Better than New Moon - mostly enjoyable

Rating: 8/10 (21 July 2010)

Really liked this one. I was so disappointed with New Moon. Thank goodness Eclipse is an improvement.
Pluses: 1. Action and romance are back. There is a lot of action and romance for those who found New Moon a drag. Much more intimacy here as well. At least you feel you got your 10 bucks worth here.
2. Directing. Slade is also a better director than Weitz any time - better focus and faster pace.
3. Acting. Kristen looked very pretty and carried the movie - no mean feat for an actress her age. The proposal and abstinence message were quite romantic. Rob is good though it's puzzling why his coloring seems to change from scene to scene. He doesn't seem consistently pale. Taylor's facial expressions are a bit limited and sometimes his face is a bit weird looking. They really do exploit him here poor thing.
4. More balanced storyline. A lot more air time for the supporting cast especially Rosalie and Jasper's backgrounds and the wolf vampire history are interesting. It was nice to get behind the characters more and have some explanation of the history. Although would have liked a bit more from the human classmates like Angela, Mike and Eric.
Minuses: 1. Dialog.
There are long heartfelt emotional speeches by the leads, and some of the dialog is a bit lame. Maybe some of the weaker parts could have been shortened. Ms Meyer's words do need a little help when moving from page to screen. In Twilight the dialog was more humorous and to the point. There are some funny moments though like Charlie's talk with Bella "I'm a virgin!" and Jacob's "I'm hotter than you".
2. Score. The songs chosen were inappropriate and distracting especially when the Cullens were training the wolf pack. Twilight 1 was the best for scoring and music they need to look back to that for inspiration.
3. Casting The newborns Riley and the new Victoria - Bryce Dallas Howard are not special enough (why did they dump Rachelle Lefevre?) and you don't really get a feel for them like the James in Twilight. Basically lame looking threats - no charisma. I still think Dakota Fanning lacks menace she's just too babyish looking.
4. Scenery. Some pretty parts used but the Seattle killings felt repetitive - is there only 1 dirty backlot they could have used? The meadow and clearing were not great. Photography could have been more stylish in parts.
Overall an improvement over New Moon. I still find the original Twilight the most enjoyable. Eclipse was entertaining and romantic, a big step in the right direction for Breaking Dawn.