The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) User Reviews (804)

Beautiful people, big box office, zero story

[Samiam3 · 6/10 · 23 April 2011]

Okay here it is, New Moon is not unwatchable (thought some parts come close). Twilight was a bit better mostly cause it had some direction. This one is severely unfocused, with a plot that denies motivation and has lazy acting across the board...well not quite.

New Moon may have one edge over its predecessor which is that Taylor Launter puts more into the game than Rob Pattinson. At times, it feels like Jacob may be the better match for Bella. Their interaction which takes up the majority of the movie in fact, feels less broody than the Bella/Edward connection. Unfotunately, around the beginning of the third act we grow out of Jacob almost as fast as we grow into him. Wheras Edward is quite blatantly shy, Jacob by contrast is angry. The reasons for this however seem largely unjustified by the story. Like all bad stories, this one advances by making up its own rules on the spot, resulting in a movie that makes very little sense.

I'm truly not sure what it is about the Twilight saga that demands such a plastic style of acting. Why is everyone so lazy about this? it actually degrades the quality of the material. If this is the kind of Romantic chemistry that sells on the market (a chemistry where two people act like kissing is more pain than pleasure) then Romance itself could be a dying genre.

But perhaps that is an overstatement. New Moon gave me something to watch on TV when there was nothing else on, I wouldn't recommend it for any other purpose.

inert and drippy

[Buddy-51 · 4/10 · 9 November 2010]

We've all dealt with unrequited love before, but "New Moon," the second installment in the popular "Twilight" series, takes it to a whole new level. Bella Swan, the moody high school student who found herself in love with a vampire - the brooding Edward - in the first film, now finds herself attracted to a werewolf, her long-haired Native American childhood pal turned cropped-haired, muscle-bound super-hunk, Jacob. Now, that's a love triangle you don't come across every day of the week.

This disappointing, time-marking follow-up to the flawed but often imaginative "Twilight" is a tedious, slow-moving bore, consisting of little more than endless conversations about which of Bella's two "monstrous" beaus loves her the more and which is more likely to protect her from the danger posed by his rival and the assorted associates and kinsmen who come with him. In fact, so focused is the story on the romantic travails of the three main characters that the movie ultimately stalls out in a puddle of its own sappiness. And on a purely technical level, even the CGI werewolves are not as impressive as we'd expect them to be, given the massive amount of cash clearly lavished on the project.

Actually, the thing that strikes one the most about "New Moon" is just how much of a rehash it is of the previous film, with Bella's predicament simply being played over, only this time with a lover from a different species (especially as Edward voluntarily removes himself from much of the action this time around).

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson return as the human/vampire lovers, while Lautner gets to run around with his shirt off a good deal of the time (despite the damp, rainy climate). That may be enough to keep the movie's targeted audience of teenaged girls awake and glued to the screen for the duration, but the rest of us will have no trouble snoozing our way through to the next installment.

A weaker sequel

[Tweekums · 5/10 · 14 May 2012]

Set soon after the original 'Twilight' film this one opens with Bella worrying about the fact that she will age while her vampire boyfriend Edward will remain forever young... it soon appears that isn't something she should have been worrying about as he soon announces that he and the rest of Cullen clan are moving away and they will never see each other again. Believing she has been abandoned Bella sinks into a depression until one day she puts herself in a dangerous situation and sees a vision of Edward. In order to keep seeing him she decides to play with danger some more. To do this she acquires to broken motorbikes and sets about repairing them with her friend Jacob. Over time they grow closer until one day he too refuses to see her... it turns out he is a werewolf! To make matters even harder for her the vampire Victoria is after her again. After an event occurs that leads Edward to believe Bella has died he decides that in true 'Romeo and Juliet' fashion he must kill himself too; with Alice Cullen's help Bella must race across the world to show him that she is still alive.

I'm not in the target demographic for this series of films but as I'd heard good reviews I thought I'd watch then when they were on television; the first one turned out better than I expected but unfortunately I don't think this one is as good. Once Edward has gone Bella spends the first half of the film just moping about and then gets closer to Jacob who isn't the most interesting of characters; even when we learn he is a werewolf. Talking of the werewolves the CGI did look impressive making them very wolf-like; the problem was the way they transformed from human to werewolf... it happened in a fraction of a second and thus was far less impressive that the slow transformations used in classic werewolf films like 'An American Werewolf in London' and 'The Company of Wolves'... although I suspect such transformations may have been considered to frightening for a film aimed at younger teens. Thankfully the film improves when we get back to the vampires; it helps the head vampire is played by an actor as good as Michael Sheen, it is a pity we didn't see more of his character, in an even smaller role Dakota Fanning impresses as Jane, a vampire who can inflict pain on people telepathically... hopefully we will see more of their characters in later instalments. Of the main cast Kristen Stewart does a good job as Bella, Robert Pattinson is okay as Edward and the third main actor, Taylor Lautner, seemed to be there so he could appeal to teenaged girls by spending most of his screen time looking fit without his shirt on. I'm sure this is a film for the fans (and there is nothing wrong with that), you certainly need to have watched 'Twilight' first to know what is going on as no time is wasted explaining who everybody is for newcomers.

Had a few high points, but other than that...

[sjmutchie · 5/10 · 11 June 2010]

All right, so I'll try to be kind about the acting given by the inexperienced teenagers.

Kristen Stewart: I never expected much out of her, especially after her mediocre performance in Twilight. And, I was smart not to expect anything. She didn't improve AT ALL. Her lines are still rushed, and emotionless. Bella's character hasn't developed at all either.

When Edward walks towards Bella, or enters the scene, her face doesn't even light up like a real love-struck teenager's would. With Jacob, it does. I do not approve of being a part of the 'teams' that they've invented for Edward or Jacob, but as a third-party observer, she has much better chemistry with Jacob. When Edward leaves her in the woods, do you think that she would shed ONE BLOODY TEAR?! She doesn't even appear to be affected. And when she is 'depressed' for three months, could you fix your screams so that they don't sound like you're going into labor and giving birth? Thank you.

