Eclipse

This is the story of werewolves, vampires and the teen girls who love them for some reason. The next two films based on Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight novels, based on her fourth, Breaking Dawn, will be directed by Oscar-winner Bill Condon (Dreamgirls). Meanwhile, this third entry, Eclipse, directed by David Slade (30 Days of Night), is what I think the first two should’ve been like.

Bella Swann (Kristen Stewart) and her vampire boyfriend Edward (Robert Patterson) are lovey-dovey as ever. Her werewolf friend, Jacob (Taylor Lautner), broods in the background fuming that she’s dating a bloodsucker.

Meanwhile, vampire villainess Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard) is out to kill Bella in Revenge by Proxy scheme for her mate James’s demise in the first film. That scheme involves raising an army of “Newborns,” freshly minted vampires superior to all others. To fight them, the vampiric Cullen clan must join with Jacob’s shape changing Quillite tribesmen for an old fashioned smack down.

So what has improved from the last two Twilight films? The teen soap operaness is far less over-the-top unlike the last film. The cinematography, by the last film’s Javier Aguirresarobe, suits the film’s dark atmosphere. And there is quite more action on-screen than off-camera or in flashback. Technically, this film does a good effort.

As for the “faces of Twilight,” aka the actors, they do an OK job at conveying their characters. The best one in the cast is Jodelle Ferland as a reluctant and thus, quite convincingly sympathetic Newborn vampire named Bree Tanner. Her final fate in the movie was quite effectively executed.

OK, I admit I’m not remotely in the target audience of the Twilight novels. But I think this’ll satisfy them very much; for everyone else, this film won’t do you any harm by seeing it.