I am not a Twi-hard. I am not a Twilighter, a Twi-fan or even a Twi-mom, given I have no children. I am not a variation on any of those titles. But I am also not a hater. But in a world of film critics who love to hate Twilight, I stand apart. I am a huge fan of the books and by connection a tentative fan of the films. As this is an anomaly in film critic-dom, I feel it’s necessary to share my findings and my regrettably unique perspective — that being that I was probably one of few critics not going into “Twilight: Eclipse” completely ready to hate it and one of the few fans not going in to deify it.

The notes I took during the film read much like the truncated exclamations that punctuate the Twilight books — “Campy,” “Thrilling,” “Sexy,” “Scary.” But the one word that preceded more nouns than any other was simply “Better.” No one can say that the Twilight films, separately or together, make a completely respectable piece of art. But they’re getting better.

David Slade takes the helm on the latest film in the franchise and with his background in the horror genre (“Hard Candy”) brings back the campy feel that made the original “Twilight” lovable in its own way. This isn’t the gold-flecked, Italian painting style that we saw in New Moon. We aren’t watching a series of sappy, dialogue-less montages set to a soundtrack of Muse tunes. “Eclipse” brings back the dark, (and yet, somehow lighter with more quippy one-liners and less vampiric, love-lorn brooding) sopping wet Forks, Washington readers fell in love with in 2007.

The greatest improvement in Eclipse is the writing. Slade thankfully got rid of all the pain-drenched kissing and whiny declarations of love. He replaced it with (at times) witty dialogue, and what’s more, he used LINES FROM THE BOOK. What a revolutionary idea. As “Eclipse” was my favorite book, it pleased me to no end that the tent and bedroom scenes were left verbally in tact. After all, this why we go to see movies made from our favorite books in the first place — to see the complete incarnation of the scenes we’ve imagined a thousand times, without any interference from less-than-stellar screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg.

But Slade doesn’t just succeed by sticking to the books — he weaves in themes that are absent from the books but completely fitting. This is a relieving change of pace, especially when you’re watching a film where you’re certain there won’t be any real surprises. Slade knows his strengths, too. He gives Oscar-nominee Anna Kendrick the spotlight to deliver a, in the hands of a less-talented actress then Kendrick, generic graduation speech that draws uncomfortable parallels between Bella, who is about to become a vampire, and other normal teenagers (“This is our time to make mistakes, because nothing is permanent.” Well, except that whole undead thing).

The film has an air of self-deprication that saves it in many scenes. Slade gave the characters the freedom to make fun of themselves, which alleviated so much unnecessary tension. He did this primarily through one-liners that smacked the characters back in place just as they were about to head down a path of overly-moody dialogue.

“Oh, believe me, I want to,” Edward (Robert Pattinson) says, cracking a smile after denying Bella (Kristen Stewart) sex before marriage. The moment needed a lift, especially when trying to convince audiences that two people in love shouldn’t make love is a hard sell.

“I kissed Bella,” Jacob (Taylor Lautner) growls at Charlie (Billy Burke). But then he falters. “….and she broke her hand. Punching my face. It was a little misunderstanding.”

“I’m a VIRGIN!” Bella exclaims to Charlie during one of the best scenes of the film where Charlie and Bella have “The Talk.”

But it’s not all one-liners. Slade doesn’t sacrifice emotional intensity. At the climax of the film when the furious, red-eyed vampire Riley Biers (Xavier Samuels) growls “You’re dead” at Edward, you believe him.

Slade also centers much of the film around newborn vampire Riley, who was virtually nonexistent in the book. Riley, a Forks native, plays the right hand man of “Eclipse”s villain, Victoria. Shortly after she turned him, she sent him off to rally a vampire army that would take on the Cullen clan. “I will end the Cullen clan,” he says, flashing his sharp new vampire teeth. Slade draws a comparison between the story of Riley and that of Jasper Hale, who had a similar beginning to his vampire life. Unlike Riley, Jasper and his hokey southern accent made it out of his first bad vampire relationship alive. There is, however, an unnecessary and unsettling scene in Jasper’s flashback where he kills a newborn vampire who couldn’t have been more than fourteen years old.

Some other tid-bits that Twilight fans (who aren’t going to read this before they see the movie anyway, because they’ve all been lined up outside the theaters since yesterday morning) will be glad to know — the sparkle effect is tasteful and rarely used, and the accompanying wind chime sound effect is noticeably, and thankfully, absent. Jacob has his shirt off for most of the film. This will be a relief to fans and critics alike, since fans will appreciate his abs and critics will appreciate not having to see him take off his shirt at every potentially quivery moment. And there is a lot of making out. That’s all I have to say about that (to borrow a line from a much better movie).

If you’re not waiting in line at this very moment to see “Eclipse,” give it a shot. It’s better than the first two and is at least worth it for the action scenes.

PHOENIX — Just days before the release of “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” fans gathered in their respective cities across the country (check out our Denver and San Diego coverage) for “Twilight Night,” an event hosted by Summit Entertainment.

Fans in Phoenix and Scottsdale gathered at the Desert Ridge Marketplace to rewatch the first two beloved Twilight films on a large outdoor screen as well as get the chance to play some games, win some prizes, and get their questions answered by “Twilight” star Justin Chon (Eric Yorkie). Watch the video below to see what he has to say about the next installment in the “Twilight Saga.”

SAN DIEGO — There is a small patch of green known as the “Park in the Park” that exists near San Diego’s Petco Park, where the city’s baseball team usually plays to a cheering crowd. Park in the Park is a designated area for attendees who want to catch a game without breaking their wallets; it’s a picturesque space with a wonderful city view. And during Saturday night’s lunar eclipse, San Diegans lined up to celebrate the upcoming movie "Twilight Saga: Eclipse," which hits theaters nationwide on Wednesday, June 30th.