Now Robert Pattinson: His accent was MUCH better. He didn't sound like he had a speech disability this time around. The only beef I have with him is his lack of understanding of Edward's emotions while he says his lines. In the scene when he leaves Bella in the woods, the way he relays his lines makes him sound like he enjoys leaving her. Even though I struggled through the books, I do remember that Edward is supposed to be 'pained beyond description' while breaking up with Bella. And let us not blame Robert for his lack of abs. We all know that no one can compare to Taylor Lautner. (Stifles a laugh) His fight scene with the Volturi was very entertaining to watch, however. That might just be because I enjoy watching Edward getting his trash kicked, but whatever...

Taylor Lautner: The only thing he had that met any expectation was his muscular figure. His lines were very poorly delivered, but his chemistry with Bella was good. A lot more noticeable than Edward's. Jacob does deliver a few witty lines, but they are almost thrown away due to his rushed delivery. I liked him better with the long hair too. According to 'Indian' tradition, cutting your hair is disgraceful to the culture.

I was suffering through the entire film, thinking that there was no possible hope of redemption, UNTIL, the scene with the Volturi rolled around. Despite the fact that it is not NEARLY long enough, I was absolutely blown away by Michael Sheen's acting as Aro, the leader of the Volturi. Even Cameron Bright, who played Alec, only had one line, but delivered it very well. Dakota Fanning played psychotic Jane very well, but the only suggestion I would have to her, would be to input some dramatic pauses in her dialogue. It makes the audience hang on her every word. The few she has, anyway. I'm looking forward to the expansion of her role in Eclipse. Bella's lack of emotion while Edward is being tortured by Jane's 'pain' power just screams how horrible of an actress she is. Christopher Heyerdahl and Jamie Campbell Bower do a wonderful job of playing Aro's wings; Caius and Marcus. Jamie Campbell Bower's glare that rests on his brow adds GREATLY to his character development. I'm almost tempted to skip Eclipse altogether, just so that I can see Michael Sheen again in Breaking Dawn! But then again, I would be missing Peter Facinelli and Elizabeth Reaser, who never disappoint. The rest of the Volturi guard, Felix, Demetri, and Heidi, also did a great job of making a good impression with little dialogue.

So when it boils down to it, every character in the movie, including minor ones like Charlie, and the Cullens, do very well. The only ones I cannot stand are the three main ones: Bella, Edward, and Jacob. If you can get around those, then this movie will be mildly entertaining. I only bought the DVD so that I could watch the Volturi scene over and over again!

New Moon

[0U · 20 February 2020]

Different than the first. I'm not going to say that I fully enjoyed watching it though. I do think that the production levels have stepped up a notch, the werewolves provide a nice touch to the ever dreary lens of Forks and surprisingly, Kristen Stewart is quite convincing as the heart broken Bella. But this is too long, too dull, with only a couple of scenes that ignite any real sense of danger and an ending that is contrived in the way that it sets up to the next installment.

Speechless.........

[sonny_pindari · 4/10 · 30 November 2011]

Admittedly I have only in the last 2 days watched Twilight and New Moon and I am totally baffled by the popularity of these movies. Especially New Moon this film was TERRIBLE. Taylor Lautner cannot act to save himself, yet next to Kirsten Stewart and Robert Pattinson he looked like he had the talent of Catherine Hepburn.

Now, about the acting.... Kirsten Stewart has one face and that is the "semi-sad" look. For the most part ot simply looked like she couldn't wait for the film to be over. Robert Pattinson has one face and that is also the "semi-sad" look. I think he may be this decades answer to Luke Perry. There was a valid reason that the period between 90210 and Twilight had no "Luke Perry types". They can't act!! I fail to see the appeal. Taylor Lautner constantly does that thing where it looks like he is gazing about 20 metres away trying to read micro-printed reading cards and his lines come out accordingly.

And did it bother anyone else that Bella is just so accepting of the fact that vampires and werewoves exist???

Now I know these are movies made to be aimed at teens and tweens, but for crying out loud at least TRY and make a decent film. There are Werewolves and Vampires present. Shouldn't there be epic battles and much blood lust??

Here are a few points that came to mind: 1) Twilight refers to the beginning of the evening between sunset and dusk and when Vampires and Werewolves get ready to come out to play. They ARE NOT daywalkers. If the characters are daywalkers then "twilight" is a pointless time of the day and had no reference to the story..... 2) Calling a movie New Moon where you introduce werewolves into the story would be OK, if the "moon" had anything to do with their ability to turn. Having them as daywalkers as I stated in point 1 defeats the purpose altogether. You may as well have called the story "Cheesecake", such was the relevance. (Mmmmmm Cheesecake).... 3) Vampires and Werewolves are creatures of legend and not a bunch of sorry ass "Emo" teens. They are vicious and bloodthirsty, not whiny and desperate.

Perhaps Stephanie Meyers has them confused with Waaah-wolves and Vam-criers? Yes?........

I am yet to watch Eclipse but it will need to be a vast improvement on New Moon because it was possibly the worst sequel ever....and yes I am including Police Academies 2 through 7!!!

A very generous 4/10 at best.

The Beast Within...

[Xstal · 6/10 · 24 August 2022]

What would you do, if a wolf should fall for you, when rejected by your lover, spending months under the covers, he wants more than to be friends, an outstretched paw he's keen to lend, scratch his back and he'll scratch yours, just be careful of those jaws, as the lupine are not supine, and returns from certain bloodlines, can increase the curdling pressure, and then you may just need a tether.

Very disappointing

[marina0411 · 4/10 · 22 November 2009]

I loved the Twilight movie, that's how I started reading the books in the first place. I've read them about ten times each and I still like them. But New Moon's big screen adaptation was a huge let down.

One thing that was improved was that many of the characters actually smiled or laughed naturally when the moment called for it, as opposed to the "I don't crack a smile cause I'm a seriously deadly vampire" routine in Twilight.

