Four Torches (Out of Five)

It’s much better than Twilight: New Moon.

Which isn’t saying much, right?

Will Bella pick Edward or Jacob? Assuming you haven’t already read the books, Twilight: Eclipse, which hits theaters today, will finally give you the answer — and more:

Victoria comes for revenge — along with a new clan of fresh vampires — and The Volturri come to take Bella, if she doesn’t become a vampire herself. And while Edward and Jacob may dislike each other, they also love the same thing — Bella — which means joining forces to protect her.

Twilight: Eclipse is much better than the last movie, because, well, we finally get some action: not just in the love triangle, but also with vampires against vampires, vampires against werewolves, and vampires teaming up with werewolves.

It also has more kissing (as well as the infamous tent scene near the end of the book) and, most important of all, much more humor — more than the first two movies put together. The entire theater erupted in laughter at least ten times in the screening that I saw.

Which isn’t to say the movie doesn’t also have its slow moments. They’re important for the story, especially for those who haven’t read the books, but they’re still … slow.

Of course, the same cast comes back for the third installment (and will also return for the fourth and fifth films). With the same cast, the chemistry between them all is now pretty great. As the love triangle between Edward, Bella, and Jacob heats up, so too comes the opportunity for some “serious” acting. They all acquaint themselves well.

The Volturri were not as much a part of the movie as I thought they would be, but they make a strong impression that will hopefully be carried over to the next movies.

Reviews of sequels in popular series are pointless, aren’t they? Fans are going to see the movie (and detractors won’t) no matter what any critic says.

But if you’re a fan of the series, I can pretty much guarantee you’ll enjoy this movie.

Similar Posts:

• Seven Excellent Native American Characters in Fantasy
• The Pros and Cons of This Summer’s Fantasy Movies
• From the Palantir! Meet Gargamel, SANDMAN Might be an HBO Series, and the TWILIGHT: ECLIPSE Trailer Made Me Fall Asleep
• From the Palantir! First Look At THE CAPE, Help the SEEKER, plus Megan Fox In a Corset!