David Slade is one of the best things to happen to the Twilight film franchise. Under his direction, Eclipse manages to find a better blend of action, humor, and romance than the previous two entries, but the improvement is still hampered by moments of unintentionally hilarious melodrama that come off even worse than before, because now they interrupt some truly quality entertainment. However, the movie does also have a new self-awareness and pokes fun at itself (and the whole Twilight phenomenon) in a few clever lines and scenes.
The three leads have never been better in their parts. Though Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are still obnoxiously serious for the most part, they both have better grips on their characters and manage to add more depth to their previously one-note performances. Stewart gets the Most Improved award for not biting her lip and moaning all of her lines. It was truly a pleasant surprise.
Taylor Lautner gets a lot of the film's funniest lines, but he also handles the new intensity required by his character's arc very well. He and Pattinson make believable rivals, but they also delivery on the underlying sense of respect - the friendship that could've been if they weren't in love with the same girl. I still have trouble imagining Lautner ever giving a really effective performance in any other film (something Pattinson and Stewart can both already claim), but as Jacob, Lautner's range is put to perfect use.
The supporting cast has always been one of the franchise's strongest suits, and this third chapter is no exception. Ashley Greene and Anna Kendrick are charming as ever, and Nikki Reed gets her moment in the spot-light in a great flashback sequence for Rosalie (unfortunately, Jasper's story doesn't fare quite as well). Bryce Dallas Howard is a good replacement Victoria, though she's in the movie so little that casual fans might not even notice the new casting. The best new addition to the case is Xavier Samuel as Riley, the leader of Victoria's newborn army. He's tough and torn, and oddly enough, he's a more handsome guy than either of the leads that cause girls to squeal.
Taylor Lautner gets a lot of the film's funniest lines, but he also handles the new intensity required by his character's arc very well. He and Pattinson make believable rivals, but they also delivery on the underlying sense of respect - the friendship that could've been if they weren't in love with the same girl. I still have trouble imagining Lautner ever giving a really effective performance in any other film (something Pattinson and Stewart can both already claim), but as Jacob, Lautner's range is put to perfect use.
The supporting cast has always been one of the franchise's strongest suits, and this third chapter is no exception. Ashley Greene and Anna Kendrick are charming as ever, and Nikki Reed gets her moment in the spot-light in a great flashback sequence for Rosalie (unfortunately, Jasper's story doesn't fare quite as well). Bryce Dallas Howard is a good replacement Victoria, though she's in the movie so little that casual fans might not even notice the new casting. The best new addition to the case is Xavier Samuel as Riley, the leader of Victoria's newborn army. He's tough and torn, and oddly enough, he's a more handsome guy than either of the leads that cause girls to squeal.
The film outstrips its predecessors on a technical level, too. The special effects are much better - the wolves look great and the vampire fighting doesn't look so ridiculous. The sparkles still don't work, but I don't think there's a way they ever could. Luckily they're constrained to a few short scenes. The score is effective (if forgettable), and the film's editing allows it to build fantastic momentum before slowing down to sludge through its third act, while its cinematography features the gorgeous scenery.
The technical successes don't extend to hair and make-up, however. The vampires' appearances are still hit-and-miss. Even the paleness of certain characters seems to fluctuate from scene to scene (just like Jasper's on-again-off-again accent). For the most part, the cosmetic missteps aren't too distracting, but there are some glaring exceptions, like Esme's (Elizabeth Reaser) seemingly painted-on eyes.
Fans of the books will likely appreciate the amount of content the filmmakers squeezed into this entry. There's even some content taken from the latest novella, and even just its existence makes the short screentime Bree (Jodelle Ferland) receives all the more tragic.
The technical successes don't extend to hair and make-up, however. The vampires' appearances are still hit-and-miss. Even the paleness of certain characters seems to fluctuate from scene to scene (just like Jasper's on-again-off-again accent). For the most part, the cosmetic missteps aren't too distracting, but there are some glaring exceptions, like Esme's (Elizabeth Reaser) seemingly painted-on eyes.
Fans of the books will likely appreciate the amount of content the filmmakers squeezed into this entry. There's even some content taken from the latest novella, and even just its existence makes the short screentime Bree (Jodelle Ferland) receives all the more tragic.
It's hard to say where the franchise will go from here. Eclipse is the strongest book in the series, and Breaking Dawn is just going to be a mess to adapt to the big screen. Splitting it into two parts is completely unnecessary, but with Bill Condon at the helm, I'll hold out hope that he'll make it work (maybe with a few big musical numbers or by recasting Jennifer Hudson as Bella). For now, Twihards should celebrate that they got another solid entry in the franchise, because the future may not be so bright.
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