The long-awaited sequel to the worldwide smash hit "Twilight", New Moon marks a new chapter in the complicated relationship between Bella (Kristen Stewart) and the enigmatic vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson).
New Moon is a quietly unnerving piece of work. For a film with stars quite so beautiful and scenery quite so idyllic, it's almost distressing that the underlying messages inferred by the story are so powerful, to the extent that they're almost harmful.
New Moon takes place in the quiet town of Forks, Washington, and follows on from the inexplicably successful 'Twilight'. Bella Swan, whose lovely name is perhaps her only redeeming feature, is embroiled in a relationship with a centenarian vampire, the effortlessly charming Edward Cullen. However when things take a turn for the worse, the relationship breaks down, and poor Bella spirals out of control. Or something along those lines. And then somewhere along the way, she ends up in Italy.
I feel at a considerable disadvantage for not having read any of the book series, nor did I watch the first film more than once. Is that fair? Should I have to conduct this much research to be able to follow some of the more basic plot points of the film? What I did manage to ascertain is that the vampires of the film are still not real vampires: they don't drink much blood and they can go out in the daylight as often as they please. For newcomers to the series, this film will present a real challenge. But I can understand why it offers so few entry points for those who would choose to dip in at movie number two - why waste precious screen time on such formalities when it's the teeth-grinding angst that most dedicated viewers are desperate to dive into?
Bella Swan is, quite simply, a truly unlikeable character. How she can be the focal point of a series of massively successful books and films, while having almost no redeeming qualities, will forever perplex me. Throughout the course of the film, Bella is consistently abused and mistreated by the men she chooses to involve herself with. But she refuses to learn. In fact, she thrives on this kind of abuse. It's upsetting that the film presents Bella with so many opportunities to bite the dust, and never cashes in. Her androgynous charm is something I never expect to understand, but apparently Edward or Jacob are always on hand to save the day. Topless, most likely.
Edward Cullen is a similarly unpleasant character. He has no discernible personality, at all. He speaks with contempt about Shakespeare and makes little attempt to be pleasant to anybody around him. His eyes are glassy and his expression invariably as stone-like as his performance, but he has women across the globe swooning like they've never swooned before. Bizarre. This is a character who, quite literally, takes his emotionally fragile girlfriend into the middle of the woods to end their relationship, and leaves her there. Just how is this a trait that so many people are willing to overlook, in addition to his vanity, selfishness, and complete and utter lack of personality?
The story is willing to leap over a number of gaping plot holes for the sake of keeping things moving. In a scene where Bella is rescued from the forest and brought home by one of Jacob's topless associates, everybody is grateful (even her father, who I suspect was quietly hoping she'd be devoured by mountain goats). "Thanks." Does nobody wonder why there's a topless guy carrying a semi-conscious teenager out of the woods? The half-ounce of logic in my brain telling me not to keep watching had a fairly reasonable argument.
My primary issues with this film revolve around its target audience. This is a film directly targeted at pre-teen and teenage girls. I only wish it realised what it's saying. New Moon's protagonist is a masochist; a girl who thrives on putting herself in abusive relationships with men. When they try to take themselves out of her life, she descends into a mire of self-pity. How, I can't help but think, can this be the kind of character we want young girls to be identifying with? New Moon is so misogynistic in its tone that it's virtually promoting this kind of behaviour. Or is the secondary message that 'men are monsters'? If neither of these are intentional, then it represents severely irresponsible storytelling.
On a lighter note, New Moon is beautifully shot (even if it does appear to have been a little washed out in post-production for the sake of atmosphere). The sweeping shots over the Washington forests are really quite serene. Catch it on Blu-Ray for sure, if you really want to get into it. If you're a girl looking to inflict a lifetime of pain upon yourself under the spell of a heartless beast, Forks is the place to do it.
Without doubt, if you're a fan of the Twilight series, you'll be happy with New Moon. It delivers much of the same as the first chapter. And in spite of my criticisms, I don't doubt that I'll still see the coming third instalment, Eclipse. Can the story redeem itself? Will the characters maybe get a sense of humour? I sort of doubt it, but I'm quietly hoping so. There are two films left to turn it around and make things right.
New Moon...It makes women swoon and men feel inadequate. Thank you Stephenie Meyer...and thank you Chris Weitz...
My friend described this film as 'hunks and chunks' and he was right. The director pounced upon every opportunity for Taylor Lautner and Robert Patterson to whip their shirts off and expose their muscley torsos. Taylor Lautner aka Jacob is about 12 years old, but he's still somehow managed to transform his body into an object of desire for every woman in the world. In the cinema I witnessed a woman of at least 60 years of age audibly groan in pleasure as Jacob revealed his six pack. It's disgusting! I've got food in my fridge that's older than that lad!
All this aside I did actually really enjoy the film...even if it did make me feel like I needed to hit the gym twice a day for the next six months. New Moon was different from Twilight in the sense that it didn't seem to take itself so seriously. It's as if Chris Weitz, the director realised how cheesy and ridiculously corny the stories are and decided to inject a little comedy into the script. I think the director got the balance of comedy and drama just right this time and it beats the first film of the series hands down. It's not so sombre and broody and has a lot more action and humour. Fans of the books and Twilight newbies alike will both love this film. There's something in New Moon for everyone to enjoy...even those of us who don't have a t-shirt that says 'Team Jacob' or 'My boyfriends a vampire'. Oh and you don't need a Twilight duvet cover either...that's a step too far...
Verdict: Good film. Soft porn for the ladies. A bit of vampire violence for the lads. Everyone's a winner!
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Chris Weitz (THE GOLDEN COMPASS, ABOUT A BOY) directs this sequel to the box-office phenomenon TWILIGHT, adapted from Stephenie Meyer's series of romantic fantasy novels. The film will tell the continuing tale of the vampire/human romance between Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart). New to the series is Dakota Fanning, who joins the cast as Jane, a waifish pixie type with an air of menace.
The second instalment of the teen vampire saga based on the bestselling novels by Stephenie Meyer. Following her ill-fated 18th birthday party, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is devastated by the abrupt departure of her vampire lover Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and his family - but finds solace in a deepening relationship with her childhood friend, the irresistible Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), a member of the mysterious Quileute tribe. Bella's loyalties are tested to the limit as she becomes entangled in a dark and deadly supernatural secret.
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