Product Details

• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 130 minutes

Amazon.com
New Moon, the second in Stephenie Meyer's blockbuster teen-fiction saga adapted for film, is stronger than its predecessor, Twilight. Director Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass), taking the helm from Catherine Hardwicke, brings a lighter, more assured touch to the sequel, which continues the star-crossed love story of mortal Bella (Kristen Stewart) and vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson). Incidentally, Edward is absent for most of the film; after an accident on Bella's birthday reminds Edward that her life is always at risk when he's around, he chooses to abandon her, sending her into a deep depression. The only person who helps her heal her broken heart is her friend Jacob (Taylor Lautner), a member of the Quileute tribe who, as he grows taller, beefier, and more aggressive (with less clothing), comes to realize he's not entirely human either. But even his love for Bella doesn't prevent her from throwing herself in the path of danger, because that's the only time she can see visions of Edward. One such fateful misunderstanding sends Edward into the coven of the Volturi (a sort of vampire Mafia, if you will), where the most dangerous vampires hold both Edward and Bella's fate in their cold, dark hands. Much of New Moon rests on the shoulders of Lautner, so scrawny in Twilight, who famously packed on the muscle to avoid getting recast. He's very nearly successful in carrying the load, but the cheese-tastic beefcake scenes disservice him, and Jacob and Bella's complicated friendship stumbles on its way to any kind of love triangle. Some of that blame lies with Stewart, who understandably holds her emotions close to her chest but reveals much too little (c'mon, even an angsty girl has to be a little joyful in the arms of two different hunks). As is with the book, the film is just a bridge between sagas, so the plot drags and not a lot happens. Fortunately, while Twilight was trapped in its own self-consciousness, the wobbly-legged cast seems to have found stronger footing in New Moon; the jokes come faster, the writing (by Melissa Rosenberg, who also scribed Twilight) is a hair wittier. (Even Pattinson seems more comfortable in Edward's skin.) The Volturi, highlighted by Michael Sheen's Aro and Dakota Fanning's Jane, also make an all-too-brief impression, but at least there's more to look forward to when Eclipse, the third installment, is released. --Ellen A. Kim

Customer Reviews

FANS OF THE BOOK -- You will LOVE this film!!!
Let me say, I LOVE the "Twilight" books. Like, REALLY LOVE them. I love to read, and I usually read the classics. I'm a Jane Austen, Elizabeth Gaskell, Bronte Sisters kind of girl. My friend insisted for two years that I should read "Twilight", but I kept thinking, "Teen vampire romance? Not my kind of book." Finally, this 29-year-old mother of three was on a flight by myself with some time to read, so I bought "Twilight". I absolutely DEVOURED it--I read one book a day until I had finished the entire saga in four days. Luckily, "Breaking Dawn" had just been released, so I didn't have to wait. The "Twilight" books are my absolute FAVORITE guilty pleasure--I love the fluff, the cheesy dialogue, the LOVE--all of it.

For me, "New Moon" really needed to redeem all that was wrong with the "Twilight" movie. After watching "Twilight" last year, I was SO disappointed. Catherine Hardwicke had just taken our beloved series and turned it into a made-for-TV movie. I laughed at all of the wrong places. How Bella and Edward fell in love was completely rushed. I could go on. Melissa Rosenberg butchered the book and everything that made me obsessed with it. Sure, "Twilight" was fun to watch because it was "Twilight", but the portrayal was so, so, so wrong on so many levels. My favorite book had been reduced to lines like "spider monkey."

WELL, "NEW MOON" JUST MADE UP FOR EVERY CATHERINE-HARDWICKE WRONG! FANS OF THE BOOK WILL ADORE THIS MOVIE. Edward actually smiles! The acting was SO much better, the visuals were stunning, and the dialogue was much, much improved over "Twilight". I honestly didn't want it to end. It stayed so true to the book we all love, and the little additions were perfect. I really felt like I was watching Bella on screen--Kristen Stewart was spot on. Every expression, every sad word was perfect. AND THEY SAID, "I LOVE YOU," something that was blaringly absent in "Twilight". Chris Weitz has made a stunning, gorgeous film that lovers of the book will adore! **I secretly wish he could remake "Twilight". This is what "Twilight" should have been!** This closet Twilighter was pleased beyond belief.