I liked the portrayal of Alice, she seemed more like what she should be according to the book, Charlie and I also liked the wolves and the rest of the special effects.

But I couldn't feel the bond between Edward and Bella. I couldn't believe that they loved each other. Hell, I couldn't believe they even liked each other. Even at the end, after their ordeal, after deciding that they would never let each other go, they were frigid. The actors just delivered their lines, they didn't feel them.

The score ranged from awful to non-existent. It seems as though it was not written specifically for New Moon. Carter Burwell's score brings to memory specific scenes in Twilight. This one is an indifferent, generic one, I guess it would fit in whatever movie you threw it in.

However, the most important flaw was that the entire movie seemed very rushed, like it was originally supposed to be much longer but somebody edited it heavily and really, really badly. For example, in an instant we are informed that Edward is going to commit suicide thinking Bella's dead, she drives off with Alice *bang* next thing you know you see a plane in the air, *bang* next thing you know Alice and Bella are already inside the stolen car on their way to Volterra and it carries on like that until the end.

No character development, no bonds between them, no space to breathe, no explanation whatsoever of how things happened or how decisions were made, nothing but a hastily chopped up summary of the book.

Is the actual movie coming out any time soon?

Unfair Comments

[ashvanauken · 7/10 · 26 November 2009]

Possible Spoilers: Book and Movie I think most of these reviews are being unfair, though I can understand a lot of the points that have been made. I was on the fence about going to see this movie because of these reviews here. I'm glad I choose to watch it! The directors compacted a book to a movie, which could have easily been well over four hours, into two. This movie could have been one of those slaughtering of book to movie scenarios like Blood and Chocolate, the directors could have not followed the book at all, again like BandC, but they didn't. It was a decent job and New Moon, in my opinion, was better than Twilight. Honestly, it was really closer to the book than Twilight was; this is probably why people felt it was rushed though. It was too much for two hours and had the movie been made longer it would have been a terrific adaptation.

The actors and actresses were better, it was even funny at points when it was meant to be intentionally funny; they were familiar with the material they had to work with. Special effects kind of wavy, but they aren't everything. The fact that the story was so close to the book made up for the sometimes cheesy computer-generated images. More screen time for the Volturi and a bit more of Jacob/Bella interaction as well and it would have moved 'great' to 'amazing,' but that can be corrected in Eclipse. Also the addition of more interior monologue from Bella was a good idea. The music I didn't really pay much attention to, but then again it wasn't a Mickey Mousing like Twilight had been. The music just seemed to be not as important in New Moon.

I also read something about Kristen Stewart not being able to act…Bella was dull in New Moon; she was depressed because Edward left, she was supposed to be that way. I read all the books as well and though I'm not the biggest fan of Stewarts she did a good job acting depressed. And Rob Pattinson playing Edward did decent as well. In the beginning he was all happy-go-lucky, but as the movie progressed, he looked that way because he was in pain at having to leave Bella! I haven't read the New Moon book for awhile, but I do read the books often enough to remember this.

Overall I was pleased with New Moon.

One of the Worst Movies of the Year

[All_Hail_Hurley · 1/10 · 27 April 2011]

After 'Twilight', I didn't think these movies could actually get any worse. I was, unfortunately, wrong.

The first problem with this film is the acting. I'm sorry to say this, but neither Kristen Stewart nor Robert Pattinson could act to save their life. Stewart's problem is that she's never actually acts--she just plays herself, over and over again, in every film she's in (not something to aim for when being an ACTRESS, mind you). She stutters, blinks and breaths unnaturally heavily the entire time, while speaking with literally no emotion whatsoever. Robert Pattinson at least attempts to play a character; I'll give him that. He instead takes what I like to call the 'constipated' approach: he scrunches up his big eyebrows, wriggles his nose around for a minute and then, finally, after taking a good five minutes to think his line over, speaks in a pained voice. Neither one of these two could muster up any chemistry whatsoever, which makes a movie about a love story difficult to watch. Taylor Lautner, on the other hand, showed a bit of hope. I could see him actually being an average actor if he didn't look like he was trying to remember his lines most of the time. Maybe, with some experience and a different cast, he could grow as an actor (although I'm not counting on it--but his abs will probably get him far).

The next problem is the script. The majority of the lines in this film were downright ridiculous and unrealistic, much like a soap opera from twenty years ago would have. The plot felt rushed in some places, and incredibly slow in others.

The last problem I have is the message it sends to young girls; normally I don't even bother with this, but since this movie is targeted at such a young audience, they should know better. Curling up into a ball and more or less allowing your brain to leave planet earth and die is not something we need to be teaching tween girls is acceptable behavior. Seeing as how Stephenie Meyer copied the Vampire Diaries in entirety, dumbed them down and published them (and no, I'm not exaggerating with that statement) you'd think that she could use her brain to come up with something that wasn't completely offensive to women everywhere. The makers of this movie, without a doubt, should have taken that bit out.

Finally, as a whole, I would give this movie 1/10 stars... and that's not even being harsh. Anyone with a shred of dignity would not have made this movie, and anyone hoping not to stain their reputation permanently would stay as far away from it as possible. I walked into the movie theatre with impossibly low standards, and yet this film still managed to thoroughly disappoint me.

Wait--what? People are upset??

[leaderoftheelves · 8/10 · 21 November 2009]

Ahh, what a fickle bunch Twilight fans are. I remember the release of the first film last year, and the incredible backlash from fans of the series--can't even remember the number of comments saying "Stick to the book!" Incredible liberties were taken with the plot (or did we all forget the butchering of the much-beloved meadow scene in the first movie?), and too much of Hardwicke's own film-making style was imposed upon a story that was not hers to fiddle with.

