The Twilight Eclipse Review

The Twilight Saga, at least in film form, has to this point been a big waiting game. In Twilight, we were introduced to the central relationship of Bella (Kristen Stewart) and vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson), with little more established than that they were really into each other. In New Moon, Bella's friend Jacob (Taylor Lautner) came into the picture as both a possible suitor for Bella and as a werewolf, creating an especially tension-filled love triangle since, in the Twilight world, vampires and werewolves are natural enemies.

While Twilight got by on the newness of the relationship, New Moon stalled out because nothing really happened. Could Eclipse finally kick the series into high gear? If it doesn't quite reach that goal, it's not for lack of trying. The action this time around picks up almost right where we left off, with Edward trying to convince Bella to marry him, something he requires before he will fulfill her request to be turned into a vampire herself. Meanwhile, Jacob is acting pouty since Bella appears to have all but chosen Edward over him.

However, the fact that both of them love her comes in handy when a new group of vampires, led by the evil Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard, stepping in for the deposed Rachelle Lefevre), start attacking innocent citizens of Seattle in order to create an army. Their goal? To kill Bella in retaliation for Edward killing Victoria's mate, James, two movies ago. Victoria has been after Bella since Twilight, and this threat seems to be the most serious yet. Consequently, Edward's family and Jacob's family decide to put aside their differences for the common good, the protection of Bella.

The feeling of forward momentum is ever-present in Eclipse, even if it's accomplished with a lot of smoke and mirrors. While the focus is still on tangled web of love between Bella, Edward, and Jacob, action or allusion to action rears its head often enough to keep the level of suspense up. There are times that director David Slade and writer Melissa Rosenberg seem to be teasing us, having characters talk about action that's happening off-screen. But the sequences they do show are the most intense scenes of the series, with multiple vampires getting their comeuppance in a unique, hard-to-describe manner (think ice breaking and you're close). Slade, who also directed the vampire-centric 30 Days of Night, was obviously a good choice to helm this outing.

Once again, the story requires that all three main actors be perpetually moody. While the desire to see one of them -- any of them! -- smile only increases the more they scowl, enough humor is injected by other characters to make up for the trio's limited range of facial expressions. Bella's father Charlie (Billy Burke) pops up as comic relief now and again, with his position firmly on Team Jacob serving as the source of much of the laughter.

Stewart, Pattinson, and Lautner are now obviously fully comfortable in their respective roles. While the repetitiveness of their actions can get a bit old, not once are any of them unbelievable. As the intensity of the story grows, they each rise to the level needed to match. Most of the supporting characters are now familiar enough that only a line or two is required to make them effective. Two newbies stick out for different negative reasons, however. It's unclear exactly why producers decided to replace Lefevre with Howard, and Howard's performance doesn't really justify her inclusion, as she struggles to hit the right notes for the villainous Victoria. There's also a forced showcase for a minor character named Bree (Jodelle Ferland, who appeared in support of Eclipse at Victory Park over the weekend). Given the level of impact she has on the film overall, it's odd how much they focus on her. Odd, that is, unless you know that Bree was given her own spin-off novella by author Stephanie Meyer. Can you say "synergy?"

This is clearly the best film in the series so far, mostly because the story actually feels like it's going somewhere. Taken on its own, Eclipse provides plenty of romantic intrigue and related excitement to keep even casual fans (like myself) interested and ready for more. With two more films to go (the last book, Breaking Dawn, has been broken into two films a la Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), things only seem to be getting better.

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