I have to admit after watching the first
Twilight I didn't really understand what all of the buzz was about. I
chalked this up to the fact that I'm not a teenager and I also don't
have a vagina (although sometimes I wish I did). Don't get me wrong, by
no means did I think Twilight was bad; it was merely okay. I've seen
better, I've seen worse. New Moon is a marked improvement upon the first
film and I actually found myself getting wrapped up in this modern day
retelling of Romeo and Juliet with a supernatural twist. New Moon still
isn't the best movie I've ever seen, but if I were a fourteen year old
girl, I'm sure it would be.
Despite taking place in a world of
vampires and werewolves, at its core, Twilight has always been a soap
opera. Call it Transylvania 90210. As this chapter begins, Bella
(Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) are still madly in love.
When Edward's vampire family, the Cullens, throw a surprise 18th
birthday party for Bella, things take a bad turn and Edward realizes
that the only way to keep Bella out of harm's way is to never see her
again. Bella falls into a deep depression and only through her
friendship with Jacob (Taylor Lautner) does she begin to heal. Jacob
wants to be more than friends and although she has feelings for him,
Bella's heart still very much belongs to Edward. To complicate matters
further, Jacob is a werewolf who spends his free time hunting vampires.
New Moon really is Romeo and Juliet meets West Side Story wrapped in a
supernatural candy shell.
This installment has more story, better
performances from all involved and more humor, not to mention more
action. Twilight's core group of fans may be young women, but given a
chance, New Moon should have no trouble winning over legions of young
men as well. The action scenes are done very well and are quite
thrilling. The special effects are seamless and I was very impressed
with the look of the werewolves.
CGI creatures sometimes look too
fake, but the werewolves in New Moon are done really well and have a
very realistic quality to them. Director Chris Weitz has truly improved
upon Catherine Hardwicke's original in every way. To be fair, I tend to
always enjoy the second installment of a series more than the first.
I'll debate anyone that disagrees that Empire Strikes Back, Spider-Man
2, Superman II and The Dark Knight (just to name a few) aren't superior
to the first films of those series. Of course there are exceptions such
as The Matrix Reloaded and the second Pirates of the Caribbean film, but
New Moon definitely falls into the former category.
The thing I
liked most about New Moon is its use of humor. The first film was a bit
too dour for my tastes and I kind of felt like I was trapped in this
boring, emotive, Goth world. It is amazing how just a few funny lines
can breathe life into a film; even ones that center around a love
triangle between a teenage girl, an old vampire and a young stud
werewolf. Despite the injection of humor, New Moon is still filled with
plenty (if not too much) teenage angst and melodrama.
Just like
the Harry Potter cast, all of the actors have grown in their respective
roles. No actress is better at emoting teenage angst than Kristen
Stewart. She has a "real" quality to her that makes her stand out from
most young actresses. She seems like someone you went to high school
with. Unfortunately the character is a bit of a downer. It would be nice
to see her loosen up a bit. She is so emotionally draining that I
almost had to wonder why all of these men are so taken with her. Robert
Pattinson is much looser in this film than in the first and as a result
gives an all around better performance. I also now understand why Bella
is so in love with him. I still don't understand why every teenage girl
in the world thinks he is so handsome.
To me he looks like someone
smashed his face in with a shovel, but who am I to judge? The real
stand out in the film is Taylor Lautner as Jacob. Despite playing the
character in the first film, Lautner almost lost the role in the sequel
because the producers felt he was too young to pull off the emotional
range of the character. The actor is completely vindicated here,
displaying great maturity and strength in the role. I know the big
debate among Twilighters is Jacob or Edward and after seeing this film, I
fall firmly on the side of team Jacob.
The film is a bit too
long. They could've cut out quite a few scenes of Bella being depressed.
Otherwise, New Moon is a solidly entertaining film that even those who
are not die-hard fans of the series can enjoy. After seeing the first
one, I had no real interest in seeing the sequel. This time around, I
have to admit, I'll be looking forward to part three. Hell, I might even
read the books.
Bill Bonfanti is FilmGo.net's movie critic and Box office
analysis. [http://www.filmgo.net] Every week you will find new reviews
and box office predictions for the current crop of films in the theater.
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