Then New Moon comes out. Obviously, the screenwriter and director went to great lengths to painstakingly recreate the second book in film form, undoubtedly due to the response to Twilight. I am hard-pressed to think of any really pivotal plot points that were excluded from this film (and, no, the flights to and from Italy don't qualify as "pivotal"). But suddenly fans come out in droves to complain on the Internet that the dialogue is cheesy? Hello, have you READ the books? Any actor is going to choke on the ridiculous dialogue that Stephenie Meyer came up with (I doubt even Robert De Niro could sell that tripe). Her dialogue only sounds remotely reasonable on the page. At least this movie didn't include such horrendous lines as "I hated you for making me want you so much"). And people saying it's slow? Again, take a look at the book--the vast majority of the story is devoted to Bella moping over the imaginary hole in her chest. It wasn't exactly an action-packed thrill ride.

I for one thought this movie was a vast improvement over the first, primarily because it stayed so true to the book. And Weitz, unlike Hardwicke, wasn't itching to impose his own style on the story by using crazy camera angles and other weird stylistic elements that were nowhere suggested in the pages of Twilight. New Moon was fittingly glossy and stylistically neutral, appealing to a wider range of tastes. It was filmed beautifully and, to my great relief, had a much wider color palette than the first film.

As for the acting--let's face it, Kristen's never going to be an impressive performer until she realizes that scoffing doesn't qualify as "emoting." And Rob just seems flat-out wrong for this role, but I think he did tap into Edward's inner turmoil better than in Twilight. I thought the performances were, overall, a huge improvement over the first film, especially from Taylor, who fits the sunshiney role of Jacob to a T. The Cullens were, yes, sadly underutilized, but making the movie longer just to give them more screen time isn't going to appease complaints about it being boring and slow as it is.

Hopefully this film will get the credit it deserves after the initial tsunami of unreasonable outrage. It's obvious that the filmmakers are trying incredibly hard to please the fans of the book by staying closer to the text. Here's hoping they don't throw up their hands in frustration upon discovering that loyalty to the book is apparently not good enough either.

Cannot understand the low ratings?

[anganglaz · 7/10 · 5 April 2020]

I honestly cannot understand the low ratings. It's just a great movie. 🙏💚

Die-hard fans will love this, but not everyone else.

[jadejedi · 4/10 · 14 April 2010]

I am a fan of the Twilight series. I love the books. But the movies suck. I can't see why people would enjoy this crap. Well, I can see people wanting to see the new and improved Taylor Lautner and Robert P., but Kristen Stewart? Now that is a joke.

Kristen Stewart can act, but she is very bad at it. Her constant blinking and licking her lips is irritating. If I were the director of this movie, I wait until Stewart stops fidgeting to call it a good shot, but if she doesn't I'd fire her and look for a new Bella. And at Volterra when Edward was about to die, what was that with her hair. She was like "No, please *moves hair over-dramatically, PLEASE!". You don't need to show us your hair Kristen. We can see it fine.

Also, Chris Weitz is a good director (I loved American Pie), but this was another disappointment. He added to many features, tried to do too much action, he cut out important scenes (the Alice scenes to be exact), got the lines messed up, and most importantly, he got some terrible actor(s)/actress(s). The Golden Compass was better than this and he still messed up that one, too! Tsk. I'm ashamed of director with such potential.

The only good news I have is about the evil people, the Volturi. Jamie Campbell Bower, Michael Sheen, and Dakota Fanning nailed their roles. Actually, the only reason I saw this was to see Dakota Fanning play evil and how they would do the airplane scene to Volterra (which they ignored). Michael Sheen was eccentric, crazy, and violent, yet calm and serene and peaceful. And Dakota Fanning, what an actress. Who needs Kristen Stewart; Fanning could play a better Bella.

Overall, boring. I swear, though, I thought the special effects with the vampire moving and werewolves were cool. That was good. But that's all. It had a base, but no structure. So therefore, I give it a 4/10.

It was a bit of a letdown after the first one.

[TxMike · 4 May 2010]

I am NOT the target audience for the "Twilight" stories and the series of films. And, I see that the next two installments are coming out, one is completed while the other is still in preproduction. Because of this the movie must end at a point where we expect the next one to take over. And this movie does end that way, with virtually everything unresolved. For hard-core fans that will titillate them, but for most of us looking for an entertaining story it comes across as "ho-hum."

Kristen Stewart is back as Bella Swan. Even the name evokes innocence and beauty, a "bella swan." But she is in love, she doesn't want to be left behind, and this would require her to become a vampire too. Will she??

Brit Robert Pattinson is back as Edward Cullen, and he cares so much for her that he wants to spare her, he does not want to see her become a vampire. But will he keep protecting his position? We'll have to wait and see.

Taylor Lautner is back as Jacob Black, how fitting a last name. "Black" evokes mystery and danger, and that is what you get when he and his kind turn into Werewolves, who of course are always at war with the vampires.

I can't wait for the next one. Well, maybe I can.

Well.....It was not boring :)

[yoshi_indo · 4/10 · 25 April 2011]

To be honest I hate Twilight, I hate its message and I hate how it has butchered works of horror literature, and harlequin romance.Surprisingly I found this movie evocative (all negative emotions though), and that makes it a better movie than "Knight and Day"

The Plot: Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) leaves to confront the Valturi (an elite clan of vampires),leaving Bella Swan (Kirsten Stewart) in a depressed state , to be only comforted by her long time friend Jacob (Taylor Lautner).

