The Twilight Saga: New Moon
By Kent Turner -- School Library Journal, 11/20/2009
Director Chris Weitz’s film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s New Moon (Little, Brown, 2006) is an improvement over last year’s franchise launching Twilight, directed by Catherine Hardwicke, and will no doubt leave fans of the series eager for the next installment, while leaving others perplexed by the hoopla surrounding the critic-proof film series.
Unlike Meyer’s bestseller, Weitz skillfully moves the story along at a brisk pace, and another of the film’s improvements is that Bella (Kristen Stewart) doesn’t wallow in excessive introspection and long, long bouts of self-pity after Edward (Robert Pattinson) breaks up with her. He does so for her sake after one of his fellow vampires attacks Bella on her 18th birthday—it only takes a single drop of blood to trigger a vampire feeding frenzy.
On the rebound, Bella begins seeing the younger Jacob (Taylor Lautner, who’s buffed up since the first film.) However, Bella is slow to realize that Jacob has his own peculiar problems. When angered, he turns into a werewolf, the natural enemy of a vampire. Jacob swears to protect her from a vengeful blood sucker on the rampage, but try as she might, Bella can’t keep her mind off of Edward. Fortunately, the special effects, especially the computer-generated werewolves, are a noticeable step-up from Twilight. But poor Lautner: he’s stuck with an unflattering, fake-looking long-haired wig for half of the movie.
What’s the main reason the second installment is more satisfying than the first? At the risk of upsetting legions of fangirls (and fanboys) everywhere, there’s actually less Edward. With his deathly pale skin, copper-colored eyes (which are no less freaky the second time around), and sullen demeanor, Edward is still a walking mannequin, and his emotional range is so limited that the connection between Bella and Edward seems strained and at crucial times unconvincing. In their scenes together, the two introverted lead actors slow down the movie to a crawl; they—could—really—pick—up—their—cues. Bottom line? There’s not much glowing under this New Moon.
Directed by Chris Weitz
130 min.
Rated-13 (for violence and the beefcake bonanza)
