Stage Two Cinema Pub

Anyone worried about the fate of Bella, Edward, Jacob and the rest of the "Twilight" gang after the moody blues of movie No. 2 can breathe a sigh of relief. "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" is back with all of the lethal and loving bite it was meant to have: The kiss of the vampire is cooler, the werewolf is hotter, the battles are bigger and the choices are, as everyone with a pulse knows by now, life-changing.

As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob - knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

The good news is that all that tension helps "Eclipse" eclipse its predecessors. There is a new tenderness and sweetness that Stewart brings to her relationships — more playful with Pattinson, more affectionate with Burke (especially when Charlie tries to have "the sex talk"), and more intense with Lautner. Bella doesn't want to let down anyone, and Stewart makes sure she doesn't. But it's Lautner, in particular, who has grown, giving Jacob an emotional interior nearly as hard-packed as those abs, which are very much on display.

Since the swoon factor is significant, Slade and director of photography Javier Aguirresarobe are ever mindful of the power of those faces, letting the camera go in for the close-up kill whenever it can. As for the rest of the landscape, the wonderful Aguirresarobe ( "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and "The Sea Inside") knows how to do luminous, and Slade has given him more room to move than he got in "New Moon." "Eclipse" benefits from it throughout, including the rain-drenched lethal nights in Seattle and the extensive vampire smack downs.

The action comes in fast and furious waves. Having the werewolves getting their fur ruffled helps since your typical vampire battle is basically a bloodless sport. Dead vampires, at least as imagined in "The Twilight Saga," have the look of broken Greek statues in a vandalized museum, which kind of takes the sting out of things and not in a good way. The same goes for the historical flashbacks that fill in werewolf lore and more about vampire Jasper ( Jackson Rathbone). Enough already.

But just when you think everything is going to come apart at the seams, someone remembers the money shot, and the screen fills with those fine-boned faces of Edward and Bella, the music soars and, gulp, they … tune in next time kids, this soap opera's a long way from over.