The Writing: The plot itself is intriguing, and by itself pretty good. The drama of choice between two different men, and Edwards love toward Bella stems from his inability to read her mind. This obviously means they can actually have passion in their relationship (due to him being unable to read her innermost thoughts). However the characters (or just Bella and Edward) prohibit this reasonable plot to shine through. The symbolism presented in this movie is also so very ham fisted it makes the allegory of homosexuality in X-men seem subtle. I of course refer to the were-wolves (which are more like just wolves, since they are not bipedal), a group of shirtless teenagers who enjoy playing "physical jousting" with each other and have no choice of them having this ability. This is especially prevalent when Bella tells Jacob that "what you are doing is wrong" and "stop it", Jacob retorts "Its not like I have a choice", "I was born this way". This sort of symbolism is so blunt it made teenagers being rejected by society wearing brightly colored leather, with "special powers" seem vague. Bella as character is just pure evil, in lamence term; She is a parasite. She is unable to live without a man, and the actions she commits to keep a man is beyond compulsive. She basically tortures Jacob to be with her, always giving him hope that they may be together, when she obviously loves Edward. The plot itself also seems to support this as every instance that they are able to physically bond (a kiss) a extraneousness circumstance seems to stop them doing so (this happens three times).Edward comes of as un- relatable to me due to the fact I am not a masochist. I do not see why she cannot change Bella into a vampire and forgo all the drama that is this redundant series. Jacob and the father seem to be the only characters that I can support, they are kind, (very)patient , and are flawed, however they are the biggest doormats and have to learn to say no to Bella for this movie to have a remotely good script.The script also completely destroyed vampires allowing them to walk in day light and werewolves being able to change at will. Those are minor complaints that are over used, but still bugged me. The movie was also to long being 130minutes ,making the development between Bella and Jacob become padding rather than character development. 2/5

The acting: Asides Kirsten Stewart and Robert Pattinson everyone turns out a reasonable performance, the extras are able convey their grief, joy and anger with consistence. However the two leads are consistent to the point of ossification, they never convey a single emotion asides non-chalance. I can sort of let Edward go with this since he is a conflicted character due to his masochistic nature,but there is no excuse why Kirsten Stewart cannot show emotions (I mean she did that quite well in Adventureland). 3/5

The cinematography: Is average, the lighting is good showing the crisp natural colours of the forest quite well and giving some beautiful vistas of said forest.However there was an overuse of slow motion (that was just inappropriate and jarring), and I am still baffled about the sparkling vampires. I mean they do not just sparkle, to me it looked like they had a disco ball under their pores shooting out strobe lights. 3/5

The score: Just bad the music did not fit in with the fight scenes, and most of the songs played are songs of lament, that would sounds fitting for the plot but on execution just does not work at all. The lazy and sad voices of the bands playing do not fit with the calm soothing imagery provided by the forests that take up most of the movie. 1/5

I cannot give this movie a recommendation by its own merits, however I did find it entertaining as all these mistakes made me laugh quite a bit. I found this movie much more funnier than the parody "movies" that have been streaming out these days and on that merit it is worth a rental. Serious score : 4.5/10 As a comedy : 7/10

Bella, the miserable human, is left by the "over-protective" vampire

[degenerat3 · 1/10 · 3 January 2012]

First off I will start with the fact that this movie seemed to last not a couple of hours, but more like a couple of long, long, long days...

The main character - Bella starts to realize that she is going to age and Edward...well, he's just going to remain the "handsome-vampire-she- thinks-he-is"...Now this is very frustrating for our main character because she's afraid that she will lose him, because of losing her looks and eventually one day dying like a normal human being. So she has a birthday and becomes an 18-year old... Gets a paper cut, Jasper attacks her, Edward pushes her away (in fact, quite strong), she gets even MORE hurt and he attacks Jasper...

I believe this is just the beginning of how completely boring and weird this movie was.

During the whole movie Bella is THE MOST BORING CHARACTER !!! Not to mention completely stupid. Edward is acting like a little child (more like a little girl), not knowing what he wants, trying to prove his overly "deep" love for her by...leaving her. Amazing. Bella decides to become an adrenaline junkie because she sees his image (another really stupid decision)when she's being threatened or scared...or jumping off a cliff.

None of the scenes were connected in any way. Everybody was doing something and in the end you couldn't really understand what exactly was going on. I found myself lost in the beginning of the movie and even more lost at the end of the movie. I couldn't really get the whole "deepness" of the relationship between Edward and Bella. Or not to mention her even weirder relationship with Jacob - the wolf guy. None of the characters became sympathetic to me. I found myself wanting to grab a gun and shoot Bella...or tell her to get over Edward...and Jacob ( who is acting even weirder than Edward at some point). I have had it with these almost-kiss scenes. The fact that vampires appear out of nowhere at times when you don't get the whole idea with what exactly is happening. I mean it's like...you finally try and understand why Bella is behaving like this, why Jacob is being so mysterious and BOOM!!! A vampire appears out of nowhere - ex. Victoria...or Alice...or the Will.I.Am. guy. This is completely WRONG and at some point disturbing. I mean, you ask yourself "AM I insane or is this movie just pointless?"

And it actually is. Bella misses Edward, Edward leaves Bella after he knows that Victoria will come back and try to kill her, he tells her not to do anything "reckless" after he himself tries to get killed... (I'm not going to comment the vampire society because it was the biggest load of **** I have ever seen in a vampire movie (except for "Blade" maybe...where the plot was actually even more interesting).

Jacob becomes really annoying too. "Remember the story I told you, Bella...when we were at La Push..." God, EVERYTHING in this movie is SO CONFUSING and with the story being some weird version of "Underworld" where vampire and werewolves are sworn enemies it becomes even more painful to watch. Why couldn't Jacob just go to her and tell her that Edward is an idiot for leaving her and he doesn't deserve her after deserting her. WHY!? Was it so hard? Is it just that he doesn't want her that much. What is with that secret society of werewolves?! Okay, that's it...Watch the movie and see for yourself but I recommend you don't.

"New Moon" is an Overlong, Vapid, Pretentious and Painfully Boring Sequel...

[TedStixonAKAMaximumMadness · 3/10 · 27 February 2011]

There's a point in "The Twilight Saga: New Moon", where our heroine Bella Swan (Kristin Stewart) and a friend emerge from a movie theater, and her friend begins to rant about how she hates the zombie sub-genre of horror, and then preaches about how she thinks it's silly and lame that a particular zombie movie (George Romero's classic "Dawn of the Dead", though it's never mentioned by name, you know that's what they're referring to) preaches about consumerism. At this point, I angrily pointed my finger at the screen and uttered some words I cannot repeat here. It's not that they were making fun of "Dawn of the Dead"- that's fine. The problem is that this film is a glaring example of squandered potential and storytelling, and it's downright offensive that they should say anything about a film considered to be a classic, by both horror and general audiences alike.

