Rated: PG-13 | Review date: 13-Dec-2009

For the second film installment of the phenomenally popular book series by Stephanie Meyer, Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke is replaced by Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass). Weitz was a fine choice for New Moon, and quite possibly saved the film from becoming disastrous. What appealed to me personally so much about the first film was the cinematography and its ability to capture the mood and sometimes dark atmosphere. Weitz’s ability to convey these attributes and his handling of the action sequences helped prevent the film from turning into a long and drawn out mess.

New Moon picks up shortly after where Twilight left off in regards to the plot, with the addition of a few new angles. In this saga we’re introduced to the Volturi, the sort of royal family of the vampire realm that includes one of my favorite up and coming stars Dakota Fanning as Jane. The Volturi were very interesting to me and built on my interest in the mythology behind the vampires in this story. In addition to the Volturi, the werewolf secret behind Jacob’s tribe is revealed which provides a lot of the film’s action. Also a few familiar faces return to obtain vengeance against the Cullens and Bella (Kristen Stewart) in particular. On top of all that, Bella is faced with personal dilemmas involving her relationship with Edward (Robert Pattinson) and her new found bond with Jacob (Taylor Lautner).

The Twilight films have no doubt developed a stigma that solely associates them with younger female viewers. While these observations aren’t completely unfounded, they are unfair. As an adult male who’s never read any of the books, the movies appeal to me very much. I’ve always had an interest in the mythical vampire, and Meyer’s take on them seems relatively fresh. However, the story revolves heavily around a romance with its young female heroine. This aspect is where the series potentially loses its older male audience. Either way, I still found New Moon, in continuance with Twilight, to be a joy to the eyes as well as the imagination.

With that said, there are a few areas in which the film will cater to only its target audience. Perhaps the biggest downfall of this film for me was the runtime. The two-hour film can seem drawn-out at many times, especially in scenes involving Bella and her male companions. These scenes play out as I would expect a romance novel or soap opera would. For this reason alone, I surely do understand where the anti-Twilight fanatic might have his qualms. However, if one can get through these portions of the film, the rest of it is a stunning display of excellent visual effects and nicely shot scenes in beautiful locations.

In regards to the acting, there is a bit of discrepancy. There is much debate especially over stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart’s abilities. Negative opinions on these two specifically seem to me a bit misconstrued. While I do agree that several moments in dialog with these two specifically seemed a bit artificial and over-dramatic, I do not blame the actors but rather the writing. Having not read the books I’m unsure whether their lines are faithful to the book or if their inadequacies are a result of a poor script. Either way, I would encourage the skeptic to view Stewart in The Cake Eaters (2007) and Pattinson in How to Be (2008) prior to any judgement.

The rest of the cast made do with their lines as well. I thought Billy Burke as Charlie Swan continued to be the most realistically portrayed character in the film. Taylor Lautner with his new and beefed up appearance was also better than I expected. Anna Kendrick as Jessica is another example of a great actress given fairly poor lines (albeit funny in a few scenes). Kendrick was brilliant in 2007’s Rocket Science and from the sound of things she equally impressed in this year’s Up in the Air alongside George Clooney. Additionally, Ashley Greene was given a little more time in the spotlight as Alice Cullen in this chapter and I felt she did a wonderful job.

If you’re simply not a fan of the genre or didn’t enjoy Twilight, chances are you probably will not like New Moon. For me, I felt the film did a good job building on the story and I thoroughly enjoyed the new characters that were introduced. In addition to Weitz’s ability to elude boredom he  also added a bit more artistic elements to the picture, such as the astounding panoramic scene in Bella’s bedroom where the seasons go by. When taken for what it is, the film is an enjoyable fantasy piece that, while lacking mainly in the writing department, has a strong cast portraying very interesting characters. It does seem to cater to the younger audiences at times but all-in-all it is a very fun film.

IMDb/trailer

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