Eclipse

The Eclipse (2009)

This movie, set in Ireland, focuses on a decent guy named Michael. He is raising a couple of kids on his own, his wife having died 3 years earlier. The movie picks up with him volunteering for a literary festival. Part of his job is picking up various authors and taking them from stop to stop. One of these authors is a woman named Lena, who writes books about encounters with ghosts. Michael thinks he has been seeing the ghost of his father in law creeping around his home. But this confuses him because he is still alive, though confined to an old folks home. The rest of the movie is Michael dealing with guilt and grief over the death of his wife, the abandonment of his father in law, and some issues he is having with his children. There is also another story line with a famous author that is trying to start a relationship with Lena, in spite of the fact he is married.

This is one of those times that I think that the company behind a movie isn’t doing themselves any favors. The pitch for The Eclipse really plays up the ghost part of the story, which is a big mistake. After watching this movie I would say that it is more of a drama. The Michael character, which the movie spends most of it’s time focusing on, is just trying to get his life together and work some things out. The ghosts are a minor plot point and only used as a device to prod him along. Though they might have prodded a little harder. The story is very slow and confusing at times. This honestly isn’t helped by the movies random attempts at jump scares 2 or 3 times. I get the feeling that the filmmakers thought they needed to play up the supernatural elements, but that simply isn’t the strong point of the movie. The Eclipse is at it’s best (which still isn’t great) when dealing with Michael and his problems. I was far more interested in what was going on in his head then what was happening with the ghosts haunting him. Though really there is only one ghost and they never do explain why he is haunting Michael. So maybe in the end the filmmakers felt the same way as well.

I have to be honest and say that the movie just isn’t that good. As I’ve already stated the movie is really slow and confusing. This isn’t helped by the fact that this is being pitched to genre fans as a ghost story, when again as I’ve already stated it really isn’t. So your audience is going to come into the movie with some expectations that aren’t going to be fulfilled and then hit with a very slow plot. That is a terrible combination and is only going to set this one up for some hate from the fans. This is unfortunate because I think that the movie isn’t that terrible. It’s pacing pretty much excludes me from ever watching it again and I wouldn’t recommend a purchase. But renting it might not be such a bad idea. Especially if you have a significant other to watch it with, which is what I did. There is also a very sweet little ending to the movie that in my mind sort of redeems it a bit. So maybe this is a good movie to rent on date night. Just don’t expect a supernatural thriller.

2 ½ out of 4

reviewed by John Shatzer