This film, directed by Chris Weitz, is a sequel to "Twilight", based on the popular novels by Stephanie Meyer. People who read my "Twilight" review know I actually thought it was decent. So I turned this one on a few days ago expecting another (somewhat) pleasant surprise.

When I first watched "Twilight", I expected a mess. I was actually taken by how well the film worked. It had a lot of problems, and I only gave it a slightly above average 6 out of 10, but it wasn't bad...

This was bad.

We begin with Bella (Kristin Stewart again an enormous bore), who has grown worried about her future with vampire squeeze Edward- she is having nightmares about growing old, while he remains trapped in the body of a teenager, and she fears one day, he won't want her anymore.

On her 18th birthday, she visits Edward (Robert Pattinson, who this time around, doesn't seem to be taking his role seriously, and just reads his lines flatly) and his adoptive family. However, when one of Edward's siblings attacks Bella from a sudden fit of his vampiric instincts, Edward decides it's too dangerous for him to continue to see Bella, and he vanishes, leaving her.

Bella spends months pining and sobbing for her lost love, but finds a new romance with Jacob (Taylor Lautner). Things finally start looking up for her, when suddenly Jacob disappears, and all hope seems lost. Finally, she reconnects with Jacob and learns that he has become a werewolf, and similar to Edward, he feels it too dangerous to remain with her. She also begins to see ghostly depictions of Edward appear around her, trying to keep her safe from the dangers of everyday life. And soon some strange events unfold, forcing Bella to confront both of her lost loves, decide if she's strong enough to pursue them, and ultimately, see if she's strong enough to save several lives- her own included.

The film does have some promises. The whole notion of the Romeo and Juliet-esque romance is interesting, some of the characters are likable, and there are some nice twists and turns through the story. Also, the direction was a lot better this time (Weitz does a much better job illustrating the visuals than Catherine Hardwicke did in the first film), and the music was fabulous.

But there are just too many problems in this entry, and it's really just a checklist of what NOT to do in a sequel.

For starters, the film is outlandishly boring. Running at 130 minutes, it felt like twice that. The story unfolds at a snail's pace, and absolutely nothing happened for the first hour. Everything seemed slow. It was a chore to watch. And the kicker? Anytime anything actually started to happen... the scene cuts. I'm not kidding, during the first big "action" sequence where two werewolves go at it (about halfway through the movie), we only get about 15 seconds of fighting, before we abruptly cut to the next scene- we don't actually get to see the fight, we just cut to another scene altogether. This happens repeatedly. Whenever something happens that promises to move us forward, we simply cut away to another scene. What?! This movie is a horrible tease.

Secondly, the writing (courtesy of both the novel and the script by Melisa Rosenberg) was painful. Nevermind some lines and scenes that are quite misogynistic, but also, the dialog is outstandingly soap-opera-ish. Edward never speaks without dripping off cheese ("Bella, you breathing is my gift!"), Bella spends her time spewing revoltingly pretentious and clichéd dialog, Jacob is basically a compilation of every corny "bad boy" ever, etc.

Also, the film has no structure. As I said above, it takes almost a full hour for anything to happen. And once the plot picks up, the pace quickens to a marathon speed, and too much happens. We are also given a number of plot lines that don't make sense and don't go anywhere (such as new villain Victoria who appears all of twice in the whole movie and never does anything... at all.), and enough plot holes to sink a ship. It was just too darned sloppy.

In addition, the humor is juvenile, the action is too brief (the climactic battle is cool, but over within seconds), there is no romance in the film (which is odd because this is a romance movie!), the editing is all over the map, the secondary characters are not developed... It felt like the first half of a larger story, with no climax. It was all establishment, and no pay-off.

Even the things that worked in the first movie are ignored.

I really am disappointed. I was expecting something that was at least decent, but this was just a waste of time, effort and potential. It is essentially a series of stitched-together sequences that don't contribute to an overall plot. There was no substance.

I have to give this a 3 out of 10.

Warning: this is not a fan-boy's review.

[honorhorror · 7/10 · 19 November 2009]

Have to say, New Moon the most anticipated romance tale of the year, is decently made. So allow me, a non-fan of the series to make this comment.

First off, I know people hated it for what it is. The whole idea is like a coming-of-age story of several abnormal kids. I know it's a homage to Shakespeare; and I definitely noticed the similarity with Underworld series it began to show. But I also have to say that sometimes people hate it because they assume it's stupid, and despised the puppy love illustrated in such a fantasy scenario. But, it's the film-making that grabbed my attention.

Throughout, New Moon demonstrates with superb pacing, sophisticated art design that overflowing with the whole story, and smooth special visual effects that well fit in. For a standard Hollywood production it should be like this, but allow me to say it adds points to the whole experience. It's not a movie you'd expect an awful lot of actions in it, but believe me you will see plenty of compelling actions that keep you entertained if not delighted. Some scenes are like TV-commercials, but allow me to say they are a lot more beautiful and more genuine than those outrageous built-in advertisements in "2012" or so.

The other aspect I'd like to give a nod, is the professional attitude of the whole production. The story is about a bunch of teenagers, but the movie never fell amateurish or video-game-like. The actors all fit into their roles naturally, and again allow me to say there was not anything in performances amateurish or in-genuine enough to distract me from the story. Of course the movie is not Oscar-level, but it successfully captured the youngsters' ignorance, arrogance and all kinds of struggles between immaturity and responsibility. Shouldn't we be a bit more open to teenagers? I am not saying this movie is perfect in doing politics right, but it's not bad for a family ride that can make chances for some family talk.

So, 7/10 is a fair score given the movie is not Oscar stuff, but admit it that so many people just gave it a 1 even before they see it.

