The Twilight Saga: New Moon: Review By Vamp

Well last year we were hit with the movie phenomenon that is "Twilight." I must admit that when I saw the movie in theaters (having read all of the books before seeing it), I was a bit nostalgic with my review, giving it five stars straight across. After getting the DVD, my thoughts were something along the lines of "Did I really give that movie a full five stars?" Yeah, I regret it quite a bit. I still like the movie, of course... It's just that five stars is quite ridiculous, seeing how bad the acting in the movie actually was from everyone except for most of the Cullens. Anyway, I was determined that I wouldn't let nostalgia rule my viewing of the next installment of the series, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon." Now, I'm proud to report that "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" is much better than it's predecessor. The actors have gained a bit more skills (I mean... I can ACTUALLY stand Taylor Lautner in this movie!), and the visuals were done more. I think a lot of this can be attested to the switch in director. Something that I protested upon hearing, and now praise for the work done to the movie. It's nice to see something taken up a notch. Now, I'm the vampire guy as you all know, and I checked the books out before the craze hit because they were vampires. Aside from being morally devastated at the thought of sparkling vampires, I was pretty into the books... However, it is my firm belief that fangirls take the buzz away from everything. I'm kind of numb when it comes to "Twilight" now... I enjoy it... but at the same time I am rather sick of hearing about it (as many of you also are). However, I'm not entirely stupid as to think that the craze will die down. As my friend, Aficionado pointed out, it's going to be here for at least another two years, so we might as well just get used to it! Anyway, the point I wish to convey right now, is that "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," for being my least favorite book of the series, is one excellent movie, and it definitely tops the mehness that was "Twilight."

The director of this new installment in "The Twilight Saga" is Chris Weitz, who also directed 2007's "The Golden Compass," which as far as I can remember was a great success (I've never actually seen the movie myself). Weitz does a great job in the reigns of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon." In my mind's eye, Weitz had a tough job. He had to make this book (which, in my opinion was nothing but Bella whining about a hole that was punched into her chest for about two hundred pages until the ending where things finally picked up) seem interesting and fast-paced, so that half of the movie audience didn't leave the theater halfway through. Granted, this website's fangirl base is going to say that they felt for Bella with what she was going through, but honestly? I can understand about being down after losing someone you really love, but I think Meyer's writing took it a little too far, and it brought the book down with it. It was an enjoyable read, but the rest of the series was much better. Weitz handles the camera masterfully getting in a lot of interesting angles and filters which make some of the scenes, like Bella's underwater excursion, really cool to watch. Overall, the movie did have a feeling very similar to what the book had, as well, which was definitely something that was welcome. I give props to Chris Weitz for his work with the series. On the writing base of this movie is returing screenplay writer, Melissa Rosenberg, who also did the screenplay for "Twilight." Rosenberg once again writes a pretty good adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's novel, and one which, I'm sure, all of the fangirls are going to thank her for. The dialogue was pretty close to what I remember reading in the book, and a lot of the scenes were great... Something close to actually seeing what I read (especially in the birthday party scene). So I send out props to Rosenberg on a well rounded screenplay.

The visuals of this movie are done pretty well, also. As I was in the first one, I was worried about how the sparkling aspect was going to be handled. Even if I don't LIKE the fact that they sparkle AT ALL, I still want it to be done right so that it's not really dumb. I was very glad to see that Weitz decided to keep the same sparkle style that the previous director (Catherine Hardwicke) used. It kept continuity and was definitely nice. One thing that REALLY pleased me with the visuals of this movie was the fact that you could actually TELL that the bad vampires had the bloodred eyes, and the Cullens had their golden eyes. In the previous installment, Edwards eyes were golden, but it was a little too subtle, since I think I remember the book describing them as somewhat shocking to behold up close. The bad vampires in "Twilight" just had red-tinted-brown eyes, and it kind of let me down a lot on that angle. In this one, the eyes are handled perfectly, and it gives the vampires a shocking appearance, which also gives them that otherworldly feel that they're supposed to have. Definitely a welcome change in costume design. Now for the visuals that had me worried right from trailer number one: the wolves. The initial trailers for this movie really had me worried about the amount of CGI that they were going to use on the werewolves, and when I finally saw them change in the movie, I was very pleased to see that they touched it up quite a bit in the final reel of the film. You can still tell it's CGI, but it's not quite as blatantly obvious as it was in the trailers, which is a definite relief. I also enjoyed how they stuck with the book's size description, since Meyer's writing was kind of confusing when it came to size description on the beastly wolves, though I definitely remember reading that they were rather large at a couple points (these were vague descriptions, mind you). So overall, the visuals were touched up where they needed to be, and it worked out very well for the film. Plus, look out for a very epic fight between Victoria and Jacob.

