Let me begin by saying that this review is coming from a Twilighter through and through — someone who has read multiple editions of the novels, has spent a weekend at a Twilight convention, and has made a pilgrimage to Forks. There is no doubt in my mind, that for someone who has never read the books and has no interest in the Twilight phenomenon, yes, New Moon will probably not make it on your list of top 10 movies of 2009. I regard Star-Trek in much the same way 
I liked Twilight (2008). It was artsy and a little rushed, but Catherine Hardwicke captured the feel of the story and the setting nicely. The misty, bluish tones of that film get me every time, and the wide-angle shots of the Pacific Northwest were stunning. The acting was decent, and save for a few corny scenes, I was pleased with this adaptation, and I continue to watch Twilight on rainy days, enjoying it every time.
The year-long, agonizing wait for New Moon was well worth it.
For one thing, Chris Weitz sure knows his audience. He doesn’t mess around with Twilighters or their high regard for the original source material. Scenes from the book that I thought would surely be omitted (the opening dream, for instance, and the bit about relative ages between Jacob and Bella — a scene that adds some critical lightheartedness) left me pleasantly surprised when they managed to work themselves into this 130-minute movie. And for a film all about Bella’s depression, my friends and I genuinely laughed a good bit; why? Because Weitz catered to people who know Twilight. Inside jokes and key book quotes, as well as a thorough understanding of the complicated triangle between Bella, Edward, and Jacob were weaved seamlessly and professionally into a moderately-paced, beautiful, emotionally-fulfilling movie.
Now, the flip-side of knowing the Twilight audience means there were some obviously silly things thrown in. Jacob’s first shirt-removal stunt and his wicked tree-climb, for example. And J. Crew, Banana Republic, or some similar yuppie retailer must have forked over a nice sum of money for Alice’s “vision.” That scene just deserves to be laughed at. The dialogue between E & B at the beginning also verged on the brink of mushiness, but when I remember Louis’s endless philosophical musings in Interview with a Vampire, I can forgive Edward for his tendency towards the romantically profound.
As far as the acting is concerned, Dismal Bella is the perfect role for Kristen Stewart, who plays the same sort of character in all her movies, the female equivalent of Michael Cera. Don’t get me wrong, I love K. Stew: she’s grounded, sarcastic, mature, she doesn’t take crap, and it shows. She’s great at bringing out Bella’s awkward side, but Stephenie Meyer’s Bella is also somewhat of a happy person. Strangely enough, this comes out more in New Moon than it did in Twilight. Maybe it’s a result of Jacob’s radiating personality. In any case, I have no complaints about Stewart’s Bella here.
It had long been known that Edward would be more visible in the movie than his role in the book calls for, via the visions and whatnot, and I was worried it would almost be 50/50 Edward and Jacob movie, but his presence is not excessive. Of course, if it was, I’m not sure even I would complain. Robert Pattinson’s character has improved tenfold since Twilight; Edward stuns in every scene. In the first film, it required a good deal of imagination to see “Edward Cullen the Vampire” when you looked at Pattinson. Now, there is no question whatsoever. I wonder how much of this improvement is Rob’s doing, and how much is Weitz’s directing. Rob screams “Vampire” in New Moon with his stillness and striking smiles, not to mention the pronounced amber eyes and unnaturally pale skin from which all the vamps have likewise improved. You can be proud to wave your Team Edward flag at the end of New Moon.
. . . Or, more likely, you may be tempted to trade in your Team Edward flag for a Team Switzerland flag . . . or, *gasps*, a Team Jacob one. Yes, I said it. I intensely disliked Jacob, but then Taylor Lautner melted my heart. Bella’s inability to give it straight to Jacob for so many chapters finally makes some sense. Taylor should be proud of his perfect 10 performance, and how can you not root for him, knowing the sort of physical training he underwent to keep the part? He is so versatile, changing convincingly from lovable, happy-go-lucky Jake to hormonal, intense, frustrated wolfy Jacob. By the film’s end, all my guy friends were standing solidly on the Team Jacob side of the fence, while I was found myself close to sitting on it.
Due to their prolonged absence from Forks, we don’t see much of the Cullens, which is a shame because I could have sure gone for more Emmett. Eclipse will be his and Jasper’s movie, though, so that’s some consolation for their pathetic lack of lines in New Moon. Ashley Greene’s Alice was still missing something, and to be honest I think the Twilight version of her character was better. The Wolf Pack could have gone for some more acting lessons. Team Human is looking pretty strong, especially if Charlie is included in their lineup — Chief Swan rocks.
I’m not sure what to say about the Volturi. Michael Sheen certainly gave Aro his chilling creepiness, but Marcus and Caius just looked funny. Other than that, I have no opinion on this odd bunch.
Alexandre Desplat’s score is more melodious than Carter Burwell’s electric guitar medley, which was a welcome change. I was not particularly moved by the soundtrack, however. When I listened to the Twilight soundtrack the first time through after seeing the movie, I could immediately place each song with its scene; right now, I am listening to the New Moon soundtrack and I have no recollection of half of these songs, forget trying to match them with any particular scene. They all sort of run together. . . it’s growing on me though.
Some random complaints:
1) What’s with the random motorcycle ride with the creep? I think viewers could have made the jump from Jessica’s “adrenaline junkie” comment to Bella and Jacob’s motorcycles without such a ridiculous, implausible set-up.
2) It only rained once. Um, this is Forks. Granted, I visited for an entire week and saw not one drop of rain, but let’s keep with the stereotype please. The general lack of mist/fog was also disappointing.
3) Edward’s car . . . and those corny Volvo commercials.
4) The unsent e-mails to Alice were a brilliant internal dialogue scheme, but I wish they had extended the Romeo & Juliet theme into these, because the “Paris & Juliet” question is so vital to the book. That’s a small complaint though.
Regarding the ending, I do not believe it could have been done better. The question could not have been left out, nor could they have included Bella’s whimpy answer without leaving everyone with a very bad taste in their mouths. What a perfect set-up for Eclipse!
I loved New Moon But before writing it off because it’s Twilight or a supposedly “teen” vampire story, have an open mind and go see it for yourself. It’s a well-done movie and if you didn’t like Twilight, you’ll probably be surprised with this one.
It’s been a long time coming and the wait was certainly worth it.
Another great one!