It seems like most of the critics' negative reviews have problems with the plot, the story, etc. Well, if you like the book and, therefore, like the plot and the story, you will love the film because Chris Weitz is true to the book beyond what I could have imagined or hoped for. This movie felt like it was made for the fans, so I can understand that if you're not a fan of the series how it may feel like a laboured effort to watch "New Moon". But if you love Bella and Edward **and even Jacob--Taylor Lautner was FANTASTIC in this!**, you will leave wanting more!

Chris Weitz for "Breaking Dawn"!

Howling Angst - Battle of the Megahunks Begins--- Spoiler Alert
In the second installment of the The Twilight Saga Collection, "New Moon," director Chris Weitz religiously sticks to author Stephanie Meyer's plotline to deliver a film of which fans--preteens, teens and Twi-Moms alike--will definitely approve. Others not of the Twilight persuasion may have a bit of trouble relating to the Bella/Edward/Jacob triangle as this film assumes you are already well versed with and feeling the magic from the books rather than pulling out all the stops to conjure up a little more multi-faceted chemistry between the three lead characters.

Weitz and screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg also assume that their audience is well aware of the various physical and mental talents of the Cullen vampire clan as no introductory synopsis of the goings-on of the first film is offered as a starting point for the plotline driving the second. Quite obviously, this is a film created for and by the fans as testified by the satisfied squeals of approval, barks of laughter and spontaneous applause emitted by the mainly teen audience each and every time they felt the film successfully reproduced the action in their beloved books to perfection.

As a standalone film, `New Moon' portrays a lot of teen angst. When Edward Cullen, vampire pretty boy extraordinaire, (Rob Pattinson's quiet smoldering mannerisms attempt to emulate a Rebel Without a Cause with a twist--he has lived long enough to understand the sad loneliness of an eternal life) decides that his continued presence in the life of his soul mate, high school senior Bella Swan, can only insure her premature demise, he and his family leave the Washington state scene of their established home. Left behind Bella is bereft, barely able to function, until amazingly buff Jacob of the Quileute Indian Reservation thankfully fills the theater with his blazingly white smile and more than adequate ability to manage whatever comes his way with a competent efficiency. Sadly, as much as she enjoys Jacob's company, Bella doesn't find him distracting enough--even without his shirt. Instead she orchestrates ways to filter Pattinson's archangel face back on the screen where thousands of teenage girls feel it belongs; the more reckless her behavior the more consistent his reappearance as some sort of swirling protective figment of her intuition.

In her novel, Meyer more than flirts with the theme of choosing death rather than living without the constant presence of your star-designated soul mate. At eighteen, just like Shakespeare's Juliet, Bella wants to know only Edward despite the fact that she comes from a broken home. Sweet to believe that in our world of helter-skelter emotions, short-termed relationships and finance breaking divorce that something so pure and iconic can exist for a lifetime let alone eternity. Those who have read the novels understand Bella's predicament and her idealistic uncontrolled drive towards an unknown from which she should run. From the books, we know that Edward realizes this as does Jacob who like an actual flesh and blood man desires nobility but selfishly wants for himself and his chosen woman the warmth and safety of his hearth and home.

Of the three film characters, the only one who is able to convey his motivation is Jacob. Look past the desire for the filmmakers to show off an attractive body with mega shirtless reveals and capitalize on his ability to infiltrate the dreams of a multitude of women as the ultimate American Indian Dreamcatcher. Despite some corny dialogue--not the fault of screenwriter Rosenberg as the clumsiest lines are straight out of the book--that did elicit some laughter from the audience, somehow Taylor Lautner manages to make a solid case for what he can offer Bella and her future. Yes, supernatural elements abound for this character also, but the promise of a good life with warmth and love is evident to the extreme.