The storyline of this movie is pretty much well known. Edward leaves Bella because he thinks he's too big of a threat to her, and in her sorrow, Bella turns to the only one who can console her, Jacob Black, only to find out that Jacob, like Edward, has a very big secret. It's your classic tale of heartbreak, with a little twist to it. It works, and for the movie they definitely cleaned up a lot of soppy whining from author Stephenie Meyer. Now, don't get me wrong, Meyer is a decent author, but lets not kid ourselves... she's not amazing (fangirls this is the part where I tell you to protest all you want, it's not going to change the fact that it's true), and she is definitely NOT the next Anne Rice (which is an infuriating bit of quotation I hear thrown about by some fangirls), and nor will she ever be, I'm sure. Anyhow, I'm here to talk about the movie, not the book. They did a very good job at making Bella's suffering seem drawn-out, but at the same time making it rather quick, so that they could get on with the movie's storyline. It was a nice effect, which was handled just enough to keep my interest in the movie. I will admit that from the initial previews, I could tell that the movie was going to be better than the first, but I wasn't going to get my hopes up TOO high. I was very pleasantly surprised. Now, here is my words to the world... I'm not going to be one of the fangirls who will tell you that "Twilight" is here to stay, and to get used to it because it's not. They'll move on to something new and shiny as soon as it presents itself. However, I'm also not going to be one of those "Twilight" bashers who says it's stupid and it's worthless and it needs to just disappear because it's not and it won't. I'm the one whose reasonable with it. It's an enjoyable series, and that's it. Nothing awful, but nothing amazing either. So I urge you to at least try it so that when you start bashing the sh*t out of it, you've got an educational opinion, and not one that just hates it because the fangirls bug you. The storyline is decent, and makes for a good time at the movies. That's pretty much it.

