Eclipse: Movie review

Eclipse:
The Twilight Saga had finally found its footing with Eclipse, the third film of the blockbuster series. The actors are obviously comfortable and know their characters well, but with Eclipse a few of the minor characters of Twilight and New Moon are given their chance to spend a few minutes in the spotlight. And with the third film, theaction is taken to a different, grittier and much more realistic level.

Bella's ready to give up living and breathing for an eternity with Edward, Edward's still not convinced Bella's making the right decision, and Jacob's positive Bella's not thinking straight as the action of Eclipse kicks off. And while all teen vampire/werewolf/human love triangle stuff is keeping the threesome occupied in Forks, nearby Seattle's been hit by what appears to be a ruthless serial killer. But we know, and the Cullens shortly figure out, that it's actually an army of newborn vampires on the prowl. Who created them and for what purpose - those are the important questions the Cullens need to figure out. It doesn't take them long to determine vampires are behind all the dead people turning up in Seattle. They can't just sit back and let innocent people die - and let the Seattle killings draw the Volturi close to Forks - so they plan a roadtrip to the city to see if they can take care of the situation.

However, a roadtrip becomes unnecessary when Alice peers into the future and sees the newborns will be coming to Forks in just a few days time. The short notice worries the vegetarian vampires, as does the sheer size of the newborn army, but an unlikely ally turns up in the form of the wolf pack. Jacob offers up the wolves' help and while this isn't something Edward particularly wants - why give Jacob another reason to hang out with Bella? - it's the only logical solution. After all, if you were forced into battle against out-of-control crazy new vampires with superhero strength and your only chance of coming out of the fight without losing a few members of your sparkly vampire family, wouldn't you turn to the neighborhood werewolves for help?

Despite the wolves and a few other minor issues, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is easily the best of the Twilight pack thus far. It's got just the right mix of action, drama, humor (something completely lacking from the first two films), and romance, it's beautifully shot, swiftly paced, and proves the old adage that the third time is indeed the charm.