Not so with Pattinson's Edward, although most of `New Moon's' story focuses on the Jacob/Bella leg of the triangle and the vampire hero gets less screen time. Perhaps, it is the desire for the filmmakers and Meyer herself to depict the chalky-faced, amber-eyed and tossed-salad haired mega-hunk Edward as an old-fashioned guy who for the most part controls his emotions with a stilted turn-of-the-century sensibility. I can rationalize Edward's actions and desires with regard to his Bella, but somehow, despite Pattinson's obvious beauty, I fail to feel any of the heat that I would associate with a modern day Romeo especially since Meyer's definition of vampire includes a rocklike coldness that unfortunately forces me to think of frigidity. (Check out Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo & Juliet--the exuberance of young love unchecked is extremely evident in the performances of the then young stars.) In addition, I sorely missed the presence of a key melody; there were none of the haunting strains of "Bella's Lullaby" by Carter Burwell that enhanced and reminded the audience of the moodiness of the lovers' dilemma yet reinforced their commitment no matter what.

Admittedly, if I were to choose sides, I would most definitely lean towards Team Jacob. Not only do I prefer the heat to the cold, I find Edward's pained expression and inability to seemingly relax--whether from his forced composure around Bella's blood-filled veins or his slightly stilted century old sensibilities regarding love and romance--a little off-putting. Part of the problem arises from the novelist's intentional misconception regarding what girls or women in general expect their men to say and how they desire them to act. Unfortunately, most men do not follow such a script and sadly the young adults reading such sentimental lines by these most quintessential young men will inevitably be disappointed by reality. Nonetheless, I, too, love a fairytale, one in which the damsel in distress is loved and protected without limits or self-aggrandizing reluctance by her knights in shining armor. For me, the warmth of fur far outweighs the iciness of stone, especially in the rainy northwest.

As for our heroine, Bella presents a mixed bag for me. In the first film and as warranted by the book's narrative, Bella has a reluctance like many teenagers to get involved in anything that will end in disappointment. She is a bit hardened by her parents' divorce, anesthetized by her disinterest in girly-girl activities and displeased by her innate clumsiness. In `New Moon,' Edward's love does not seem to have had much of an effect on her other than to further her insecurities and avoidance towards emotional disaster and push her into a fast decision regarding lifestyle choices that will reverberate for an eternity. Bella's subdued maturity--she acts as cook and housekeeper for her sheriff father--her smug desire to kiss Edward until he shudders with unrequited passion and insistence to join the Cullen clan suggest little growth. She is like driftwood moved by the Cullen and Quileute tides. Accordingly, in compliance with the abbreviated amount of time spanning all four of the novels and the two supernatural storms that assault Bella's natural defensiveness, Bella remains the same. Kristin Stewart's image conjures up an instant association with the Bella character. However, in `New Moon,' she appears overly manicured and stylized with her too perfect eyebrows, head-banded hair and lip glossed pout. Meyer's Bella self-deprecates with a much more relaxed sense of grooming despite the efforts of the well-meaning Alice. Without the first person narration, Stewart plays the depressed Bella with a mute melancholy that gets old fast. Indeed, it is amazing that the two attractive leads are interested in her at all.


Techinically speaking, the film boasts some great special effects. The Quileute wolf pack is rendered with great fun as computer-generated-images of massive bulk, expressive liquid eyes and frothy flawless pelts. The `phasing' sequences realistically convey the anger and angst of yet another brand of the adolescent coming-of-age made popular by the Smallville - The Complete First Season television series. Action scenes abound, as the audience gets spectacular bird's eye views to the supernatural occurrences that overshadow the normal life happenings in the woodland surrounding the town of Forks, Washington. As with all such stories, the plot is driven by threat: threat of vagabond vampires with glowing red blood-filled eyes trespassing on Cullen and Quileute territory and that of the Volturi vampire rulers who ascertain that the secret existence of their kind remains contained within a closed set.