The movie begins on Isabella Swan's (played by Kristen Stewart of "Adventureland") birthday. Bella hates the fact that she's turning 18, when her vampire boyfriend, Edward Cullen (played by Robert Pattinson of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire") is forever seventeen. Even though he's older than her by almost one hundred years, she still feels like she's older than him now, and she's mad that he has refused to change her into a vampire. Her father Charlie Swan (played by Billy Burke of "Fracture"), for her birthday, gives her a camera to go with the photo album that her mother got her. Bella isn't happy he got her a present, but since it's for her senior memories she lives with it. At school she is accosted by Edward's sister, Alice Cullen (played by Ashley Greene of "Otis") who is accompanied by her vampire soulmate, Jasper Hale (played by Jackson Rathbone of "Big Stan"). Alice tells Bella that she has to come over to the house for a party that night. Bella is not happy with it, but when Jasper uses some "persuasion," she agrees to go. That night at the party, surrounded by the rest of Edward's family: Carlisle Cullen (played by Peter Facinelli of "Finding Amanda"), Esme Cullen (played by Elizabeth Reaser of "Purple Violets"), Emett Cullen (played by Kellan Lutz of "Prom Night"), and Rosalie Hale (played by Nikki Reed of "Thirteen") who are all there to give her gifts and celebrate her birthday. However, when Bella gets a paper cut, and invokes new-to-vampire-vegitarianism Jasper's bloodlust, the family must fight to protect her. After this, Edward decides that it's best he leave Bella alone, and him and the entire family pack up their belongings and leave Forks for good. Bella, of course, is devastated and goes into a very deep depression that lasts for four months, and includes crying, silence, and nightmares that induce sleep-screaming. When Charlie tells her that it's best for her to go back and live with her Mom, Bella freaks out even more, and decides that she'd better find something to do that will take her mind off of Jacob. She swipes a couple of junk motorcylces from the junk yard and brings them to her friend Jacob Black's (played by Taylor Lautner of "The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3D") house, knowing that he's a great mechanic, and can probably help take her mind off of things. They begin working on the bikes, and Bella realizes that she is an adrenaline junkie, because when she starts to do reckless things, she can see Edward again. However, being with Jacob makes all thoughts of Edward disappears, and she starts hanging out with him everyday. Jacob, of course, has liked Bella ever since she returned to Forks to live with Charlie. Bella is not willing to date him, however because she only wants his friendship. But when Jacob disappears, and stops returning all of her calls, she becomes worried, and tries to find out what has happened to her best friend. What she finds is more than she bargained for, as Jacob and all of the tribe that he is in are werewolves. It seems that Bella's life is continuously revolving around monsters, even though she doesn't care. However, werewolves are highly tempermental, and Jacob still isn't sure whether she should be around him. But werewolves aren't all of Bella's worries, either, as the vampire leaders, the Volturi, Aro (played by Michael Sheen of "Underwolrd: Rise of the Lycans"), Caius (played by Jamie Campbell Bower of "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"), and Marcus (played by Christopher Heyerdahl of "Blade: Trinity") and their minions Jane (played by Dakota Fanning of "Hide and Seek") and Alec (played by Cameron Bright of "UltraViolet") rule the vampire realm, and seem to have their eyes set on Edward, while at the same time Victoria (played by Rachelle Lefevre of "Fugitive Pieces") has her eyes set on Bella whom she plans to kill to get revenge on Edward for killing her mate, James (played by Cam Gigandet of "Never Back Down"). Bella's life is at a turning point of danger, but she doesn't care... She just wants Edward and his family back in her life. The actors and actresses that are involved in this movie manage their parts pretty well. Everyone, including Pattinson and Lautner, seem to be getting ahold of their roles better, though neither one of them is going to be winning an Oscar for their roles... Same can be said of Kristen Stewart, who seems to have mastered emotional, though her nighttime screaming is not very convincing. The actors and actresses get their characters across well enough, and deliver some very good, entertaining performances, which really help make the movie even more fun to watch. Definitely a pretty good job on the casting of this movie.

All in all, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" is what it is. An entertaining movie that is ultimately aimed at the young girls of the world, but is also able to be enjoyed by the men if they give it a chance. It's nothing amazing, as the fangirls would have you think, and it's not sh*tty as the "Twilight"-bashers would have you believe... It's just good. It's not going up for an Oscars or anything, and it doesn't need to. I think it's just a movie that's made so that audiences can have a good time at the theaters. I urge you to give the movie a shot because it deserves that much. Besides, you definitely shouldn't be going around and constantly saying that the movie is sh*t, when you yourself have not seen one second of it. Don't be presumptuous because you may actually be very surprised with the movie. As someone who wasn't the BIGGEST fan of "Twilight" (but still enjoyed it), I was very pleased with the way that "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" turned out. It was enjoyable, funny, and somewhat sad in points, and it worked throughout everything to keep the audience engaged with the film that was playing before their eyes. The directors and writers managed to change what, in my opinion, was the worst book of the series into a very good movie that I really enjoyed. I know many of you are still shaking your heads and cursing me for saying what I've said about Stephenie Meyer and the book, as well as what I've said in regards to the movies worth, but it's true. It's nothing amazing, and it's nothing awful. It's just fun. So give it a try. You may or may not get disappointed with it. I know I didn't!!!!!