San Diego is one of several cities (see our coverage in Phoenix and Denver) chosen nationwide to host Summit Entertainment’s "Twilight Night." It’s free event that includes a double feature of the first two movies ("Twilight" and "New Moon"), guest appearances from the cast, live music, and exclusive sneak peeks of "Twilight Saga: Eclipse."

Whether you’re a fan or not of Stephanie Meyer’s explosive vampiric series, there is little doubt as to the significant impact its followers have in pop culture right now. An event such as "Twilight Night" is proof positive the franchise is not slowing down any time soon. In San Diego, fans camped out the previous night just for the chance of being inches closer to a Cullen or to support the Quileute werewolf tribe known as "The Wolf Pack."

The Park closed its iron gates off to the public after reaching maximum capacity in less than an hour. Several families who arrived late stood (literally) on the outside looking in. Some pleaded by explaining, "I left work hours early for this…" or "I won’t get too close." Children cried; parents threw tantrums, but all were rejected admission.

Usually a fanaticism left for rock stars and concert tours, "Twilight" is one of the few pop phenomenons which continues to bring in droves of people and cause hysterics. Proper planning at events like "Twilight Night" is crucial in maintaining safe crowd control and ensuring a good time. The organization at Park in the Park from all parties involved was great, and easily could have turned into mayhem without their efforts. As for the fans, their energy added to the electric atmosphere as they waited for the cast appearances. Many walked around proudly in black shirts with the words "Twilight Saga: Eclipse" written across their chests in the trademark "Twilight" font face. Whispers and sighs from many of the younger fans could be heard as they debated over their favorite characters. Some even took it a step further and wore the "bite mark" prosthetics which showed more than the classic two, small dotted marks of a vampire; it looked as you would expect a real bite to appear: bloody, fleshy, and slightly gory.

Hosting the event was Jenna Busch from Moviefone and Quddus best known for his previous work in MTV’s "Total Request Live (TRL)." Fans even cheered them on as they set up for their live event, showing their love isn’t just left for the stars of the films. Local San Diego band War Stories set off festivities playing a live set to a frenzied crowd which could be heard easily within several city blocks, perking the curiosity of many locals who stepped over to the gates to catch a glimpse. The music of War Stories is reminiscent of band Interpol but with the lead singer, Evan Robinson, blasting out amazing vocals it feels as if he were channeling Michael Hutchence from INXS. Their song "Insecure Boyfriend" was a highlight, and judging by the audience reaction they’ve got themselves a whole slew of new fans.

As War Stories’ performance came to an end, the focus quickly shifted to the main stage area where Busch prepared to go live on air. Meanwhile Quddus connected with several select attendees whose questions were sent to Taylor Lautner, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.

It was worth the wait as members of the cast made their way onto the red carpet, and fans reacted with a swirl of ardent screams. Edi Gathegi (vampire Laurent) was originally schedule to appear but could not attend at the last minute. In his place was the lovely Christian Serratos, who plays Forks’ human resident, Angela Weber. Joining her was none other than Dr. Carlisle Cullen himself: Peter Facinelli.

Serratos wore her long brown hair in a simple braid. Dressed in a white strapless gown, she looked exquisite despite the chilly weather.

Peter Facinelli followed shortly afterwards sporting a dark ‘do, a change from Dr. Cullen’s trademark blonde hair. He dressed casually in dark denim and leather jacket while carrying a smile for all the fans. When Facinelli was asked about making it to San Diego, the crowd burst into screams, and the actor couldn’t help but note the audience attendance was as enthusiastic as the "Twilight: Eclipse" LA premiere days ago.

As soon as their time on camera was finished, both Serratos and Facinelli took an extended amount of time to sign autographs, and chat briefly with some of the people at the front. It’s the cast’s patience and respect for fans that makes the film so successful. There was even a moment were Facinelli held a baby, making him appear more like a politician than actor.

Yet the most dramatic turn was about to unfold as a sudden stillness spread through the crowd, and a stretcher was brought in by some medics. Although it’s uncertain exactly the cause for the situation, it appeared one of the fans may have passed out while Facinelli came by to sign autographs. After the situation was resolved, and no serious injury caused, the crowd returned to its excited state, proving again that nothing holds back a good time at a "Twilight" event.

"Twilight Saga: Eclipse" will be the last film of the year as the final installment "Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn" won’t start production until 2011.

"Eclipse" hits theaters and IMAX June 30.

Summit has just released the trailer to the much-anticipated “Eclipse,” sequel to “Twilight” and “New Moon.” Check back here tomorrow when the official full trailer is to be released. The trailer is also rumored to be playing in theaters before “Twilight” vampire Robert Pattinson’s new film, “Remember Me” (Check back Friday for a review of that movie as well).

In this clip, we see shots of Edward and Bella together, and Edward is telling her, “I know the consequences of this choice you’re making.” The choice, is, of course, to become a vampire. We then see a gratuitous shot of shirtless Jacob, then Bella canoodling with him, when he tells her “I’m gonna fight for you until your heart stops beating.”

Pretty much what we expected. Very serious, very dramatic. Oh, and Bella’s wig is looking pretty whack on top of KStew’s Joan Jett Hair. Do you agree? Let us know!

Remember the crappy cartoon wolf we got a glimpse of in the first “New Moon” trailer? Well, that’s all history. Summit went back to the drawing board, and just a month before the film releases, they’re showing us how the wolves look now: ferocious, realistic and HUGE!! This is the first full clip of the movie (with an extra little intro by Taylor Lautner), so enjoy it, and be sure to check back here daily for more “New Moon” coverage – we’ll keep it coming for you!