The Best Entry in the "Twilight" Franchise... Still a sloppy, boring film, but a BIG step up after the abysmal second film...

Rating: 6/10 (4 February 2012)

People who have read my reviews for "Twilight" and "New Moon" know I'm not a fan of the series. But at the same time, I'm not a hater. I'm basically indifferent, and am only watching them as they become available for free to see what the fuss is all about.
I found the first film to be halfway decent (nowhere near as bad as the reputation), but it did suffer from sloppy direction (courtesy Catherine Hardwicke, whom has never impressed me) and a boring storyline that didn't take advantage of the material. The second film was much more competently made, and had top notch direction, but suffered from a painfully boring script and hollow characters, and ended up being one of my most hated films of recent memory as a result.
I was surprised to find that this entry was actually the best of the series thus far. Directed by the talented David Slade, this film delivers a suitable tone and style, and actually has a sense of completion. It didn't feel as vapid and lifeless as the first two entries.
When the evil Victoria (the gorgeous Bryce Dallas Howard) begins creating an army of vicious "newborn" vampires to get revenge against Bella and the Cullens, Edward (Robert Pattinson) is forced to team up with his rival Jacob the werewolf (Taylor Laughtner), in order to protect his love Bella (Kristen Stewart). That's basically the important plot line. They do try to add tension to the relationship of Bella and Edward, and make you guess more if Bella should be with Jacob, but it isn't important.
As I said, this is a well made film, courtesy of Slade's direction. It feels more confident and more secure with itself. The visuals are actually quite remarkable, and the battle sequences are well done, although still too brief. It is simply the best-made film in the series, and this is what makes it the best.
However, it still has a large share of problems.
For one, the characters are still infuriating. Bella still comes off as a complete jerk, Jacob is tedious and unlikable, Edward is still too much of a "wuss" at times. The main characters just aren't compelling, and I found myself worried more for the secondary characters (particularly the sweethearted vampire Alice, played by Ashley Greene, who is one of the only truly likable characters in the franchise). Also, the villainess, though played well, is underdeveloped beyond belief. Howard tries her hardest, but Victoria has always been uninteresting since her introduction- she's simply evil for the sake of being evil.
Also, the film wastes too much time on the romance, which was basically "completed" in the second film. Dragging out the "Who will Bella be with?" storyline is pointless, and even though the script was written by a woman, the film feels very misogynistic at times.
The writing is as corny and cringe-inducing as always. The film is still very boring, the acting is still a mixed bag. It's all very mediocre.
But as I said, this is easily the best-made film in the series, and is arguably the first entry to actually accomplish something of a plot. It was very watchable, even though the series feels like a Hallmark TV movie, with lame production values and bad writing. And for that, it gets credit, and I will say I kind of enjoyed it in a way.
I give it a just-slightly-above average 6 out of 10. This series still does not deserve all of the attention it gets, but it's OK.