Best one yet!

Rating: 9/10 (2 July 2010)

I thought this movie was very good. I didn't read the book just before seeing the movie (the Harry Potter movies taught me that wasn't a good idea) and I only read the book once. Although I'm not a die-hard fan of the series, I did go to the first two movies (with my friend who IS a huge fan and loved this one) and I have to say, this movie was the best so far.
You can tell the actors are starting to get comfortable with each other. Bella and Edward, while never my favorite couple, are nonetheless much more interactive and believable in this movie than they were in the first two. And Jacob is excellent. The scene that Jacob and Edward have together in the tent is superb. Also, I loved any scene where Edward was uncomfortable.
The back story of the newborns, taken from the new novella and not Eclipse itself, was an interesting addition. While not strictly necessary, it added depth to the villains that made the movie more interesting, and the fights more believable. Actually, they were likable enough that you felt bad for them when the Volturi were planning their demise. Not to mention some good violence scenes that came out of it.
Finally, the CGI of the wolves was great. I could almost believe there were real wolves there...of course, you could still tell it was CGI because of their precise movements, but they didn't stick out like bad CGI does. And the fights between wolves and vampires were very well blended indeed.
I don't know why this movie is rated so low...probably just people wanting the whole of the book crammed into the movie and missing their favorite part. But as someone who completely forgot what happened in the third book by the time I saw this, I have to say I loved it. The pacing was good (no random scenes circling around Bella for unnecessary lengths of time) and it was easy to follow. To all involved in its creation, keep up the good work!