The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)- Movie Review for Parents

Bottom line: The intense Twilight saga continues in the third installment, Eclipse, with heated kissing scenes and a complicated love triangle. Bella, the human damsel in distress, becomes the subject of a war between rival vampires and werewolves that results in many vampires being torn limb from limb. Luckily, vampires don't bleed.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse - Overview

When we left Bella at the end of New Moon, she had just received a marriage proposal from her beloved vampire boyfriend. But alas, to the astonishment of fans I'm sure, the beginning of Eclipse finds Bella resisting Edward's wish to marry her. She will not agree to marry him, even though he has promised to grant her heart's desire and change her into a vampire if she does.

Meanwhile, rumors of killings in nearby Seattle begin to unsettle Edward and the other Cullens, and it soon becomes clear that a vampire is creating an army -- most likely the creator is their old nemesis Victoria, who will certainly be coming after Bella. Because newborn vampires are exceedingly strong, the Cullens must bolster their numbers by agreeing to a tense alliance with the wolves, bringing Bella's friend and old flame Jacob (a werewolf) back into her life. As the Cullens and the wolves prepare for a massive battle, the love triangle between Edward, Bella and Jacob heats up. The battles of love and war play out as the Volturi (vampire law enforcers) look on.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse - Guide Review of Movie Messages and Content

With every bit as much gripping romance, supernatural action and drama as the first two movies in the series, Eclipse continues the story of a girl caught between two worlds. Twilight fans who loved the first two movies will love Eclipse as well, and both Team Edward and Team Jacob can look forward to some satisfying scenes. Like the first two movies, Eclipse is rated PG-13, and contains sensual scenes and violence.

The idea of love being exciting and dangerous continues to reign in this series. Bella not only falls for dangerous guys, but she is also willing to give up her life and her family for one of them. Bella and Edward express their differing views on intimacy, though, when Edward resists her sexual advances, wanting to wait until they are married to consummate their love. Bella describes this abstinence idea as "ancient." While the two remain clothed during love scenes, the kissing and dialogue become very intense.

A battle over Bella with an army of newborn vampires isn't a pretty site, but at least vampires don't bleed. We see them being torn limb from limb and beheaded, but the inside of their bodies looks like crystal, making them appear as broken dolls. Other characters do bleed, and one suffers extreme pain from numerous shattered bones. Some scenes in the movie also depict vampires stalking and biting humans, which may be disturbing to some viewers. For more detailed information on movie content, please see the "content overview" below.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse - Content Overview

• Violence (High): Violent scenes in Eclipse involve humans, vampires and werewolves. Vampires stalk humans through darkly lit streets, pounce on them, and bite them. The vampire bite causes extreme pain. Vampires also fight with other vampires and werewolves. Vampires are killed by being torn limb from limb and then burned. A couple of humans in the movie stab or cut themselves in order to draw blood and distract vampires. A girl hits a boy in the face when he kisses her without permission. In flashback sequences, a girl is accosted by a group of men and it is implied that she was raped and left for dead.
• Scary Scenes (High): Scenes listed under "violence" may be frightening to young viewers. The mere idea of vampires and werewolves (people who turn into very large, real looking wolves) may be unsettling for some, especially the vicious newborns or the controlling and evil looking Volturi. The movie contains several suspenseful scenes in which characters are being stalked and/or chased by vampires.
• Sex/Nudity (High): True, there is no sex portrayed or implied in this movie. However, the romantic scenes (which involve kissing and making out) are shot with great intensity, and the young characters showing such intensity of physical and emotional feelings may make it very enticing for young viewers to try the same thing. Also, Bella's comment that the idea of practicing abstinence before marriage is "ancient" may not sit well with some parents. A few jokes containing obvious innuendo are made.

• Drugs and Alcohol (High) A group of drinking and very drunk men accost a young woman. A man sits in fear drinking alcohol from a bottle.
• Language (Medium): The words "ass," "damn," and "hell" are used. The phrase "Oh my God" or variations of the phrase are used.
• Disrespectful/Imitative Behavior (Extreme): Bella tries to convince Edward to have sex with her. Victoria creates a newborn vampire army in order to get revenge on Edward. A guy forcefully kisses a girl to try and convince her that she is in love with him, after which the girl punches the guy in the face. Alice lies to Bella's dad about a sleepover when in fact Bella will be spending the night alone with Edward.
• Sad/Unsettling Scenes (High): A cop is shown talking with a family whose son is missing. Jacob is badly injured and cries out in pain. He is also devastated that Bella is making the choices she is. Bella's dad is worried that her relationship with Edward is not healthy. One vampire girl is killed even though she was innocent and tried to do the right thing.
• Topics to Discuss: After seeing Eclipse, kids may have questions about topics such as supernatural creatures, souls, virtue, abstinence, death, afterlife, shape-shifting, drinking or drunkenness, rape, revenge.