NEW MOON

Director: Chris Weitz
Stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Billy Burke, Graham Greene, Michael Sheen
Year: 2009
Rating: PG-13

This is my third year, now, for trying to make sure that I watch at least fifty new films per year - and each year, I try to make the fiftieth something unique; memorable. Last year it was Gran Torino (great film) - this year, the sequel to Twilight, which I gave a good review to back in September of 2009 (you can read the review here). For all its faults and fairly wooden dialogue, I enjoyed Twilight overall; it had an interesting story, very cool setting, a great-looking cast that did their best with the material, and a suitable ending that (of course) left everything open for a sequel.

I liked New Moon even better, on many levels - the stronger acting, the richer storyline, and even the deeper characterizations. But the woodenness remains ... and somehow, here, it's more apparent.

Kristin Stewart stars as moody high school student Bella, Robert Pattinson her vampire boyfriend Edward Cullen (does anyone living, right now, NOT know these two are the stars of the film?). Though a definite threat hovered over the two at the end of the first film (one I won't, of course, reveal on a blog that promises no spoilers), that threat is nowhere to be seen in its sequel - at least, not for starters, as Edward and his vamp-family prepare to celebrate Bella's birthday at their home.

But an incident at the birthday party throws things into a bit of turmoil, prompting Edward to realize that as long as he and Bella are together the girl remains in danger. This is further exacerbated by the fact that Bella is pushing Edward to turn her into a vampire, so that they can be together always - the last thing Edward wants to do, as that would (he feels) condemn the soul of the one person he loves to hell forever. So before the fact that none of the Cullen family is aging begins to really register on the local townspeople, Edward decides that they need to leave town ... and that it would be best for Bella if the two of them broke up for good.

Needless to say, Edward's sudden decision leaves Bella heartsick and broken; she spends months in a depression, mourning Edward's departure, sure she will never be over him. Then, quite by accident, she discovers that Edward is watching out over her as best he can, for whenever danger is near a vision of him appears, warning her before disaster can happen.

This send Bella into one desperate act after another, trying to always keep Edward near - and when she needs a pair of dirt bikes rebuilt from the ground up, in pursuit of her new over-the-top hobbies, Bella turns to none other than childhood friend Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), the hunky Native American who, himself, has been in love with Bella for a long, long time already.

But even as Edward constantly hovers nearby (sometimes literally), like a shadow she can never let go of, Bella starts to have feelings for Jacob - the boy who was there for her, in her grief, when no one else was. But Jacob soon has his own issues to contend with, ones that override even his love for Bella ... and soon Bella not only finds herself alone again, but caught between the natural enemies of vampires and werewolves - and on the radar of not only the vengeful vampire Victoria, but also of the Volturi ... the royal court of all vampires everywhere, who see Bella's knowledge of vampires as a threat to their very existence on earth.

New Moon does have a richer story and better-developed characters than Twilight, and indeed I enjoyed it more. Taylor Lautner did a much more impressive job capturing the vulnerability of Jacob Black than I had thought he would; you really are rooting for him, even though you know Bella probably belongs with Edward, during his scenes with Kristen Stewart.

But in fact, it's the scenes with Bella and Edward that are (by far) the weakest in the film. While a lot of criticism has been leveled at Pattinson for delivering one-note performances as the sullen Edward Cullen, it's really Kristen Stewart who (at least, for me) is the weakest actor in the film. She simply has little to no emotion throughout the film, as Bella, and while at first I thought it might be a chemistry issue between her and Robert Pattinson (which has been mentioned in many other reviews of the film), the same lack of on-screen chemistry is evident (though to a lesser degree) even in her scenes with Lautner. Even a death-defying leap of faith (pun intended) in the movie lacks emotional depth ... because Stewart does, in the scene, as well. It's hard to tell if she's underplaying Bella, or just not that emotionally in the role - but either way, she and Bella both come off very flat on-screen, period.

A shame, considering Bella is the central character. But Stewart's woodenness, combined with the heavy teen-angsty melodrama and sometimes-just-plain-silly dialogue, definitely make New Moon a film geared for the young audience the books are intended for. Happily, it's also entertaining enough for adults to watch - so long as you're an adult not asking for too much from the film. So if you can sit back, check your brain at the door, and just enjoy, New Moon won't disappoint; it has plenty of action, story, nifty special effects, and shirtless young men to keep most of those who would watch it happy (if you don't scratch too deeply beyond the surface). **** - Reel Awesome