Rated PG-13
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse begins with new vampires being created in Seattle, a major city near Forks. Killing sprees are abundant, and no one knows who or when it will stop. Enter our star-crossed lovers, Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. Bella is preparing to graduate high school and change into a vampire forever. Edward is encouraging his girlfriend to wait a while longer before making such a final transformation into a "monster" like him. And a third party has entered into the relationship with them. Werewolf Jacob Black, knowing that Bella's human days are drawing to a close, decides to make his final move to secure Bella for his own. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is two supernatural boys fighting over one ordinary girl. Now, that's a good story, folks.
As the movie unfolds, Edward's family realizes that these killings in Seattle are somehow linked to Bella. The vampires of Forks (Team Edward) and the wolves of La Push (Team Jacob) unite to fight an epic battle against this army of newborn vampires. In the midst of this struggle, our heroine Bella finds herself fighting two sides to every coin. She loves Edward and wants to spend forever with him, but she can't let go of Jacob. She wants to become a vampire to help with the fight, but she also wants to experience some more human things first. Bella can't stand the thought of Edward and Jacob engaging in a battle where lives will be lost, but she knows that her own selfishness to make them stay will possibly hurt other people. Bella is lost and confused in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. By the end, she must make a decision and stick with it - forever.
And here is why I had problems with the movie version of Eclipse. Bella's internal thought process is obsolete in the movie. In the book, the reader feels the contrasting emotions pulling at Bella. Her choices are agonizing, and Bella moves through a tedious process to mature in this story. It really seems like Bella may choose Jacob, like he is a viable option for her. In the movie version, Jacob seems like a distraction. The powerful messages of Eclipse are reduced to teenage fodder in the movie version. Even Bella's seduction of Edward in the bedroom scene was simplified. The viewer never fully understands how much Bella must sacrifice for her love with Edward.
OK, enough criticism. Let's find the themes in this story. Eclipse is my favorite book in the Twilight series. When I first read the book, I wanted to hit Bella upside the head with the hard cover of my book. Her character is infuriating and just plain whiny in this story. When I readEclipse for the second time, I saw how beautifully Stephenie Meyer painted a picture of transition from adolescence to adulthood. Bella must reconcile two sides of herself - the human and the supernatural. Bella's journey is a lot like our own in real life. When we begin to understand the greater reality of being in Christ, we crave a sense of peace between these two existences - living in the world and living in Christ. We need a reconciliation of the heart, a place of commonality for the soul. We as Christians can find this place in the foundation built by God. The apostle Paul describes it this way.
You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness...No prolonged infancies among us, please. We'll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love. Ephesians 4:4-6, 14-16 The Message
While our lives may fluctuate with lovers, friends or family, our core foundation in Jesus Christ always stays the same. It never changes or moves. Christ is constant in our lives, and we find a placed of reconciliation with other believers. That's why being part of a community of Christians is so important. Everybody is used differently by God, but each of us is created with the same Oneness in us. In the Twilight series, we see this happen in the wolf pack. Sam and his pack have different personalities, but they are effective when they work together. The same is true for the Cullen family. They have different abilities, but their unity and love far surpasses any supernatural power.
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse ends with Bella making some final decisions for her future life. She doesn't play with anyone's emotions anymore. She doesn't act like a baby when she doesn't get her way in some situations. Bella begins to feel empowered by her new maturity. In growing up and becoming part of one community, she finds the peace and reconciliation that she desires. How will Bella's newfound maturity change her relationships? You have to wait until November 18, 2011, to get that answer, my friends.