The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Frenzied fans of Stephenie Meyer's wildly successful novels have been eagerly awaiting this third film installment, which returns to the tiny Washington state town of Forks to pick up the central narrative of a volatile love triangle. Vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and hunky Native American werewolf Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) are both besotted with Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), who is still being pursued here by vengeful bloodsucker Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard). Although Bella appears ready to choose Edward—trading her human existence for immortality—her decision could ignite a conflict between vampires and werewolves that would also threaten her family and friends. Meanwhile, as the Volturi coven waits for Bella to be “turned,” mysterious killings plague nearby Seattle, and a newborn vampire army arrives with unquenchable bloodlust. Along the way, more is revealed about the peripheral Cullen family—including Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) and Rosalie (Nikki Reed)—along with Jacob's Quileute wolf pack. British director David Slade raises the testosterone level in this entry, mixing greater feral action with the melodramatic teenage fantasy romance. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include two audio commentary tracks (the first with stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart; the second with author Stephenie Meyer and producer Wyck Godfrey), a six-part “making-of” documentary (88 min.), deleted and extended scenes (13 min.), the music videos “Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)” by Muse and “Eclipse (All Yours)” by Metric, a photo gallery, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a bonus DVD copy, and the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a winning third installment in the popular franchise.] (S. Granger)