Movie Review: The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Kill me now, but I actually adored the movie! Haha.

Seriously. It's incredibly rare that I enjoy a sequel to a film and it is even more uncommon for me to appreciate the third and so forth, but I shockingly thought that Eclipse was easily the best installment in the saga so far. I've read the books and seen all the movies, and while this film definitely had it's differences from the book, I actually found this third adaptation a tremendous step up from New Moon and especially Twilight.

Just from from the opening scene alone, the film already had a glossier look to it. Visually and technically, the movie offered a quality production. The fight scenes felt sharper, the special effects were amazing, the cinematography was once again beautifully striking and lush, and the scoring/soundtrack was gorgeous.

Oh, and the Cullens toned down their cakey make-up. Haha. I mean, since Twilight I've been fretting about it as every Cullen looked overly powdered. Here, it looked like the make-up crew was revamped - pun intended - for the film, because every single vampire was at their perfect level of pasty. Ha.

The performances of the leads, I thought, also improved dramatically. I mean, there was an apparent growth both in their acting abilities and how they've added more depth to their characters. Robert Pattinson's facial expressions and body movements complimented the character from the book pretty well. He understood subtlety and was exquisitely understated when required. Taylor Lautner, who I thought was a revelation in New Moon, did just ok here. I'm not so sure if it was the material but his portrayal seemed a little lacking. I don't know. Kristen Stewart, on the other hand, was surprisingly very good. She pulled me into every scene and she was utterly convincing as Bella. She fits the role perfectly. And since the film explored the bizarre love triangle that's Edward-Bella-Jacob, I found the chemistry between the main threesome enthralling and believably complex.

But of course, it was not all Bella, Edward, and Jacob. The supporting cast also delivered good-to-great performances, especially Rosalie and Jasper. Really. What could have been an absolutely campy flashback in period clothing turned out to be a surprisingly well-done peek into their previous lives. It was well acted and everything just felt right.

Now, as for the role of Victoria, I never really had a problem with Rachelle Lefevre as the red head vampire, and while it's a shame she got replaced, I thought Bryce Dallas Howard more than made up for it. She actually gave the role some much-needed depth, which was quite impressive given how brief her material was and her the climactic battle with Edward was pretty intense and nicely done.

Shockingly, I have no major criticism about the film aside from the crappy wigs of some vampires. I thought the pacing was decent, which I complained the last time. And while there were still some inconsistencies and syrupy dialogue, I actually didn't mind. Besides, the 'corniness' and 'cheesiness' wasn't over-the-top here.

Ultimately, if you hate anything that has to do with Twilight, then, no, this film probably isn't going to change your opinion. But if you're a fan of the saga and you don't go in expecting a perfect adaption, then you should hopefully enjoy it. I did, and I'm choosing to remain cautiously optimistic for Breaking Dawn - both parts.

RATING: 8/10