Rating: 7/10

Writer: Melissa Rosenberg (screenplay), Stephenie Meyer (novel)
Director: Chris Weitz
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, Michael Sheen
Studio: Summit Entertainment

My personally-demanded full disclosure: It’s hard for me to separate myself from my fandom for this series, and for that, I do apologize. I like The Twilight Saga, while fully being able to giggle unabashedly at many of the lines and situations presented in the books and the films. But it’s important to remember that this Saga is indeed fantasy – there is a certain level of reality that needs to be suspended in order to enjoy it. This is a world inhabited by vampires and werewolves and epically-destined true love, so it’s important to take all of this with a major grain of salt. But that is not to say that NEW MOON, as a film, needs to be given some sort of pass, simply due to its (admittedly, somewhat insane) source material.

Despite the fact that the bare bones plot of “New Moon” the book (Bella Swan loves a boy, then finds out he’s really a mythical monster, then almost dies because of it) is so close to that of “Twilight,” both novels have a distinctly different feel and direction. My first reading of “New Moon” can best be described as distressing. It’s a deeply sad book, especially when read immediately after “Twilight,” which sort of gives itself over to the more magic elements of, well, the magic of discovery. “New Moon” is ultimately about depression. But director Chris Weitz, thankfully, does not dwell too long on the darker tones evident in the book, and NEW MOON benefits immensely from not being the downer of the century (which it so easily could be). The film drives home what is really most important about the NEW MOON story – it simultaneously gives us the most personal of rivals (Jacob), while also setting the stage for a number of battles that ultimately become epic in scope (Victoria versus the Cullens, the Volturi versus the Cullens, the werewolves versus all vampires).

Of the three leads, Taylor Launter gives the most proficient, interesting, and believable performance as Jacob Black. It’s hard to not think about the (silver) bullet the TWILIGHT film team dodged by not replacing young Launter after the first film, a rumor that rocked the Twi-hards to the core after word came out that some people considered Lautner too babyish to keep up the Jacob role. NEW MOON really is the Jacob show after all, and Lautner’s performance is something to be thankful for. The kid’s good. And his abs are as far from babyish as you can get.

NEW MOON is nearly a Cullen-free zone. Our “vegetarian” vampire family is together on screen, as a whole, for not even ten minutes. Twi-hards will not be surprised at this, as NEW MOON sticks quite closely to the layout of its source material, which is an even more decidedly Bella and Jacob affair. The one major Cullen appearance change formulated for the film involves getting more face time for Edward; in the book, Bella only hears Edward’s voice in times of danger, in the film, she sees him as well. It’s a wise and obvious change, a cinematic tweak that works without being (too) over the top.

Oh, but don’t despair, Edward definitely still retains his ethereal glow, even when he’s a delusion, floating upside down underwater. But, because of his sparse screen time, it’s not easy to comment on Pattinson’s performance as Edward. He continues to sparkle and look pained, so kudos to continuity. Kristen Stewart’s Bella does improve in NEW MOON – she has managed to tone down the obsessive lip-biting and constant stuttering, most likely thanks to being directed by a more skilled director this time around. But, as Bella is supposed to be human and fallible and unsure, Stewart’s work as Bella is progressing in a practical way, she is growing into Bella as Bella is growing into herself. I would, however, request that she works on her screaming – it’s terrifying and not in the way it is intended to be. Oh, and as a nice treat to the Team Jacob devotees, Lautner and Stewart generate real heat this time around.

For many, the big question when it comes to NEW MOON is, is it better than TWILIGHT? Rest easy, it is. I have never had a problem proclaiming my disdain for Catherine Hardwicke as a director, and the work she turned in for TWILIGHT was shoddy (at best), and it was an overwhelmingly wise decision to replace her on NEW MOON with someone who actually knows how to make a workable feature.

In terms of special effects, the improvements over the first film are vast; the werewolf-changing effects in particular are excellent. Sayonara, bad tree-climbing sequences! The vampire sparkling work could still use some refinement, but who even knows what a sparkly vampire would look like, so maybe the whole thing is actually, secretly spot-on. Weitz also uses some interesting visuals for long, demanding sequences; in particular, the passing of three months time in Bella’s depressed state is both faithful to the spirit of the book and interesting to watch. Weitz also crafts a fine sequence of events during one of Bella’s most dangerous stunts, weaved together with a wolf pack search for Victoria, while the humans haunt the wolf pack. It’s also the most effective use of music in the entire film.

As an additional note on the film’s music, despite having an interesting and varied soundtrack, most of it is criminally underused. Alexandre Desplat’s score does not supersede Carter Burwell’s previous work in TWILIGHT, and none of the songs used match the power of “Bella’s Lullaby,” though there are some obvious attempts. Purchase the soundtrack, but don’t expect to hear too much of it in the actual film.

Though NEW MOON will most likely not show any Twi-haters what all the howling’s for, fans of the series will be pleased. It improves on TWILIGHT in nearly every way possible and sets the stage for the films (and battles) yet to come.