Twilight: New Moon

Review By: Andrea Tuccillo
AndreaTuccillo@TheCinemaSource.com

Movie Grade: B

Maybe it’s because my expectations were so low they were scraping the floor, or maybe it’s because it’s really not hard to get much worse than Twilight – but here’s the deal, Twilight: New Moon is actually…okay. Thanks to a better director (hello Chris Weitz, good riddance Catherine Hardwicke), Taylor “Call-me-when-you’re-18” Lautner’s spectacular abs, and the limited screen time of the lifeless Robert Pattinson, the second installment of the saga doesn’t suck. And no, that wasn’t meant to be a pun – just lucked out that way.

New Moon is decidedly the darkest of Stephenie Meyer’s vamp-tastic novels (tween girls’ own personal brand of heroin). For all you cave dwellers, the Twilight Saga follows the forbidden love story of a human girl named Bella Swan and her beautiful vampire boyfriend Edward Cullen. She’s kind of a klutz, and he sparkles in the sunlight. Romantic and supernatural complications ensue.

I didn’t think I was completely off base in expecting New Moon to be a bleak mess of weepy waterworks and banal blank stares. There is some of that, to a degree – but not enough to drag the movie down completely.

Following a near disaster at Bella’s 18th birthday party where we learn that vampires and paper cuts really don’t mix, Edward decides it’s wise if he and his family move far, far away from Forks, Washington in order to protect the girl he loves. In non-sappy terms, he breaks up with her. Pretty harshly. In the woods. But not before warning her not to do anything drastic.

Crushed and abandoned, Bella sinks into a depression, finding solace only in her friendship with Jacob Black, a Native American boy two years her junior harboring a major puppy-dog crush on fair Bella. In between hanging with Jake, Bella realizes that anytime she does something reckless, she has a vision of Edward. Wanting to keep the memory of his presence firmly in her mind, Bella’s increasingly more daring actions lead to a huge misunderstanding that could ultimately cost her her one true love.

Meanwhile, Jacob’s going through some issues of his own. In addition to his unrequited feelings for Bella, he has another secret to growl about.

So remember last year when Robert Pattinson was the next big thing? Well there’s a new kid in town, and he has some bulging muscles to boot. Oh yeah, and he’s actually a pretty decent actor. After initially fighting to be recast, Taylor Lautner proves he’s got the muscle it takes to fully embody Bella’s BFF Jake. Gratuitous shirtless scenes aside, Lautner’s character has way more chemistry with Bella than Edward ever had. Lautner didn’t ruin book-Jacob for me, and that’s important. It’s more than I can say about Pattinson. God forgive me, but did I just switch to Team Jacob? Gee, I think I did…

Chris Weitz deserves some commendation for stepping into the mess Hardwicke left behind and managing to create a more cohesive film. ...