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New Moon is a guilty pleasure for fans of the Twilight series. It starts off a bit slow, but eventually sucks you in (yes, pun intended). I actually liked it better than the first installment, which managed to make over 300 million dollars despite being a pretty bad movie. So my guess is that the second (and third and fourth and god help us, possibly even fifth) will do pretty darn well no matter what the critics say. Watching this movie is like watching an extended episode of a soap opera or dramatic series that you’re embarrassed to admit you Tivo. There’s just something inexplicably satisfying about it. “Twihards” will understand. Others, won’t. So don’t waste too much energy trying to justify the seemingly unjustifiable.

The Twilight saga is basically a “Romeo and Juliet” story with a supernatural twist and a happy (albeit, bizarre) ending. Our star-crossed lovers, Bella and Edward are, respectively, a mortal and a vampire. In New Moon, Edward and his vampire clan decide to leave Bella “forever”, for her own safety of course (the girl tends to bleed a lot, and that’s never a good thing around vampires). Bella is devastated, but finds comfort in the increasingly-buff arms of her good friend Jacob, who happens to be a werewolf. It’s all ridiculously far-fetched. Yet it’s rooted in a reality that somehow manages to be relatable. And that’s why the books – and consequently the movies- are so successful. The main trio of actors – Kristen Stewart as Bella, Robert Pattinson as Edward, and Taylor Lautner as Jacob – continue to grow in their roles and popularity, much like the Harry Potter cast. Unlike Harry Potter however, the Twilight movies don’t really work if you haven’t read the books. So, you can either read the ‘chick lit’ series from Stephenie Meyer and get on the Twilight bandwagon, or skip it altogether. There’s very little middle ground. And don’t expect the Twilight madness to die down anytime soon. The next installment, Eclipse, is already in production and has a release date of June 30, 2010. Can you say “summer blockbuster”?

4 thoughts on “The Twilight Saga: New Moon”
  1. The special effects are much better (i.e. less cheesy) this time around. The werewolves are gorgeous creatures and the ‘transition’ effect is pretty darn cool. Stylistically, I also think the Cullen clan of vampires has a better ‘look’ this time around. And the scenes in Italy with the evil Volturi are decent.

  2. I read the Twilight series and I admit, I was sucked in and enjoyed every moment. I realized watching this movie just how old I am. I don’t know if the actors were given direction to act like this or it’s just their style but ugh, I felt like gagging thru most of the movie. Bella blinks entirely took much and always has this glassy look on her face like she’s confused all the time, I guess this is supposed to be a longing look? Edward looks like he is constipated thru most of the movie, which I’m to interrupt as pain, I guess. And because most of the actors are so painful to watch, the girl who plays Edwards younger sister seems completely out of place and over the top compared to ALL the other characters. My biggest complaint is the example that this movie sets for young girls. I’m concerned that my 11 year old daughter will think that it’s okay to completely lose yourself to another human being and that without that person, you either have to find someone else to cling to or you will curl up in the fetal position and die because alone you have no self worth. He is just a guy for goodness sake, get over it!

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