Vampires don't glitter. Whoever thought of such an asinine idea deserves a good bop on the head; and in the case of Stephenie Meyer, emergency brain surgery. Ever since Twilight ravaged the big screen last year, the media suddenly hopped on the Vampire Express, reducing the once mysterious denizens of night into daft, emotive metrosexuals with soft spots for equally emotive damsels in distress. The prequel stretched any unwilling moviegoer to absolute extremes of mush and unwarranted hilarity, a mix that obviously worked on the movie's die-hard fan base of pubescent girls. It was with this dim mindset that I entered the cinema, keeping my fingers crossed that New Moon would be twice as absurd as its predecessorI needed a good laugh.
The film starts with a pale-faced Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) standing in a woodland clearing, waving to her grandmother. From the shadows walks an even paler Edward Cullen (Robert Pattison), skin glittering in shining-shimmering splendor under the soft rays of sunlight. Ladies and gents, we have officially entered the cheesy world of Twilight.
Staying true to its prequel, the first 20 minutes feeds the audience with heaping servings of unadulterated cheese. I can't help but laugh out loud amidst a smitten crowd of crazed fangirls when Edward Cullen, donning his trademark glare, utters the words, "You give me everything just by breathing." And, like clockwork, the sentimental piano score booms from the background. I swear I can hear whimpers from the crowd as the two star-crossed lovers part ways. Forever, I hope.
Just when I am about to write the movie off as a slightly-polished twin of the first, the plot gets a much needed shot of adrenalin as we are introduced to a slew of new faces in the form of strapping young werewolves, shirtless throughout the movie, and an unearthly intimidating group of elite super vampires called the "Volturi." The casting choices are perfect, treating the audience to a mix of notable stars and complete unknowns. The standout in this ensemble is a silent Dakota Fanning who plays Jane, a vampire whose demeanor is as fierce as her blood-red eyes.
I find it amazing how the Cullen family's absence in 80% of the film flips the whole mood around. The skies are less drab, the songs less sentimental, and the exchange of lines less cringe-worthy. In this movie, the emotive vampire family plays second-fiddle to the alpha pack of werewolves and Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). For a 17-year-old, Lautner surprisingly plays his part well, giving moderated doses of violence and tenderness to his character. His pairing with Bella, dare I say, is actually more believable than her hollow supernatural connection with Edward. The storyline becomes richer, its progression filling the voids left by the first flick.
The movie still does have its faults though, with several booboos in pivotal scenes; the most laughable one being the film's climax set in Volterra, Italy where a desperate Edward strips down to his bare essentials, giving a massive crowd of people, not to mention the audience, a gag-inducing peep show of anemic skin and body glitter. I will refrain from narrating further as not to spoil the experience for any devout fangirl, but then again, the movie is lifted from a book so there's nothing much to spoil. In any case, all the loopholes are negligible since viewers will be glued to the screen, voraciously consuming the clues and revelations being set up for the next big installment.
What makes New Moon way better than Twilight, aside from its seamless match cuts, clean camera work, fast-paced action sequences, and poignant background music, is the fact that it brings back the chilling gothic image of these creatures which is severely lacking in the first movie. This difference transforms this hormone-induced fantasy chick flick into a mildly palatable movie for all audiences.
SPOT.ph Rating: 3 out of 5 Spots â–â–â–
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Borrowed Ideas + Cliche Teen Romance = Twilight Saga
just watched new moon - well what can i say --- it's kinda expected, a boring novel equals a boring film!!! i feel sorry to the screenwriter, how much he squeeze his mind to come up with a good story for the film since the book has nothing to offer and the new moon soundtracks are cool but the musical score is not... and for me.. the Twilight director is much better that this new guy.. haay
Excuse me! But I don't think the novel is boring, especially if you like reading books. I remember I can't stop reading the Twilight novels even during conferences. I'm yet to watched the movie so no comment for now.
