDeleteI don't even remember what the plot of Eclipse WAS. It was my least-favorite book of the four, and I don't plan on seeing the movie in theaters. I'll probably just watch it on DVD.
ReplyDeleteI don't usually read the book before the movie; I like to consider each on their own merit.
Love to reread before seeing the movie, but alas not always enough time! I had to settle for the movie marathon before the midnight showing of this one...hehe. Eclipse the movie was DEFINITELY better than NEW MOON. High hopes for Breaking Dawn! ^_^
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to giving Twilight another shot. For some reason after reading the first book (a while ago) I discovered I liked the film more. I thought the book (while easy to read) it was also difficult to get through at times. My first two books are missing, but I have the entire set ready to buy at Amazon when I'm ready. Can't wait!
ReplyDeleteI'm looking very forward to Eclipse on dvd. ;) Breaking Dawn not so sure I've heard weird things, but again I like making up my own mind. Eclipse just looks better than Twilight/New Moon combined. Especially, with more action and I'm also hearing better character development for the most part.
Irisonbooks--I didn't care for the second movie as much either. I have to say though, that I won't go to that last movie without rereading it first! This last experience showed me that it helped me connect. Well, I hope you get to go see it soon! :)
ReplyDeleteHeidenkind--That's a good point about judging them by their own merit. I usually do that, but with such a phenomenon as these films are, I had to revisit the novel first. I also disliked Eclipse the most, so I was ready, but I actually ended up liking this last film. It could be that they are catching onto how to tell the stories onscreen?
GMR--I totally understand. I don't always have time to reread either. This was a nice luxury since it's the summer. Yes, I'm eager to see what they do for Breaking Dawn as well! :)
MillyMarie--That's interesting about your feelings now about Twilight. That was my favorite of the four books, but I didn't have super high expectations for that first film. That's cool that you're ready to get the set of books.
I didn't like New Moon the movie at first. I too giggled and snarked at the running happily every after scene. I think I was pretty critical because it's my favorite book. I like the movie now. But I do think the movies are getting better with Eclipse being the best. I laughed a lot at moments that the audience was intended to laugh at this time. So, that's good. I was disappointed with the sound track though. The New Moon soundtrack is awesome so Eclipse's was a let down.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any of the books but I have watched all 3 movies. Eclipse was the best movie by far.
ReplyDeleteBut I swear if she doesn't dump that glittery pasty white boy for that hunk of werewolf hotness I will seriously have to render her brainless.