A Large Step Up from New Moon, but a Mis-Step Nonetheless

Rating: 6/10 (2 October 2010)

Not looking forward to seeing the next 'slip up' in the Twilight 'Saga', I went into the movie theater again with little to no expectations. And I must admit, I was slightly surprised...
Not much can be made from a lousy script, but a lot of character development was made. Kristen Stewart got a little better at portraying "Bella". But half of the credit has to be given to the script writer, who actually decided to give Bella a personality this time around. The writer goes more into Bella's 'fun-loving' past, such as vacations with her mom, and the jokes between them. Kristen also did a much better job of keeping her gaping mouth shut. She actually uttered a full chuckle instead of her little scoffing noise that she usually makes when trying to laugh. Nice step up, but still way below the normal standard of 'good acting'.
Edward stayed the same; not a lot of development. However, the chemistry between Edward and Bella seemed stronger, especially coming from Edward. Instead of looking at Bella like a delicious entrée, (I KNOW he's a vampire; ignore my pun) he looks at her like a true lover would. He also has some good comedic timing in his few jokes with Jacob.
Jacob...now there's a nice improvement. Still being all about fun, yet mature and serious, Lautner gives a very believable performance. 90 percent of acting is reacting, and Lautner did very well with reacting to the situations around him; taking advantage of every moment he could to dangle Bella in front of Edward's face.
The heart-to-heart that Jacob and Edward has was interesting, and went over better than I thought it would. But again, the scriptwriting was lazy. I predicted roughly 60 percent of their conversation almost word-for-word.
Rosalie's past was a WONDERFUL insight to her present actions. Reed does a very good job of keeping her 'snobby girl' facade even after she lets Bella in on her feelings and past. Her story makes you feel bad for her, which is something that the audience desperately needs to feel for Rosalie. There's a reason she acts the way she does.
Jasper's past was a great flashback as well; I was half hoping that more of the movie would revolve around his and Rosalie's past. They were much more interesting than the love triangle that was happening at the time. (And as a third-party observer; Jackson Rathbone looks SO FINE in that Civil War uniform!) The wardrobe department needs to fire a few people. Putting the ENTIRE Cullen family in DENIM-colored TRACK-SUITS? Honestly? *sigh* The Finale was nice and action packed. Just enough of the werewolf/newborn battle and just the right amount of Edward/Victoria showdown mashed together. There's been a bit of controversy about re-casting Victoria, and personally, I saw no difference. Other than the voice change, Howard did a great job of keeping Victoria's revenge-filled personality alive. Even Riley, who played a major part, was absolutely horrifying and devious.
I was slightly disappointed with Jane. From New Moon, we know that she's absolutely threatening, sadistic, and insane. But Dakota didn't relay it that well to the audience. Her lines are emotionless instead of horrifyingly quiet. There is a way to be quiet and terrifying, and Dakota couldn't hack it. The rest of the Volturi guard was fine.
It was a lot to shove into a single Twilight movie, but it was done tastefully. All it needs is a better actress for Bella, better scriptwriting, and more scenes with the Volturi. I absolutely cannot WAIT for Breaking Dawn pt. 2, so that Michael Sheen can re-enter the scene and show these teenagers how it's DONE!