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November 19, 2009

MOVIE REVIEW: "New Moon" delivers what its core audience expects





Parents, take heart.

If your young teen-ager hasn’t yet been exposed to Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy “Romeo and Juliet,” if they are die-hard Twilight fans, they’ll at least get a glimpse of the classic drama when they go see “The Twilight Saga: New Moon.”

“New Moon” is the second in a series of vampire-werewolf-teen angst come-of-age sagas, based on the popular Twilight series of books by Stephenie Meyer. This second story involves a love triangle among heartthrob vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), his human girlfriend Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and Bella’s best-friend-turned werewolf Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner).

Fans of the series know this second chapter involves Edward leaving Bella “for her own safety,” and the heart-broken girl turns to Black for comfort and friendship. She later finds out that Black is part of a werewolf gang patrolling Forks, Washington in an effort to keep vampires at bay.

For fans of the books and the previous movie, “New Moon” delivers exactly what the audience is looking for. Edward is as sparkly as ever, and he’s appropriately tortured between his desire to be with Bella forever and his concern about damning her soul to eternity. Jacob is a work of art to behold, as are all his werewolf buddies, and he adds a more lustful and carnivorous sensuality to the situation.

Bella, herself, doesn’t do much other than frown, suffer and get herself into trouble. But, she does it with flair, and both Edward and Jacob feel bound to protect her.

As for style points, the movie starts out sluggish, but picks up as the plot develops and we learn more about Jacob and the werewolf gang. Things also get more interesting when Bella rushes to save Edward from making a huge mistake with the vampire coven the Volturi. We get the idea this coven will play a large role in the movies to come.

The soundtrack is also appealing, combining a blend of mainstream rock with an eclectic feel. It works well for the mood of the picture.

“New Moon” isn’t Academy material, but it turns things up a notch from the original. It doesn’t really matter what the movie critics think of this film. Twilight fans will love it and will be left screaming for more.

"Twilight Saga: New Moon" opens to general audiences tonight for a midnight showing at Oakwood Mall Theatres. It is rated PG-13.

Cindy Allen, managing editor

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