The Twilight Saga Eclipse: The IMAX Experience

Hand this much to The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, it delivers the user-friendly blockbuster that New Moon fumbled. The problem is the first Twilight was about emerging teenage female hormones and self-understanding. It didn't care about appeasing its viewers' boyfriends. By broadening the appeal, Twilight loses its focus. And with it, its relevance. "You can love more than one person," shape-shifter Jacob (Taylor Lautner) tells passive Bella (Kristen Stewart). But Bella's split-affection between Jacob and vamp Edward (Robert Pattinson)---presumably the total eclipse of the heart of the film's title---isn't allowed emotional precedence or evocative direction (there's little actual filmmaking in most scenes, just over-the-shoulder coverage.) Action beats and expository talk take over. While Summit Films plays things safer, a franchise loses its personality. –Mark Palermo