(Here are two of the latest reviews on the movie.)The Twilight Saga: New Moon Movie ReviewIt's here. The Twilight Saga: New Moon is finally upon us, ready for Twilighters the world over to sink their teeth into for every longing glance, romantic beat, killer transformation, and shirtless hunk. Our review in a nutshell: New Moon is a vast improvement over Twilight, but that's far from high praise, as the first film -- with its lame visual effects, dull pacing, some stiff acting, etc. -- set the bar very, very low.
But first, the story: Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Bella (Kristen Stewart) are back, and there's trouble in the air. Edward, being a vampire and all, knows that he shouldn't be with the mortal teen Bella, and, as much as he loves her, as much as it pains him, he dumps her -- cold and hard -- and leaves Forks. Unbeknownst to Bella, of course, Edward would die for her. He loves her too much to not be with her and, believing her to be dead, sets off to Italy to find those vampires, the Volturi, that can finally kill him and put him out of his misery. Meanwhile, Bella falls into a funk that's only lifted fleetingly when she hangs out with her old friend, the now gorgeous, buff and initially upbeat Jacob (Taylor Lautner), who practically howls at the moon over Bella. And that makes sense, actually, since he's a werewolf, though he, too, soon ditches Bella in order to keep her safe from harm.
Now, the love triangle should generate some serious heat, but it doesn't. Actually, it almost can't. Edward's gone, and on view for a good portion of New Moon only as a figment of Bella's imagination when she tempts death by thrill seeking; it's one of the unavoidable pitfalls of adhering to the plot of the Stephenie Meyer novel. While there's still plenty of chemistry between Stewart and Pattinson, there's not enough of it on the screen, and the absence is only compounded by the lack of romantic spark between Stewart and Lautner. Though, in fairness to both of them, their early buddy-buddy scenes provide a fair chunk of the minimal humor in the whole she-bang. Any other laughs are of the unintended variety, as when Edward mopes interminably or a character actually utters the awful pun, "I guess the wolf's out of the bag," or when, after turning up in scene after scene without a shirt, we get a glimpse of Jacob in bed... fully clothed.
So then, what makes New Moon better than Twilight? It's better shot, for starters. Director Chris Weitz keeps the camera out of everyone's faces, allowing more than one actor -- or one part of an actor -- in a shot at a time, and he even makes room to include some of what's in the background, like trees and water and sunsets. The visual effects are far superior this go-round, giving oomph to the big wolf-vampire battles. And the pivotal set piece in Italy, involving the Volturi in their ancient digs, delivers the goods, with Michael Sheen perfectly smarmy as Aro, Dakota Fanning serving up the heeby-jeebies as the pint-sized mind controller, Jane, and both Stewart (in hero mode) and Pattinson (in victim mode) coming through with a measure of palpable passion when it counts most. On the other hand, getting to that scene is pure silliness, with Bella and the oh-so-fashionably dressed Alice (Ashley Greene) racing through hills and crowds in a super-hot sports car. And though many of the familiar faces from the first film receive little screen time in the sequel, Edi Gathegi scores in his too-brief, menacing bit as Laurent, Peter Facinelli has a memorable scene as good-guy Dr. Cullen, Billy Burke nicely plays Bella's concerned father, and Greene is extremely entertaining.
At the end of the day, though, much of what's wrong with New Moon is what was wrong with Twilight. It's lightweight, PG-13, teen angst with a vampire twist. There's no sex, which is OK, but no lust, either, which isn't OK. There's just desire, and that gets boring to watch. And then, no insult to Stewart intended, but it's a total mystery as to what's so remarkably special about the relentlessly gloomy, bloodless Bella that both Edward and Jacob would go to the ends of the Earth for her. Oh well, there's always Eclipse... and Breaking Dawn.
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Movie Review: “The Twilight Saga: New Moon”DateFriday, November 20, 2009 at 11:37PM | By AuthorFranck Tabouring
Seen on: November 20, 2009
The players: Director: Chris Weitz, Writer: Melissa Rosenberg, Cast: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Michael Sheen, Dakota Fanning
Facts of interest: To be honest, I can't think of any.
The plot: Bella is devastated when Edward leaves her.
Our thoughts: Bella, Edward and Jacob are back in action in Chris Weitz’s anticipated sequel “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” but sadly enough, they’re all still as boring as in the first film. Okay, “Moon” is a slight improvement on “Twilight,” but as far as I’m concerned, it’s still as cheesy and lifeless. In fact, it’s quite a boring ride, actually.
First, let me point out that I haven’t read and certainly never will read Stephenie Meyer’s books. I understand her novels attracted a worldwide following, but this whole vampire romance hysteria just isn’t my thing. Maybe that’s the reason I simply can’t warm up to the big-screen adaptations. Or maybe the films are just too slow-moving and bland for my taste.
Anyway, “New Moon” is a messy film that never really takes off and doesn’t really have much to offer except a couple of mediocre action sequences. The rest is all endless talking, none of which is particularly intriguing or enlightening. It’s a pedestrian show from start to finish, and I still don’t understand what’s so special about it.
In this sequel, Edward (Robert Pattinson) pretty much messes up Bella’s existence when he shows up and tells her he will leave and never come back. Bella just knows too much about his family, and he simply can’t run the risk of letting something happen to her. He quickly hugs her goodbye and disappears into the woods. Ouch!
As it turns out, Bella has trouble coping with this dramatic break-up, and during the next couple of months, she’s haunted by brutal nightmares. The only one capable of pulling her out of her dark hole is the shirtless Jacob (Taylor Lautner), who boasts some fancy abs and knows exactly how to take her mind off all the bad things.
As it turns out, however, Bella can’t quite forget about her vampire sweetie, and before she knows it, she’s on her way around the world trying to stop him from making a fatal mistake. I know all this sounds incredibly dramatic and intense, but on screen, most of it either lacks intensity or just sounds and looks a little too ridiculous for my taste.
Bella’s struggle with the departure of Edward and her sudden feelings for Jacob are obviously at the center of the film, and although Kristen Stewart does a better job playing her confused character, I still found myself unable to connect with any of these figures. Maybe I should leave that to the 14-year-olds who can’t help but scream every time Pattinson or Lautner show up in a scene.
As I mentioned before, “New Moon” lacks decent pacing, even though the plot seems incredibly rushed at times. A couple of unimpressive action moments here and there serve as attempts to boost the film’s entertainment value, but I admit they didn’t really work for me in the end. Neither did the mostly corny, weird dialogue.
I have to say this though: as a comedy, “New Moon” works much better. Luckily, the film doesn’t always take itself too seriously, and most of its comic moments really made me laugh. I also enjoyed Weitz’s direction, a superior soundtrack, and undoubtedly improved visual effects. Too bad the film tanks in the story department.
Pattinson still looks pale and stiff, and his acting is hardly impressive. Lautner is much better this time around, and so is Stewart. Bella is the kid with the biggest troubles in this film, and she manages to pull off at least a few lines without sounding like a total weirdo. Dakota Fanning’s cameo is memorable, but her screen time is way too limited.
Freaky quote: "I love you. You're my only reason to stay alive... if that's what I am." - Robert Pattinson
The final word: Here’s the deal: many Twilighters out there will adore “New Moon,” and that’s fine with me. What I wrote here is my personal opinion, and I’m definitely not sorry to say this sequel disappointed me almost as much as the original “Twilight.” I can only hope they’ll take it up a notch in “Eclipse” and “Breaking Down.” Two down, and two more to go...
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