The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: Critic Reviews

If you belong to a Jacob vs. Edward blog, or have a Twilight poster hanging over your bed, this is your movie.

The movie is about a girl's primal dream of being desired. That may well be corny, but it's also an essential antidote to summer-movie hardware.

A more robustly entertaining film than either of its predecessors.

In a universe where almost all CGI-laden, blood-spilling tentpole movies are aimed at ensnaring the teenage male, there's something to be said for a series of films aimed squarely -- and successfully -- at teenage girls.

This third go-round won't make Twihard converts of the rest of us.

If Slade doesn't necessarily advance the medium with this installment, he nonetheless advances the franchise, with enough lucidity and skill that he's persuaded at least one erstwhile agnostic to take a stand.

These movies are more about the experience of hearing girls and women who should know better holler at the screen. They could just as well be at a concert.

Eclipse is the least laughable installment yet in the series, and director David Slade efficiently delivers the fan service that Twihards require.

If you adore Meyer's characters already, you'll be thrilled to spend more time with them. If you don't, well, you'd just end up sitting among a bunch of sighing teens (and their moms), wondering what the fuss is about.

I can't pretend that the third episode instilled a fever in my blood, but it didn't leave me cold. For the first time in the series I felt I'd seen a real movie.

Slade skips the stultifying slow-motion fantasy sequences that so weighed down New Moon in favor of a well-paced blend of action and introspection.

While the new Eclipse remains foremost a flick for devotees, it has sturdier pleasures and takes on its emotional ambitions with renewed dedication.

The third chapter in Bella Swan's via dolorosa is still pretty much of a drag for anyone not affiliated with Teams Edward and Jacob, but it certainly eclipses the dead-on-arrival dud that was New Moon.

For most of its languorous running time, it listens to conversations between Bella and Edward, Bella and Jacob, Edward and Jacob, and Edward and Bella and Jacob. This would play better if any of them were clever conversationalists.

More happens in Eclipse than in the previous Twilight zone, New Moon, and yet it's duller.

This is definitely the worst installment of the franchise to date.

Easily the least compelling, least fun entry in the saga thus far.

Slade shapes the tale's characterization and narrative with a sure hand, pausing to fill in the back stories of several vampires. The asides don't feel digressive, but add depth and scope to the story.

What elevates Eclipse above the previous Twilight films is that it doesn't take itself so seriously, and Slade doesn't allow his stars to.

The pleasant surprise this time around is that the result finally feels more like the blockbuster this top-earning franchise deserves.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse dispenses with much of the caramel gooeyness of the first two episodes in favor of decent action, some heartfelt tender moments and even a splash of wit. This time they're actually Twi-ing.

The Twilight Saga comes close to that sweet spot between swooning silliness and special effects slaughter with Eclipse, the third film in the series.

Eclipse suffers from an excess of characters and dialogue and a shortage of real plot changes, even with Hard Candy's sharp-eyed David Slade at the helm.

When you see love represented on film in such an authentic and genuine manner it's easy to find yourself in a forgiving mood.

All three actors are comfortable with their characters, and Slade finds the right balance of action and romance; the story feels organic. Some of the dialogue is earnest and silly, but the core strength of the Stephenie Meyer novels is here: the battle be