The sequel to the franchise starter “Twilight” doubles down on everything that made teen audiences squeal with the delight the first time.
More angst filled romance. More love deferred. And more shirtless men than a Matthew McConaughey triple feature.
“The Twilight Saga: New Moon” also amps up the emotional fireworks from the original, adding a love triangle that makes it more palatable for audiences who don’t have photos of star Robert Pattinson plastered on their bedroom walls.
But “New Moon” must stay faithful to the text, so the film’s final half hour becomes a narrative sink hole sure to alienate those beginning to buy into the hype.
“New Moon” finds our lovebirds Bella and Edward (Kristen Stewart and Pattinson) going through a rough patch.
Yes, they’re still in shmoopy mode, but Edward is realizing how dangerous it is for Bella to hang around his vampire pals. An accident involving a droplet of blood convinces him they cannot stay together.
It could end up getting Bella killed.
So he decides to end their affair, a decision which sends Bella into the arms of another suitor, Jacob (Taylor Lautner).
But Bella has lousy taste in men. Jacob turns out to be a member of the Wolf Pack, a clan of half men, half wolves who live in their neck of the gloomy Pacific Northwest.
Director Chris Weitz (“The Golden Compass”) offers slightly better special effects this time around, and the two leads appear more comfortable shouldering the weight of a massive franchise.
But young Lautner, ripped and ready to emote, simply lacks the screen presence to carry his side of the triangle.
The dialog throughout “New Moon” will make audiences wince, to be kind.
Still, there’s something about this franchise that defies conventional criticism. It’s got a loose, amateurish feel, the sense that the filmmakers understand the films aren’t about sturdy storytelling but getting author Stephenie Meyer’s imagination on the screen as briskly as possible.
Craft be darned.
“The Twilight Saga: New Moon” bungles the chance to expand its fan base, but to “Twilight” devotees that won’t matter a whit.
(Photo: Jackson Rathbone, Ashley Greene, Kella Lutz, Robert Pattinson and Nikki Reed star in “The Twilight Saga: New Moon.” Photo Credit: Kimberley French/Summit Entertainment)
Related posts:
on 
on 
{ 1 trackback }
{ 0 comments… add one now }