No as we expect

[gege-1977 · 5/10 · 14 December 2009]

I too expected this movie to be better. I read the 4 books. The thing is they cut out the best lines from the books which can add SO much to the movies. I was looking forward to some seens in the movie: Edward proposal for Bella, when they talk while they are waiting to get out the Volturi, very romantic and whilte they are in plane going back home. I think the scenarist must be replaced or the writer should oversee the script. The only reason movies are hit cause of the books only. Most people who did not read the books did not like the movies. Hope they'll do better in the 3rd one. But I really hope they'll do much much better in the 4th movie cause this is the book I'd like most. In general, if you read the books you must watch the movies, its nice to have the characters & seens a life.

Chris Weitz Saves Himself From A Mauling

[phantom_fan89 · 7/10 · 20 November 2009]

Weitz delivers a solid and faithful adaptation of Stephanie Meyer's insanely popular novel. Whilst keeping in tact much of what was good about the book, unfortunately a few faults were transferred over as well.

In New Moon Bella is left nursing a broken heart after her beloved Edward skips town. Fearing he was putting her in constant danger Edward broke of their romance, leaving Bella's childhood friend Jacob Black to pick up the pieces. As their relationship grows increasingly complicated, Bella is amazed to discover that Jacob is harboring a secret of his own.

The Twilight novels were always destined to work better as films than as books, mainly due to the fact that we are spared Meyer's unfortunate habit of waffling on e.g Bella's miserable, for the next one hundred pages I'm going to keep baffling on about just how miserable she is in case you missed the basic idea of the concept. Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg once again does a superb job of adapting Meyer's novels by snappily summarising the poorly paced book, mostly retaining the charm and skipping the yarn. Unfortunately like the book, the middle of the film seems to drag on, but this does seem unavoidable considering how true to events Rosenberg's script remained. New Moon is also flawed in the fact that, like the first film, many serious moments appear unintentionally funny which serves to dampen the quality of the picture.

After the relative Ishtar that was the Golden Compass, Chris Weitz has managed a return to form proving he can be trusted with a big budget and beloved source material. Weitz manages to retain much of what was loved about the first Catherine Hardwick adaptation-snappy dialogue with a unique balance of light and dark moments-whilst putting his own visual imprint on the film. Also remaining from the first film are the cast which has a lot to do with the Twihards acceptance of Weitz's vision.

Kristen Stewart once again pulls of the inordinate task of making the insufferable character of Bella from the novel like able. Stewart brings a certain strength to the character that is sorely lacking in the books. Robert Pattinson however is devoid of the charm and charisma that made his first outing as Edward so memorable. In Pattinson's defence the character is chronically depressed and mopey throughout the film. However, as you watch the gamut of his acting abilities range from a frown to a scowl and back again you can't help but get the impression that he doesn't really want to be there, and considering the constant hysteria and media attention that plagues the actor's personal life, perhaps he doesn't. This film was Taylor Lautner's time to shine and he makes the most of his opportunity. As Jacob Black he brings great warmth and likability (as well as some crazy muscles) to the role that makes him a real competitor for Bella's affections. As an audience member you almost dare to think the impossible- perhaps Bella would be better of with this quintessential boy next door than the perpetual sad sack she pines for throughout the film. The rest of the supporting cast once again do well to add most of the comic relief to the film. New addition Michael Sheen as Volturi leader Aro proves why he is one of the most in demand British actors in the business, whilst child prodigy Dakota Fanning turns in a suitably creepy performance as the sadistic Jane.

New Moon is visually stunning. Cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe manages to give the dreary town of Forks a lush, almost otherworldly quality. The beautiful visual quality is emphasized when the story shifts to Italy and we are inundated by majestic scenery and vibrant colors. The only real disappointment are the quite poorly done CGI werewolves which looked about as real as Pamela Anderson's breasts.

All in all Twilight fanatics should be pleased with the latest installment and Summit Entertainment should sit back, relax and start counting the Benjamen's. For more reviews please feel free to visit http://rantsreviews4filmnuts.blogspot.com/

Disappointed

[lee_maher · 4/10 · 19 November 2009]

Twilight I have now seen 10 times at the movies, and was very much looking forward to New Moon, but ended up very disappointed. The disappointment started right from the the very start with the Summit logo, and then the very slow New Moon words. I hated and could not get over what they did to the Cullens eyes, found it hard to concentrate on anything else, so had to try very hard to ignore it. The biggest disappointments was the lack of emotion between Edward and Bella, and the fact that any scene with Edward (and his family) was rushed and cut so short! No arriving back in America and being greeted by his family, or billy having his say when they got home! I so wish they had waited for Catherine to make this, I believe putting a man in charge of such an emotional movie was wrong (I see a different male has been put in charge of Eclipse). I am going to see New Moon again, and hope I can get into it more. Will buy the DVD when it comes out (but will wait for it to be on sale, whereas I brought Twilight the day it came out), and am hoping the eyes will be less noticeable on the small screen. Im glad to read that others enjoyed the movie a lot more than I. Thanks, Lee.

A Great Movie for the fans, I think it's better than Twilight.

[tianajones · 10/10 · 21 November 2009]

What is everyone complaining about? It's made for a genre of people like how football movies is only really only suited for football fans. I loved it and I am proud to call myself a fan. One of the best movies of the years for the people who like this kind of movie. I could watch it over and over again.

Why go to see the movie is you hate the books, or the idea of the Saga? People who hate The Twilight Saga just because of what it is go see it, then go home, get on their computers and start telling everyone how bad it is.

This is not right. What these people are doing is the same as when a person who hates football goes and sees a movie about football and then goes home and starts complain about how bad it is.

And I am hating how people are saying the wolves are just eye-candy. Hello, have you ever gone to see an action movie made for men and some of the characters happen to be beautiful and sexy female fighters? (And fight each other while wearing tight clothing?) It's the same thing as in New Moon. All the men who are complaining about New Moon, go see the genre of films that are made for you.

