Top 5 aspects of Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart’s ‘Eclipse’ DVD commentary

As you might expect, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart’s commentary on The Twilight Saga: Eclipse’s DVD/Blu-Ray is a go-to-first feature of the disc. While it contains two hours worth of material, the five best aspects are, in this fan’s opinion, as follows:

• The Giggles: There are a lot of giggles in this commentary. Whether it’s Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart making each other laugh or the movie itself (and their memories of filming it) drawing out a stream of chuckles, the two certainly seem to enjoy the discussion. And it’s not just them laughing, either. You, the viewer, will probably get a kick out of Pattinson trying on his best “Jasper” impersonation, by saying “Afternoon ma’am,” and Kristen Stewart answering with “You sound like Jodie Foster in like Nell.” Another funny comes with discussion of the wigs. Throughout the talk, the theme continues to come up again and again – with Kristen Stewart, mostly, poking fun at her false tresses. You’ll get many, many little quips like this one from Pattinson: “Peter [Facinelli] also uses his wig as a cereal bowl.  It’s completely solid. He just plops it on in the morning.”

• The Co-stars: Having been the forefront faces of this series since movie one, you might imagine Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart have an opinion or two about their veteran and newer co-stars in Eclipse, and they certainly aren’t shy about sharing them – especially with the newest additions to this leg of the Saga, about whom they made sure to say something of each and every one. For instance, with Jodelle Ferland (“Bree Tanner”) they both agreed she has a powerful scream, and Stewart went so far as to say, “she should patent that.” They also gushed about Xavier Samuel (“Riley Biers”)’s performance, with Pattinson saying everything from “[he] would make a wonderful hamburger” to “I think Xavier’s really good.” Their words on their co-stars are very generous and specific to each, and it is lovely to hear, via this platform of discussion rather than an intense press junket, what they thought of the others in the film.

• Looking Toward Breaking Dawn: At one point in the commentary, Kristen Stewart flat-out asks Robert Pattinson whether he has begun preparing for Breaking Dawn. Of course, this commentary was recorded several months ago, so the status is obviously obsolete, but they both still had a few choice things to say about the story. For instance, Pattinson was just reading it and exuded excitement about the moment when Breaking Dawn would bring forth the imprinting sequence. “That’s going to be the best scene in Breaking Dawn,” he said. “I can’t wait.” Stewart, meanwhile, recounted her experience trying to explain the story to her On The Road co-star Sam Riley, noting that it began to feel a bit like she was at a press junket, trying to present the ins-and-outs of such a complex storyline to someone unfamiliar with the lore. The funniest part of this line of discussion was when the two walked a few months down memory lane to the Los Angeles Twilight Convention stop from this summer. “Bite that pillow!” Kristen Stewart remembers an audience member shouting.

• Jacob and Bella-hating: If there is any truth to the sentiment that art imitates life, and life in turn imitates art, then this is where it was most obvious in the commentary. Several times throughout the discussion, Robert Pattinson exhibits his own personal distaste for “Jacob” and his “brazen” behavior. He also turns a finger to “Bella” and her decisions, and Kristen Stewart takes to task the job of defending her character. For instance, in the moment where she rides off on the motorcycle from the parking lot after being asked not to, they have a very lively discussion about the propriety of the moment. “I don’t get your decision-making process to leave here. I didn’t even understand at the time,” he states. “The whole thing is like . . . she’s allowed to have other relationships,” Stewart replies. “If I ever saw my girlfriend go ‘round  . . . this bunch of guys’ houses with their little . . . bellies out, and their fake tanned nipples, and their iron-on tattoos . . .” he exclaims, of course with a laugh. And there’s much more like that. Which brings me to the final point.

• Rob’s philosophizing about the Saga: One of the most hilarious running themes of their Eclipse commentary is Pattinson’s here-and-there oh-so-deep discussions about the mythology of the story. It begins with a theory about “Alice’s gift” and to what extent she is able to foresee “Victoria’s” arrival and doesn’t end until near the end when he begs the questions of sensuality and lip-locking. Come to find out, Pattinson is a very shy and traditional fellow about such things! He seems to really have an interest in nailing down the hows and whys of many moments, and it comes off as an extremely entertaining session.

There are of course many other great things to look forward to from the commentary, including a few new tidbits of information (for instance, did you know that Kristen Stewart actually shot the “Third Wife” scene herself, cradling the dying man and everything?), but these were just a few standout aspects of it.

Be sure to pick up your copy on December 4th, so you can join in on the fun!

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