“The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” Movie Review

www.mannythemovieguy.com I was ready to hate the third installment of the popular “Twilight” franchise. While I appreciate the book series by author Stephenie Meyer, I thought the movie adaptations of the first two novels were horrible. So to my surprise, “The Twilight Saga Eclipse” was actually good. Gone are the cringe-worthy dialogue, acting, and shots of Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) walking in slow-motion. Instead, we get an intriguing premise, and for the first time, I actually believe the love story between Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and Edward. Credit goes to director David Slade, the guy who gave us the better-than-average chiller “30 Days of Night.” He was also responsible for the fantastic film “Hard Candy” that featured a pre-“Juno” Ellen Page as a teenager who teaches a pedophile some hard lessons. Slade knows how to create atmosphere and tension, and he put that knowledge to good use in “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.” From the tense-filled opening scene to the nail-biting finale, Slade acted like a mad virtuoso who made a movie with equal parts action, romance, drama, and comedy. The first “Twilight” is about the courtship between Bella and Edward, while “New Moon,” the second film, was about the love triangle between Bella, Edward, and the shape-shifter/werewolf, Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). “Eclipse” is about how Bella bridges the gap between the vampires and the shape-shifters. The “Twilight” franchise is growing up and “Eclipse” is the darkest of the …