Because this one is made for women. Some guys might like it, like how some girls might like movies made for men and so on. But this movie is made for fans not haters.

And for the people who are saying the Vampires are not Realistic, VAMPIRES ARE FICTIONAL CHARTERS! They can be any way the writer want them to be. The Twilight vampires are no different than other vampires as they both come from peoples imagination.

Anyway onto my review: I loved New Noon, I found it much better than Twilight and a whole lot easier to watch. The actors and actresses did a great job and the special effects were wonderful. It is a great mix of humor, drama, romance, hot actors and actresses and action. I liked the screenplay, it was quirk and quirky.

I'm fifteen, but I went with a whole bunch of people ranging between the age of nine and fifty. (Male and female.) And they all loved it as well.

I want to go see it again. I think it's the best movie of the year.

Dim "New Moon"

[jon.h.ochiai · 6/10 · 22 November 2009]

Ironically in "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Bella (Kristen Stewart) watch a movie of "Romeo and Juliet". Edward eloquently recites a passage from Shakespeare when called upon by his English teacher. Like "Romeo and Juliet" what had made "Twilight" so captivating the first time around was the star-crossed romance of Edward and Bella—vampire and mortal. So why does Edward (charismatic Pattinson) disappear during the prolonged middle of the movie? Instead we suffer through shredded Werewolf boy Jacob (Taylor Lautner) and rebounding Bella (Stewart), who have absolutely no chemistry. Granted Lautner bulked up and looks amazing, but he and Stewart have no sparks and this falls completely flat. Pattinson and Stewart have a genuine visceral chemistry which over comes much of the narrative misgivings and often time awkward dialog. Forgoing that for a good hour of the movie is puzzling. It seems like the movie is shooting itself in the foot.

Perhaps, Director Chris Weitz (who replaced Catherine Hardwicke) and Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg are too beholding to the Stephanie Meyer's novel. I never read the "Twilight" series novels, but I am guessing this is the case. "New Moon" is awful. More precisely it is a horrendous miscalculation, and disappointment. I really liked "Twilight" which had a great Gothic romance; about heroes fighting great evil. Here the romance is displaced by the plot line, and the battle between good and powerful evil is ambiguous. Perhaps, again we are just catching Act II of the 5 Act play. None the less, this is not a satisfying experience. Pattinson and Stewart do their best, and almost salvage. However, here they are overwhelmed by the story.

As "New Moon" opens Bella celebrates her 18th Birthday. She loves Edward, but fears what happens when she grows old, while he remains forever young. Edward confides to Bella, "It's my job to protect you." Bella's birthday celebration at the Cullen's turns horribly wrong, as Jasper (eerie Jackson Rathbone) nearly goes native vampire on Bella, who accidentally sheds her blood. Convinced his being with Bella will do her harm, Edward tells her, "You're my only reason to stay alive." He leaves for Italy to the Volturi—Vampire Royalty. He tells Bella, "This is the last time you will ever see me."

Distraught Bella falls into depression suffering debilitating nightmares. Edward only appears as Jedi-like ghost attempting to protect his beloved. Slowly Bella pursues a relationship with childhood friend Jacob (Lautner). Jacob himself is going through a transformation—becoming a Werewolf. Recall that Vampire and Werewolves are immortal enemies. New hero Jacob becomes Bella's protector from vengeful vampire. Soon like Edward, Jacob fears he too may inadvertently harm Bella. Bella is forever in love with Edward, and she and his sister Alice (spirited Ashley Green) fly off to rescue Edward, who may be sacrificing his life to the Volturi.

There is neither compelling dramatic arc in "New Moon" nor any vanquishing of great evil. This is really disappointing given some of the amazing performances. Michael Sheen manifests a dark presence as Volturi leader Aro. Dakota Fanning is chilling as powerful vampire Jane. Kristen Stewart authentically embodies the anguish and wonder of teenager Bella. Pattinson is powerful and charismatic, but isn't on the screen nearly enough. "New Moon" is an unfortunate miscalculation that may correct itself in the next go round. At least one would think so.

Disappointing

[natalie_9611 · 4/10 · 19 November 2009]

Overall, the movie was disappointing. Jacob/Bella story was well presented but some things could be left out. Up until the part when Alice returns the movie is OK. From that point on however it sucks. They omitted both trips to and from Italy which wasn't good because the audience does not have the time to built-up for the Edward/bella story that is coming. The Cullens weren't expecting them to return and thank bella for saving him and as a result we saw the cullens in 3 minutes in the film. Most importantly however they had no respect over the Voltera sequence. Edward and Bella had a conversation after she stopped him from being exposed that was in the last chapters of the book and it had no place happening there. And they cut the conversation of Edward and Bella in her room after she woke up when they cleared things up. The movie rushed to end but had no problem being slow during the Jacob storyline. The director missed the feeling, the audience was out of place and the movie was destroyed. The Bella/Edward/Jacob scene at the end was good however. Really disappointed and I was expecting this sooooo much as I am a huge fan of the books and the twilight movie.

Forgot Who the Target Audience Was & Needed More Werewolves

[kimintuitive · 1/10 · 6 April 2010]

I think this movie needed to be directed and edited by a woman because at no point could I sink into the emotions between characters. Woman love emotional stuff. But this just gave a dry account of the events, instead of developing believable characters.

Not sure how the characters were portrayed in the books, but in this movie Bella and Edward were really annoying - I found myself rolling my eyes and making fun during many scenes. I found their relationship really depressing and unempowering. Instead of showing deep love, it just seemed like an unhealthy co-dependent relationship.

The movie had nice filming and imagery (cool red cloaks in Italy). And I loved all the werewolf men - needed more werewolf scenes.

So for the next film - slow it down. Think of what young women like: they like romantic words and feelings between characters so they can swoon and talk about with their friends. Women value the subtleties of characters, not a sports-desk rundown of a sequence of events.