The Twilight Saga: New Moon

I loved the Twilight movie, that's how I started reading the books in the first place. I've read them about ten times each and I still like them. But New Moon's big screen adaptation was a huge let down.

One thing that was improved was that many of the characters actually smiled or laughed naturally when the moment called for it, as opposed to the "I don't crack a smile cause I'm a seriously deadly vampire" routine in Twilight.

I liked the portrayal of Alice, she seemed more like what she should be according to the book, Charlie and I also liked the wolves and the rest of the special effects.

But I couldn't feel the bond between Edward and Bella. I couldn't believe that they loved each other. Hell, I couldn't believe they even liked each other. Even at the end, after their ordeal, after deciding that they would never let each other go, they were frigid. The actors just delivered their lines, they didn't feel them.

The score ranged from awful to non-existent. It seems as though it was not written specifically for New Moon. Carter Burwell's score brings to memory specific scenes in Twilight. This one is an indifferent, generic one, I guess it would fit in whatever movie you threw it in.

However, the most important flaw was that the entire movie seemed very rushed, like it was originally supposed to be much longer but somebody edited it heavily and really, really badly. For example, in an instant we are informed that Edward is going to commit suicide thinking Bella's dead, she drives off with Alice *bang* next thing you know you see a plane in the air, *bang* next thing you know Alice and Bella are already inside the stolen car on their way to Volterra and it carries on like that until the end.

No character development, no bonds between them, no space to breathe, no explanation whatsoever of how things happened or how decisions were made, nothing but a hastily chopped up summary of the book.

Is the actual movie coming out any time soon?

I too expected this movie to be better. I read the 4 books. The thing is they cut out the best lines from the books which can add SO much to the movies. I was looking forward to some seens in the movie: Edward proposal for Bella, when they talk while they are waiting to get out the Volturi, very romantic and whilte they are in plane going back home. I think the scenarist must be replaced or the writer should oversee the script. The only reason movies are hit cause of the books only. Most people who did not read the books did not like the movies. Hope they'll do better in the 3rd one. But I really hope they'll do much much better in the 4th movie cause this is the book I'd like most. In general, if you read the books you must watch the movies, its nice to have the characters & seens a life.

Okay here it is, New Moon is not unwatchable (thought some parts come close). Twilight was a bit better mostly cause it had some direction. This one is severely unfocused, with a plot that denies motivation and has lazy acting across the board...well not quite.

New Moon may have one edge over its predecessor which is that Taylor Launter puts more into the game than Rob Pattinson. At times, it feels like Jacob may be the better match for Bella. Their interaction which takes up the majority of the movie in fact, feels less broody than the Bella/Edward connection. Unfotunately, around the beginning of the third act we grow out of Jacob almost as fast as we grow into him. Wheras Edward is quite blatantly shy, Jacob by contrast is angry. The reasons for this however seem largely unjustified by the story. Like all bad stories, this one advances by making up its own rules on the spot, resulting in a movie that makes very little sense.

I'm truly not sure what it is about the Twilight saga that demands such a plastic style of acting. Why is everyone so lazy about this? it actually degrades the quality of the material. If this is the kind of Romantic chemistry that sells on the market (a chemistry where two people act like kissing is more pain than pleasure) then Romance itself could be a dying genre.

But perhaps that is an overstatement. New Moon gave me something to watch on TV when there was nothing else on, I wouldn't recommend it for any other purpose.

People who liked either the first movie or the New Moon book will probably have a great time at this movie. People who didn't like them still might have fun laughing at the moments of glorious teenaged awkwardness--Michael Welch returns as the hilariously down-on-his-luck Mike Newton.

As a sequel, New Moon is excellent. It maintains the same tone as the first movie, smooths out some of the rough edges and builds from there. On its own it's mostly quite enjoyable to watch. There were lots of intentional and unintentional humor and of course the movie takes only a bit of the edge off the book's more than slightly unbalanced story structure.

Things that impressed me? FIGHT SCENES. They actually let us see Felix toss Edward around like a rag doll. And they might have robbed us of the sight of spooky elder vampires petrifying in their old age, but they did let us see Edward's head literally crack like an eggshell as he gets slammed into the floor tiles.

I also like that they expanded Alice's role and showed Bella actually missing someone in addition to Edward. I really wish that both the books and movies had gotten more into the Bella-Alice friendship. Also, the idea that a person's spouse is the only relationship they need is a relatively new one. If even a romantically obsessed book series like Twilight can focus on the fact that Bella is reacting to the entire Cullen clan and not just Edward, then maybe we're moving toward a healthier idea of what love is.

Also, Michael Sheen is the champion of creepy. Sorry, Bill Nighy; he played Aro before you played Greyback! My final recommendation? Go see this movie with a big crowd for all the squealing and shouting at the screen. It's like a floor show but with body glitter.

** out of (****)

Chances are, your feelings toward the film "Twilight" will match your feelings for "New Moon". Mine sure did. This film basically did nothing for its predecessor, which is a shame since the trailer looked somewhat decent. I thought that maybe an above average Twilight flick would make its way, but I guess that's too much to ask these days. The characters are surprisingly more stale than before, although this movie is a little more interesting. For everything that is in this movie that was better than Twilight, there is also the opposite. However, the special effects improved slightly and fortunately we get more action than romance. Still, this movie is basically neither better nor worse than "Twilight". You can take that as a complement or a negative, and you know which side you're on.

"New Moon" revolves around Bella (Stewart) and Edward (Pattison). Edward leaves Bella in the forest and now Bella is all alone. However, she meets Jacob (Lautner) and gradually develops a crush on him. Although, Edward returns and Jacob has a secret: he's a werewolf.

I think it's kind of humiliating that a director gets a better script, yet makes a film that's on par with Twilight. I mean how could this have not been good? You have werewolves vs. vampires. That sounds cool already and imagine the type of execution that Scorsese can make *faints*. Folks, if you think this latest installment is impossible to have worse acting and dialogue, then you are dead wrong. Yes, it might seem improbable, but the performances and dialogue have gone from beyond awful to officially the worst I've seen. Moreover, I thought the first hour was way too boring and a chore to sit through.

Now, there are some redeeming qualities. The technical aspects have improved. Not by much, but a sufficient amount. Moreover, the last hour is actually watchable. The action here is also not too shabby. Also, I thought that the story was slightly more interesting.

"New Moon" is basically on par with "Twilight", but that isn't a complement. Both films boast decent technical aspects and interesting stories, but also boast terrible performances with an awful script. "New Moon" is neither a bad nor good film and compared with its predecessor, it matches its film quality. This weekend, I'll seek out "Eclipse" and see if that film can break the mediocrity streak. Hey, David Slade is directing. If the third installment is even just the slightest better than "New Moon", I'll be satisfied. Until then, this is my review of "New Moon".