Better than the previous but it's still too uneven

Rating: 6/10 (20 July 2010)

In the core of The Twilight Saga, there is the love story of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan. And in the first book I found this rather entertaining and cheesy but still entertaining. But as the books kept adding more and more, that was lost and the movies while being poorly made aren't really helping. In Eclipse this core isn't really part of the movie, the movie works with all the added material, mainly Jacob Black.
Robert Pattinson is an actor I do like but not playing Edward. His performance in Eclipse relies solely on the same painful look on his face and nothing else, and he talks kinda like an emo Christopher Walken. He does have a good few lines in the movies, but nothing else really. Edward come off as a jerk and rather creepy, instead of charming as he is supposed to be. Kristen Stewart has the hardest job as she has the weakest character. Kristen doesn't fit this role at all, she is a great actress that ends up coming off as flat and uninteresting as Bella, thanks to a uneven screenplay. And her character just gets weaker and weaker as the movies go on, she can even make the most simple of decision in this movie. Then there is Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black that is fantastic in this, the one character I didn't care for at all in the books, is the only one I give a damn about in the movies. Lautner plays Jacob with a certain mix of charm and a cocky attitude that works on- screen and is fun to watch. The rest of the rest of the cast is decent, unlike the previous movies in which they really didn't have much of role, in Eclipse they all play a much bigger part and they all worked well.There is definitely chemistry in the supporting cast.
The big improvement of Eclipse is that it doesn't take itself as serious as the previous installments. They joke around about how over the top and ridiculous everything is and it makes the movie easier to like and more fun to watch. The other improvement is the action,it's very well choreographed and it's exciting and entertaining to watch. These are much-needed improvements in the franchise and they made the experience so much enjoyable.
There are still many problems needed to make these movies great, Eclipse is the only one of these movies that I would say is good, but still many improvements are needed. The plot of the army of new-born vampire could have been more interesting but the plot is really non-existing because the movie keeps its focus so much on Edward,Bella and Jacob that they rush the story towards the end and just tell you whats gonna happen instead of showing us, and letting us be part of the film. So, it feels more like a friend explaining the novel to you instead of you paying to watch the work of professional writers, actors and director. And, I know that Twilight is more about the characters than the plot, but when the lead character is so weak,and Edward being so obviously one note, that leaves the movie in a tough position. I like the supporting cast but their time is so limited on-screen they don't add much to the movie, so it's up to leads and only Lautner stepped up .One actor can only do so much.
So summing things up, Eclipse is a decent movie, way ahead of the previous installments. It still won't win over non-fans, but with the better made action scenes and occasional humor it's a more enjoyable experience. Many improvements are still needed, but this is a good step forward. It's more of the same but it's better made.
I give it a 6.5/10