WHETHER YOU’RE SEEING Eclipse to impress a girl or you’re an official (or closeted) Twi-hard, here are interesting tidbits about the third installment of the saga:
Werewolves, vampires and new borns
In “Twilight,” we learned all about the unique vegetarian vampires who only feed on animals. They have golden-yellowish eyes, run fast, are super strong and sparkle in the sun!
We met the dashing, “ab-rific” werewolves in “New Moon.” Ironically, they don’t need a moon to transform. Now, “Eclipse” introduces the new born vampires. Vampires are strongest in their first year of transformation. They’re a bit moody—though I would be too if my eyes were bloody red.
Love triangle of the century
“Twilight” was all about Bella and Edward. “New Moon” was all about Bella and Jacob. “Eclipse” is all about Bella making a choice between the wolf and the vampire. Whatever team you’re rooting for, expect a lot of hot, tortured Edward-Bella-Jacob scenes—including, but not limited to, leg-hitching, jaw-punching and almost-naked cuddling.
New eyes, new view
Each movie in the franchise had a different director who inevitably brought his or her own style to the movie. Catherine Hardwicke (“Thirteen”) directed “Twilight” like an indie-movie, banking on the energy and spontaneity of teenage reckless abandon.
“New Moon’s” Chris Weitz (“About a Boy”) took on a more classical and romantic approach in adapting the second book. From the color palette of the movie to the CG work, Weitz provided a realistic setting for the girl meets werewolf story.
The third director, David Slade (“Hard Candy”), is said to be the edgiest among the three. Infamous for his dark sense of humor, his “Eclipse” promises to deliver interesting and unapologetic battle scenes. I wonder what Bill Condon (“Dreamgirls”) will bring to Breaking Dawn 1 and 2.
Cover symbolism
Each book cover (save for “New Moon”) symbolizes a juncture in Bella’s journey. The “Eclipse” cover sports a poorly tattered red ribbon. According to Stephenie Meyer, this is a physical representation of the struggle Bella goes through in “Eclipse.” She realizes that some of her choices have messy consequences and that some attachments are harder to walk away from.
Taycob, Kristella and Robward
Almost all of the actors will reprise their roles in “Eclipse.” That includes the trifecta: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner. After doing three movies together, the three leads have grown close.
In between takes, Stewart and Lautner are said to entertain themselves by playing a quick game of grape-tossing. Kristen would toss grapes into the air and, in keeping with his wolf-alternate-ego, Taylor would catch them in his mouth.
Pattinson amuses himself by teasing the more-often-than-not topless Lautner, joking that confusion usually sets in when Taylor comes on set with a shirt ON.
No hard feelings, though. Lautner and Pattinson are so close they have a hard time hating each other onscreen! They’ve ruined a lot of confrontation-pissing-contest-like scenes because, instead of screaming at and shoving each other, they end up laughing.
New Victoria
Victoria, the red-haired vampire who’s out to kill Bella, may look a little different this time around as Bryce Dallas Howard replaces Rachelle Lefevre. Despite the online petitions and general fondness for Lefevre by fans, Bryce was quickly embraced by the cast and has gained a reputation as a kind, gentle woman.
In fact, Robert Pattinson was said to have a hard time fighting with with Bryce in their scenes together because he thought she was so dainty. This hesitation went two ways, though. Bryce was also so scared of hurting or scarring Pattinson, because she kept thinking of the billion teenage girls around the world who’d be furious at her if she kicked Edward’s sparkly butt.
Keep an eye out for Victoria’s hunky henchman, Riley (played by Australian Xavier Samuel). Remember, when Meyers writes in male characters they’re either hot or hotter. Riley won’t disappoint.
Taylor-tubby
As in “New Moon,” the wolves were all CG-ed into the movie. In one intimate scene where Bella has a revealing conversation with Jacob in wolf-form, Taylor Lautner actually put on a full-body, grey spandex suit so that Kristen could react to something other than a tennis ball or a cardboard cutout of a wolf.
The suit covered his entire body, except for a hole where his face popped out of, like a Telly Tubby. Luckily, the other members of the wolf pack didn’t have to suffer the suit. They were constantly teased by the vampires for not doing their own stunts (as the CG wolves take over during fight scenes). Watch out for new additions to the wolf pack: the over-eager Seth Clearwater and his icy older sister, Leah (played by Booboo Stewart and Julia Jones).
Fighting blind
It’s no secret that “Eclipse” is the most action-packed of the three movies. In fact, the actors who play the Cullens had to go through several weeks of fight training. They were quite competitive and learned fast! Unfortunately, they probably should have trained with their specialized contact lenses on. When they finally got on set to shoot the scenes in full costume, their yellow-eye-makers provided a new challenge. The specially made, hand-painted lenses reportedly blocked their peripheral vision and they could only see straight ahead.
One time, Peter Facinelli (who plays Dr. Carlisle Cullen, the patriarch of the Cullen Clan) unknowingly hit Nikki Reed (who plays Rosalie Cullen) on her face and didn’t think twice because he thought he hit a tree. Nikki wasn’t the only one who got hurt. Jackson Rathbone (who plays Jasper Cullen) got a concussion when Kellan Lutz (who plays Emmett Cullen) accidentally punched him in the face when he didn’t duck low enough during rehearsals.
More please!
Can’t get enough of “Twilight?” Don’t worry. The Twi-fun doesn’t end with the movies and books! You can fill that Twi-void with merchandise such as T-shirts, posters, jewelry, water bottles, make-up, action figures, even toilet seats. Some are available locally, but most can be purchased online with a credit card!
You can be cynical and bash the movies and books all you want, but you can’t deny how great the Twilight soundtracks are.
How can you go wrong when you feature artists like Iron & Wine, Ok GO, The Killers, Linkin Park, and Bon Iver? The Eclipse soundtrack will not disappoint. Why?
* Muse is the only band featured in all three soundtracks. Author Stephanie Meyers has openly confessed her love for Muse and how much their music has influenced her writing. Their third contribution to the saga, A Neutron Star Collision, neatly summarizes Bella and Edward’s relationship.
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