You can’t win if you’re trying to adapt one of the most popular book series ever. All you can really do is just stay out of the way. And for the most part, Chris Weitz, the director of the second installment of the Twilight Saga, New Moon, does keep his cast, his direction and his special effects from interfering in the live-action, faithful adaptation of the book. Whether or not this is a movie that moviegoers at-large will enjoy is for someone else to say. This movie is for the fans of the books.
Cast Lowdown:
Robert Pattinson’s acting as lead vampire Edward is demonstrably better than the first go-around. We thankfully get a glimpse of a happy Edward before his world falls apart — multi-dimensional characters are fun, no? Taylor Lautner delivers a complex Jacob, at times loving and funny, at others, heartbreaking and menacing. Kristen Stewart is sometimes the weak link, but in fairness, this was hard stuff to pull-off — the majority of the film is a look at main character Bella’s internal struggle with losing a true love. Ironically, some of the character’s hardest moments are when Stewart is at her best. Bella’s months of depression are painful and mostly believable, but the reunion with Edward lacks … a lot. This may be the biggest letdown for the hard-core fans; Edward and Bella’s moment happens really quickly and without fanfare. It feels flat and it’s over before you can begin to relish it. In fact, those paps pictures of the filming of that scene were hotter than what the movie delivers.
Worst Moment:
The laugh-out-loud foreshadowing glimpse of Bella as a vampire. Instead of capturing otherworldly strength, Stewart and Pattinson look like they are on an Easter Egg hunt circa “Little House On the Prairie.” The audience was laughing AT you guys, not with you. For shame, Chris Weitz; this was your one big mistake.
Best moment(s):
There are many for the fans. Pattinson’s daylight, vampiric sparkle is beautiful this time, fixing the hands-down greatest disappointment of the first movie. Lautner’s jaw-dropping physique reveal was, well, jaw-dropping, even if you already knew what was under the shirt. But even better, Jacob’s got a personality worthy of thinking twice about Edward. Teens will quite simply die at how cute he is; moms will wonder when daughter is bringing him home. Speaking of personality, everyone’s acting is stepped up this time. Special kudos to Ashley Greene and Kellan Lutz for making vampires Alice and Emmett as lively and funny as they are in the books. Last, a big round of applause goes to Weitz for what he did with the Thom Yorke song and corresponding sequence. We don’t want to give it away, but that section is better than it is in the book.
Bottom Line:
Lovers of the books will be happy. It’s not a perfect adaptation, but at least Edward sparkles right this time.