Bottom line? Director Weitz successfully brings the second installment of the young adult Twilight saga to the big screen. However, his true-to-the-letter adaptation, at times, fails in the same way that the novel does--not in creating a modern look at Romeo and Juliet and then crossing it with the competitive love triangle found in Bronte's Wuthering Heights (Barnes & Noble Classics)--but in not really succeeding in creating a tangible feel for the chemistry between the characters. The overt cuteness of Meyer/Rosenberg's dialogue may work in offering a lighthearted young adult presentation of a melancholy theme that depicts an unsure girl unprepared for the big questions brought on by supernatural circumstances, but it falls short in its portrayal of the depth of the connections between the three main characters except in regard to Jacob's hot, out-of-control feeling for Bella. Recommended for the consummate Twilight fan.
Diana Faillace Von Behren
"reneofc"

HUGE improvement over the original
I was completely unenthralled with Twilight (i. e. The World Staring Contest Championships I), so I walked into New Moon with a bit of trepidation. I am pleased to say that I was pleasantly surprised with the second part of this series.

Much like the recent Transformers revitalization, where far too much screen time was given to bad actors (i. e. Shia Labeouf) at the expense of the stars (i.e. the Transformer robots), New Moon improves significantly over its prequel by focusing on the vampires and werewolves, and minimizing Kristen Stewart's screen time. Let's be honest; her acting is atrocious.
Every.line.is.delivered.like.a.robot.
"You.are.a.werewolf."

In the series the vampires have wonderful powers, one of which is mind-reading. Not surprisingly, they can't read the character Bella's thoughts because Kristen Stewart is nearly devoid of expression and emotion. She is to the Twilight series what Hayden Christianson is to Star Wars. Or maybe she's Jar Jar Binx. Nevertheless, this movie improves upon the original because there is more action, more character struggle, and better emotional expression of the teen angst love triangle developing between the zombie (Bella), the vampire (Edward), and the werewolf (Jacob). Incidentally, "The Zombie, the Vampire, and the Werewolf" sounds like an awesome sitcom idea. Send me an email if you're game, HBO.

As the love triangle bleeds into the classic battle between two arch nemeses (i.e. Vampires and Werewolves), the teen angst and love gets as thick as a slow rolling fog often seen in horror movies. Despite the fog, however thick it may metaphorically be, the travesty that is the sparkly vampire can be seen. Aside from the zombie, the sparkly is the film's biggest flaw.

Early in the movie Edward leaves Bella. The predictable dialogue and wooden delivery would have you believe it's for her safety, even though everyone knows it is because of her wretched acting. This opens the door for her to pout, sob, and mourn - emotionlessly - and eventually open up to Jacob, who is mere days away from a werewolf quasi-pubescent awakening - an idea stolen directly from Teen Wolf. Sure enough, she leads him on and hurts him because she's ignorantly holding out for Mr. Sparkles. I honestly can't see how anyone can like her. She was a complete weakling, a wad of chewed emotional bubblegum in the first one, and now she's the classic easily hated woman who completely destroys a man by playing with his emotions.

Nonetheless, the werewolves in this film are stupendous. Powerful and menacing, they follow the lead of all other werewolf lore; in other words, they don't sparkle. The special effects are actually pretty awesome. Watching the werewolves run after and attack the vampires is nearly perfect. And the transformation from human to werewolf is on par with any other transformation in cinema history. The plot, when not focused on the love triangle, focuses on Bella's fragility, her desire to become a vampire, some characters' understandable desire to murder Bella, and Edward's "secret."

Twilight addicts will adore this sequel. Many have will see it multiple times at the theaters. Those who hated the original, like I did, give this one a chance. What they are doing to vampires is sickening, and Kristen Bell is difficult to tolerate, but the werewolves and the overall acting are a huge step towards salvaging this series for the average movie fan (read: those who are not hyper teenage girls).