In the second chapter of Stephenie Meyer's best-selling Twilight series, the romance between mortal Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) grows more intense as ancient secrets threaten to destroy them. When Edward leaves in an effort to keep Bella safe, she tests fate in increasingly reckless ways in order to glimpse her love once more. But when she's saved from the brink by her friend, Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), Bella will uncover mysteries of the supernatural world that will put her in more peril than ever before.
New Moon, the second in Stephenie Meyer's blockbuster teen-fiction saga adapted for film, is stronger than its predecessor, Twilight. Director Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass), taking the helm from Catherine Hardwicke, brings a lighter, more assured touch to the sequel, which continues the star-crossed love story of mortal Bella (Kristen Stewart) and vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson). Incidentally, Edward is absent for most of the film; after an accident on Bella's birthday reminds Edward that her life is always at risk when he's around, he chooses to abandon her, sending her into a deep depression. The only person who helps her heal her broken heart is her friend Jacob (Taylor Lautner), a member of the Quileute tribe who, as he grows taller, beefier, and more aggressive (with less clothing), comes to realize he's not entirely human either. But even his love for Bella doesn't prevent her from throwing herself in the path of danger, because that's the only time she can see visions of Edward. One such fateful misunderstanding sends Edward into the coven of the Volturi (a sort of vampire Mafia, if you will), where the most dangerous vampires hold both Edward and Bella's fate in their cold, dark hands. Much of New Moon rests on the shoulders of Lautner, so scrawny in Twilight, who famously packed on the muscle to avoid getting recast. He's very nearly successful in carrying the load, but the cheese-tastic beefcake scenes disservice him, and Jacob and Bella's complicated friendship stumbles on its way to any kind of love triangle. Some of that blame lies with Stewart, who understandably holds her emotions close to her chest but reveals much too little (c'mon, even an angsty girl has to be a little joyful in the arms of two different hunks). As is with the book, the film is just a bridge between sagas, so the plot drags and not a lot happens. Fortunately, while Twilight was trapped in its own self-consciousness, the wobbly-legged cast seems to have found stronger footing in New Moon; the jokes come faster, the writing (by Melissa Rosenberg, who also scribed Twilight) is a hair wittier. (Even Pattinson seems more comfortable in Edward's skin.) The Volturi, highlighted by Michael Sheen's Aro and Dakota Fanning's Jane, also make an all-too-brief impression, but at least there's more to look forward to when Eclipse, the third installment, is released. --Ellen A. Kim
Stills from The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Click for larger image)
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
who see this?:
this is worse than the first one ,very bad movie ,,,,uhh ,what happen with this film?
The Twilight Saga: New Moon Review:
THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON STARRING: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Billy Burke, Dakota Fanning, Michael Sheen, Anna Kendrick, Michael Welch, Nikki Reed, Rachelle Lefevre, Graham Greene, Gil Birmingham, Justin Chon, Christian Serratos, Jackson Rathbone and Tom Cruise - I mean Peter Facinelli WRITTEN BY: Melissa Rosenberg; based on the novel by Stephenie Meyer DIRECTED BY: Chris Weitz Rated: PG - 13
Genre: Drama / Horror
Release Date: 20... more info
Zero Stars:
I can't believe how bad this movie was. I walked out after 45 minutes because the acting was so lame and the plot so ridiculous. It's a shame that young women and girls go to movies like this and end up thinking that this is the best that the movies can offer. If they want to watch romance and/or vampire films, there are so many more examples that are of better quality, and I sure hope they don't think that love is in any way like the rellationships they see here. The books have to be better than this,... more info
WHAT'S UP?!:
I'm surprised at all the people who did not like this movie or Twilight for that matter. I liked the movie Twilight, so much so I went out and got the book. I thought this was a good movie and everyone has to remember one thing: A BOOK IS A BOOK, A MOVIE IS A MOVIE. You will NEVER find everything that is in the book in the movie. Otherwise the movie would be 12 hours long. You're all saying how awful it is...yet I'm sure you'll all buy the DVD. Then you'll all say how horrible it is again, like a bunch of... more info