I will spoil this for you Dra. ClumsyEmogirl: He wants to die, so he strips naked in the middle of an Italian square/plaza. Plothole: how dculd he die when sunlight only makes him glitter? I don't see the logic behind: "I don’t think the novel is boring, especially if you like reading books." I like (!) reading books, but Twilight is poorly-written, I won't go anywhere near it. If you are really a book-lover, caring about the future of literature, you'd stay away.
dculd = could
If you actually watched the movie or read the book (which I did unfortunately), Gecko, you'd know why it isn't really a plot hole (Edward does not strip naked to die due to sunlight). However, that doesn't really make the book (and the movie's main Edward--centric conflict) any better.
Edward did that to expose himself to the crowd, to make a scene. because vampire rule is never to expose their secret, their existence. But by revealing to the mortals their secret, he will be executed. If you're an edward fan, you'll be dissappointed bcause he's not around much. :( The book series is a good read, if you'd like to relieve your high school life/lovelife. It's for the young/teen people so don't be so critical.
hahahaha.. good read? of all the twilight series.. new moon is far the worst ever and what's with bella's character? so annoying the only reason i've done reading that book is because my sister told me that eclipse and breaking dawn are worth the read, haay.. STEPHEN MAYER IS NOTHING NEAR JK ROWLING!
and if you really read the book.. its expected that you'll only see edward at the first and last part of the story, unless you want the screenwriter to make up with scenes just to make edward's appearance in the film to stay longer if you really like a 100% edward cullen movie.. then ask summit if they could also make an adaptation of Midnight Sun. just like Twilight.. but in edward's point of view
i admit i watched it to see jacob's hot new bod! we all did! hehe
Stephanie Myer's writing and style is way out of the league. I just can't seem to grasp what's the fuss all about.
I'm not anywhere near pubescent, but this whole Twilight business makes me wish I could be 13 again, so that I could be stupid and like it
at the very least, this book series made young people read. Of course HP is way better.
Face it, teens just want to have sex. Let's not be hypocrites. Teach them to be safe!
nothing can beat jk rowling of course.. sadly im done reading all jk rowling's work so maybe switch to another taboo masterpiece which is stephenie meyers'...no choice
I think the only reason the Twilight series is really popular is the number of teens and tweens in the world (plus their hormones). I was able to finish the whole series but I was barely awake most of the time especially New Moon. I had to re-read the first chapter 3 times before I was able to finish the book. I only read the last two books (Eclipse and Breaking Dawn) because I didn't want my money to go to waste. I tried analyzing why this book just didn't do anything for me and the answer is one word: HUMOR. It goes from one cheessy line to another reminding me why I choose to sleep rather than endure the teleseryes/telenovelas every night. The books does not contain one freaking witty remark or if it does it fails big time. The movies are decent enough but again there is not much depth in the material so you should probably leave all logic behind when you read or watch the movie. Also can someone tell me why Edward and Bella are so in love with each other? Other than Edward sparkles in the sunlight and he seems to love the smell of Bella's blood? Thinking back I could not recall any meaningful conversation between the two of them (excluding the mushy lines they throw at each other about lambs and lions). Plus (spoiler alert) getting married and pregnant at 18 or 19? Really?? Nice message to your the millions and billions of tweens and teens reading the books (snickers) But ultimately Stephen King sums up what I feel about Twilight. The difference between Jo Rowling and Stephenie Meyer is that Jo can write...
he'd die by exposing himself to people, it's against a vampire rule. not the sun will kill him literally but the superiors would.God! this movie is not for logicless
haha..this is a lot better than twilight!! good job mr.director!
new moon is way better than twilight. I agree. I read the book, though it's good, it tends to be too girly sometimes.
@intense_me Try reading REAL literature you silly little girl. Pick up some Bradbury, Gaiman, Vonnegut, Moore, or hell, if you want to go full-on pseudo-intellectual, Tommy-boy Pynchon and James Joyce. Stop reading children's books if you're over the age of 18 (or at least stop being so proud about it).