Like it's vampires, Twilight: Eclipse has no soul.

Rating: 2/10 (25 July 2010)

I will not provide extended comment upon the twisted morality that drives the Twilight Saga, its degrading treatment of female characters and racial difference, but will instead review the film, not the messages that is sends to its generally impressionable audience.
While the back of the DVD case will likely say that the plot consists of Bella (Human) struggling with her conflicting feelings for Jacob (Werewolf) and Edward (Vampire), a love triangle complicating a sinister plot to kill her, this is somewhat misleading. Firstly, because there doesn't seem to be any conflict in Bella's feelings – she seems totally dedicated to Edward, never giving a hint of inner turmoil. This means that when she does decide that she likes Jacob too, the moment is meaningless, given the total lack of believable emotional build-up. Secondly, any sense of menace or drama from the bad guys is undermined by how little trouble they actually cause. A posse of supposedly extra-strong Newborn vampires attack Bella's smaller troupe of vampire and werewolf friends. The climactic battle sees a total of zero casualties on the good guy side, and the duel between Edward and Victoria, the 'mastermind' behind the miserable excuse for an evil scheme, likewise is almost entirely bloodless.
All of this is to say that Twilight: Eclipse presents a kind of soulless emotional vacuum – none of the romantic leads seem to have any feeling, or any expression beyond an occasional wince, and the sense of fear or suspense needed to add tension in the void of emotional involvement is absent. The young actors manage to make Keanu Reeves appear talented, and while they are not served well by the wafer-thin plot, they seem to be reading teleprompters, complete with stage directions.
The direction continues to rely on blue gels to create 'atmosphere', the effect achieved is one of dreariness that reflects the audience reaction. Unfortunately for David Slade, there is more to making a good film than pointing a camera at some stuff and putting 'Twilight' on the case.
Twilight: Eclipse is listless and emotionless, lacking tension and drama, humour and excitement, without redemption from the actors, director or effects. The general competence of the production is all that saves this from being completely laughable, as any film with this much money behind it will look and sound professionally made, but while the film may be justified financially, artistically it is inexcusable.