Better, but still not there....

Rating: 7/10 (15 July 2010)

Eclipse is no doubt much better than New Moon with some real acting from the 3 leading actors this time. Not that they are bad, but they were suffocated in the previous movie by a very stiff directing job. And some of the chemistry between Bella and Edward,which conquered everyone in Twilight, is back. I confess that after watching the horrible New Moon and hearing that a horror film director was chosen for the part in Eclipse, I dreaded the outcome. Surprisingly, he did got it right! The formula of not deviating from the books is all the fans expect. The book is always narrated in first person, and so it is good to hear Bella's thoughts every now and then. That was well covered in Twilight. The books captivated the public with a love story between teenagers and so it has to be light, and full of jokes mainly from Jacob as he is really the youngest of the three. Also, I believe that what appeals to the fans , and not only the young ones, is the way sex is treated in the story. In a time where you see teenage singers overdoing everything to appear sexy (some are borderline vulgar), is refreshing to see sex linked with all the stirrings that first love causes in a old fashioned way, maybe, but nevertheless alluring. Bille Burke is as always by far, the best actor in the movie. The actors who play the Cullen family are all terrific since the first movie of the saga, but now that the storyline gave more significance to their character, they really had a chance to shine. There is one negative point to Eclipse though: the soundtrack. The songs helped Twilight to be a success ( who can hear Supermassive black hole by Muse without remembering the vampire baseball game?)and prevented New Moon from being a total disaster. But the soundtrack in Eclipse is a bit disappointing. The song chosen for the scene in which Bella try to seduce Edward is a bit cheesy. And honestly, none of the others impressed me either. If the last book is divided in two movies, let us hope for a much better soundtrack in the first part, because there is no action in it.