Thursday, July 1, 2010

Top ten things to hope for in 'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse' DVD's deleted or extended scenes [Spoiler Alert!]

If you haven't seen The Twilight Saga: Eclipse yet, do be warned that this is a spoiler-ridden post and you may want to save it for later.

Alright, so we know that David Slade's revealed at least one deleted scene we should expect to see on an Eclipse DVD, but there are a few other moments that one might hope for on such a feature.

The one we know is coming is the Angela and Bella "jealousy" sequence - where the two discuss Edward's feelings about Bella's friendship with Jacob over graduation announcements.

So, putting that one aside, here are ten other moments one might hope to see:

1. "I felt hope": The Twilight Saga: Eclipse does a nice job of bringing in Jasper's backstory, for sure. And the chemistry between Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) and Alice (Ashley Greene) is very palatable in both the ending of that story and the fight training sequence. However, a significant quote that Jasper says about finding Alice in Eclipse the book didn't make the film cut . . . "I felt hope." It's certainly forgiveable - especially since we weren't shirked on the Jasper Whitlock Hale "ma'am"-ness - but it'd be nice to see a fuller account of the Jasper and Alice tale, especially the part where Edward describes their first visit to the Cullen household.

2. Quil and Claire: It's borderline creepy to some (perhaps outsiders particularly), sure, but it is necessary to make the Renesmee/Jacob dynamic in Breaking Dawn make any sense. In The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, no mention is made of Quil and his two-year-old imprintee, and something about the situation needs to be elucidated to segue into what comes next in the imprinting world. Otherwise, it'd have to be squeezed into The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, and we'll be far too busy in Isle Esme for that.

3. "Close the window": One significant change that The Twilight Saga: Eclipse made to the story of Eclipse is to remove the kidnapping sequence. Yes, Edward's behavior in these moments is undesirable and it probably was better to shorten it to just the moment where Edward dismembers her car for the sake of film continuity. Still, one line that was removed from this moment was the one in which Edward tells Bella to shut her window if she doesn't want him to come in due to his behavior. This was important because it showed Edward's remorse but also illustrated Bella's understanding when she ends up opening it as wide as it could go. It'd be nice to see this on-screen - unlikely as it may be. Edward isn't all sunshine and roses in Eclipse, and we need to believe Bella when she says that she "know[s] who he is" to Jacob's "he isn't perfect" near the end.

4. Emmett face smash: A few days ago, we learned that at least one portion of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse's battle sequence was pared down to appease the MPAA and maintain a PG-13 rating: an Emmett face smash that David Slade described as "the face kind of breaks off into pieces of crystal that shatter." That's something I'd like to see for sure . . . even if it meant buying an unrated DVD.

5. Jacob and Bella post-punch: The cut from Bella punching Jacob in the face and hurting her hand to the front yard of Charlie's house was rather quick in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. I rather enjoyed it in the book when Bella gets fierce with the smug Jacob and calls him a dog. Of course, in the film, Edward is a bit more frantic in his threats than he was in the book, so that eliminates the possibility for some of the best zingers in this portion of the story, but there still could've been more in between these two moments. If there was, it'd be good to see on DVD.

6. Alice and Bella: Bottom line: there just hasn't been enough Alice and Bella. Their scenes together are fleeting moments in the films, including Eclipse. As noted before, the kidnapping scene is gone from The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, and most of the time Alice is in a scene in these movies, it's as part of the Cullen brood and not as an individual with Bella. There's not been that discussion of fashion or wedding plans or vampire speed party preparation like we got to see in the books. Alice is probably one of the top five most loved characters in the Twilight Saga, and she deserves some personality screen time. I'd like to see some more Alice and Bella chatting it up like the best friends they are supposed to be.

7. "I kissed Jacob": The fact that Bella kisses Jacob in Eclipse is paramount. While The Twilight Saga: Eclipse does handle it nicely, the film could've stood to see more discussion of that moment (particularly the fact that it's a bit of a game between Edward and Jacob).

8. Bella and Jacob, old and gray: Leading off of point number seven, there should've also been a flashforward sequence between Bella and Jacob. In the book, when Bella kisses Jacob, she sees the possibility that he offers her. She can see the potential for children, grandchildren, and a normal, healthy future with Jacob flash before her very eyes, and it is particularly important in relation to the words Rosalie says about her own life's fate. My hope is that this was filmed and will be included in the DVD.

9. Bella meets Bree: This was another significant moment in the book that didn't get attention in the film. In the book, Bella meets Bree as a ravenous, screeching newborn who badly wants to bite her. It's a glimpse into what she might be able to expect in her own not-too-distant future. In the film, however, Bree is rather quiet and tame - in fact, she's unrestrained altogether. It'd be nice to see the ravenous version of Bree in the deleted scenes.

10. "Don't watch": One of the most interesting things about The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella was that it added a secondary layer of meaning to Edward's final words in the story - "Don't watch." In Eclipse, it seemed that Edward was speaking to Bella, but in Bree Tanner we learn that he's probably speaking to both Bella and Bree. Of course, in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, the portion with Edward and Jane exchanging cryptic words (the meaning of which we also learned in Bree Tanner) was included, so it would've fit neatly into the story for "Don't watch" to make the script, but it didn't. Perhaps the scene will be extended for the DVD.


Article by Twilight Examiner {Amanda Bell}

[Ina Noorazan]

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