Millions of fans can be wrong.

Rating: 2/10 (3 July 2010)

Third instalment in The Twilight Saga manages to suck dry what was left of the potential for a good movie after the New Moon fiasco and also any interest left in the casual audience, in how the story will conclude in the next, final chapter of the franchise.
Nothing has changed since the previous film and the opening brings a sense of a deja vu. Bella's love affair continues in almost idyllic manner. But it all quickly fades away as the army of newborn vampires ravages Seattle and Victoria, set on revenge, reappears. The only chance for Bella's safety lies in the unlikely alliance of Edward's family and Jacob and his werewolf clan.
With a new director and a plot that finally seems to stumble upon the promise of an excitement , some real thrilling action and first resolutions, things could only be better for Eclipse. As it turns out, weight of the layering romantic dilemmas can kill quicker than fangs or claws.
Film drags, with the inevitable conflict with Victoria looming somewhere on the horizon but ultimately being postponed time and time again. Film is forced, by the nature of the source material into never-ending conversations about the nature of Bella's choice to, for eternity, be with Edward. But neither the consequences of losing her soul or, finally, emerging triangle with Jacob, push forward enough emotional value to make it all engaging. After third or so lengthy dialogue, it's difficult to shake the feeling that we've been listening to the same neurotic note in Stewart's voice since the opening of the Twilight. Frankly, it seems that for all the emotional anxiety in Twilight's characters Woody Allen would make a great director for the next film. By this time however, boring mannerisms of the entire cast are forgettable and foremost forgivable, considering the lines they have to pronounce. It is sad though that five minutes given to Dakota Fanning's on-screen presence pretty much demolish the rest of the performances, with truly frightening intensity that is not only matched by Sheen's appearance in the New Moon. With words not really pushing the story forward, but rather circling around the obvious, you'd at least hope for some CGI supported action. Well...
David Slade attempts grittier and bloodier mood but any hope that the director of atmospheric 30 Days of Night can sustain it, is buried after the first few opening scenes. And it is not until the last 20 minutes that the film moves into less familiar territory. But even then it's let down by the editing that either tries to hide poor special effects or just proves that someone was actually working in the dark. Action sequences are roughly cut and brief- for all the attempt on the tension, they carry too little punch.
Verdict: As it stands, Twilight is a dead man of a cinematic franchise with a personality of a teenage soap opera and a quality of a total bore. Brief moments of self referential humour and quick glimpses of, what supposedly was meant to be an epic, brutal confrontation towards the end is hardly a redeeming value. If there is one fault that dominates over the others it would be that after 2 hours we learn nothing and move in no direction whatsoever. No promises are made and frankly, I couldn't care less if someone will even attempt to improve, with inevitably upcoming Breaking Dawn.
1.5/5