The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)

If you're looking for that perfect Christmas gift this season look no further than The Twilight Saga: Eclipse DVD that hit store shelves on December 4. It's sure to please the Twilight fan in your life.

If you've been living under a rock for the past three years this cultural phenomenon that has set women's hearts aflutter is the brainchild of author Stephanie Meyer. While it's true The Twilight Saga has more of a female following, I think men can find much to like about the series.

If you missed the theatre screenings of Eclipse, the third installment of the series picks up where the previous Twilight films left off: the accident prone and danger magnet Bella (Kristen Stewart) is once again in harms way as a string of mysterious killings plagues nearby Seattle. Bella's nemesis, Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard), looks to avenge the death of her partner James, who was killed in the first installment of the series, by raising a vampire army.

The threat of the vampire army makes for an uneasy truce between vampire family, the Cullens, and the werewolves as they try to protect Bella. In the midst of it all, Bella is forced to choose between Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Jacob (Taylor Lautner) as they struggle for her affections.

What comes off as interesting is the portrayal of Edward. I found it amusing that a 107-year-old vampire is dealing with jealousy issues towards 16-year-old Jacob. While I shouldn't laugh, I couldn't help myself in one particular scene where Edward leans towards Bella and asks if Jacob even owns a shirt. Later in the movie, on top of a frigid mountain, Jacob enters Bella's and Edward's tent because he can't stand to hear Bella's teeth chatter. An uneasy moment occurs when Jacob leans into Edward and remarks that he actually is hotter than Edward. He climbs into Bella's sleeping bag and suggests that she remove her clothes to warm up faster as part of survival 101.

One of the aspects I enjoyed in this film is the further character development of a couple of the other Cullen vampires, Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) and Rosalie (Nikki Reed). Learning of their back story and how they came to be vampires adds depth to a couple of characters that don't normally have a lot of screen time. Maybe we will get more of that in the next installment when it comes to some of the other characters when The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 is set to be released in November 2011.

On the two-disc DVD release of Eclipse, you can enjoy a six-part "making of" feature that gives greater insight into the movie. There are also two commentaries so you can watch the movie with added audio and thoughts provided by Stephanie Meyer and producer, Wyck Godfrey, as one duo and Pattinson and Stewart as another duo guiding viewers through the production process. If you like the soundtrack, you can soak up music videos by Muse and Canadian band, Metric. You will also find some deleted and extended scenes, a photo gallery and the ability to watch only scenes featuring either Edward or Jacob.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars