Twilight Saga: New Moon – Movie Review by Kate

Reel reviews for real people

Rating: PG 13 for some violence and action

Genre: Drama

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Dakota Fanning, Ashley Greene, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Kellan Lutz, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Edi Gathegi, Rachelle Lefevre, Billy Burke, Jamie Campbell Bowers, Michael Sheen, Cameron Bright, Graham Greene

Plot: The supernatural tale of starcrossed lovers continues as the Cullen family flees Forks in order to protect Bella (Kristen Stewart), and the heartbroken high-school senior discovers that vampires… The supernatural tale of starcrossed lovers continues as the Cullen family flees Forks in order to protect Bella (Kristen Stewart), and the heartbroken high-school senior discovers that vampires aren’t the only creatures in town. Realizing that Bella will never be safe as long as he’s around, Edward (Robert Pattinson) makes the difficult decision to leave his beloved behind shortly after her 18th birthday. Reeling from her loss, Bella embraces self-destruction after being comforted by Edward’s image during a moment of mortal peril. But as heavy-hearted as Bella may be, her old friend Jacob (Taylor Lautner) distracts her from her sorrows by helping her renovate a weather-beaten motorbike. When Bella encounters a former adversary with a sizable grudge, she’s rescued from harm at the last second by pack of enormous, ferocious wolves. Subsequently delving into the history of the Quileutes, Bella discovers the secrets of Jacob’s tribe while looking forward to a reunion with Edward that may have deadly consequences.

Director: Chris Weitz

Running Time: 2:10

Kate says: 3 stars “I will just tell you right from the get go here, this is not an objective review…this is a review from a Twilight saga fan. A fan who has read the entire Stephenie Meyer series more times than I’ll care to admit in public. And let me tell you, this one is better than Twilight.  There won’t be any film making awards given out for this Chris Weitz directed film, but New Moon does give it’s fans exactly what they are looking for – a visual version of the book that they love so much. If you know the movie Twilight well, and you know the New Moon book well, you know every detail of what the characters are thinking and the motivation for why they do what they do. This gives the movie a depth that the non-Twilight lover will undoubtedly miss.  The New Moon the movie is nowhere the experience of reading the book, but in my world, I’ve never met a movie I liked better than the book.”

Ebert says: 1 star “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” takes the tepid achievement of “Twilight” (1988), guts it, and leaves it for undead. The characters in this movie should be arrested for loitering with intent to moan. Never have teenagers been in greater need of a jump-start. Granted some of them are more than 100 years old, but still: their charisma is by Madame Tussaud.” (read full review)

NY Daily News (Elisabeth Weitzman): 3 stars (of 5) “If you’ve come to this movie looking for fancy filmmaking or an original voice (other than Meyer’s), well, Weitz frankly doesn’t care. You’re not his audience” (read full review)

Roger Moore (Orlando Sentinel): 2 1/2 stars “The Twilight soap opera continues with a lighter, goofier and far less erotically charged sequel, New Moon, a movie directed by a man and not a woman…At least this time the movie is more polished, the brawls (save for the silly wolves) more believable. Most of the laughs are intentional and we get the sense that even though a guy directed it, he wants the mostly-female fanbase to revel in the overheated romance, the blood-enforced chastity and the sacrifices this toothy Romeo and Juliet tale serves up.” (read full review)

Chicago Tribune (Michael Phillips) 3 stars: “Why does “New Moon” basically work, even with its grave self-seriousness? A few reasons. Weitz lets the material breathe, and his actors interact. The film does not try to eat you alive. Kristen Stewart  and Robert Pattinson are interesting to watch…” (read full review)

Net Buzz Examiner Marci Stone: “The second movie in the Twilight series, New Moon was released at midnight on Friday 11/20/2009 and the reviews are out. The internet buzz on this movie is the hottest search of the day. Many Twilight fan movie goers were in line yesterday to see the midnight showing of the movie and they just can’t get enough.

Fandango New Moon movie description: In the second installment of Stephenie Meyer’s phenomenally successful TWILIGHT series, the romance between mortal and vampire soars to a new level as Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) delves deeper into the mysteries of the supernatural world she yearns to become part of—only to find herself in greater peril than ever before. With more of the passion, action and suspense that made TWILIGHT a worldwide phenomenon, THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON is a spellbinding follow-up to the box office hit.

USA Today: Werewolves inject life into ‘New Moon’ but the sequel still sputters – The werewolves have it all over the blood-suckers in The Twilight Saga: New Moon. When these oversize, hirsute creatures burst onto the screen, they inject life into a rather inert story. Once Jacob and his pals morph into teenage werewolves, the pace picks up. Then it dials down again when Bella, Edward and Edward’s sister Alice (Ashley Greene) venture to the Italian hilltop town of Volterra. The intended suspense when they are confronted by evil vampire rulers never pans out. Michael Sheen, the crimson-eyed Aro, plays the character with more high-pitched giddiness than menace. Daokta Fanning has a small role as the innocent-looking Jane, who calmly tortures Edward with her mind. The lovelorn Bella has little to recommend her as a heroine. She’s sullen, self-absorbed and stubborn. That such a bland and passive character elicits the amorous devotion of both Edward and Jacob is rather mystifying. Almost as incomprehensible is the huge appeal of this series, beyond the obvious timeworn fascination with vampires and werewolves.

Rotten Tomatoes says: 83%

Other movie reviews by Kate