How I Feel about New Moon:

EXCELLENT

Here are the 6 reasons why:

6.) It describes the emotions of the book well. The loneliness of Bella, and the need to see Edward, no matter what the cost. The need for distraction, the depression, the lack of understanding. It's all there. Sure, the screaming in the middle of the night was kind of played up, but it definitely brought out the good parts of the book. A rommate of mine said that this was the first movie she has seen that was better than the book, and I would have to agree. While the book series is.. well, meh... the plot was made for the screen, and I like what I see.

5.) Portrays the Voltori as a very creepy and very old clan of vampires. I really like the red eyes (except those on Dakota Fanning; those looked fake), the costumes, and the very ancient feel of the whole scene. I was not left disappointed.

4.) The CG animation of the wolves is realistic, which makes for much better action shots. I'm also liking the tats on the wolf men. A nice little addition. Effects, scenes, and costumes, in general, were a lot less plastic in this movie.


3.) They've made the entire Cullen family, particularly Alice, more of a part of the personal story of Bella. I was a little worried in the first movie because Alice didn't seem like that much of a FRIEND to Bella, but the email narration in the second movie fixed that problem. New Moon actually fixed a lot of problems found in Twilight. As a matter of fact, this movie totally pulverized the first one. Vampires looked meaner, the love intrigue grew, and there isn't as much staring into each other for five whole minutes without anything happening (of course, there still is some of that, but if that totally went away, it wouldn't be Twilight...)


2.) Jacob is a good guy. I'm really growing tired of this whole "Team Edward/Team Jacob" thing because there are good and bad things about both of them. There IS a legitimate reason why Bella has trouble choosing between them. To be honest, I always was a bit of a Jacob fan. I liked his spirit. While Edward is an old soul -- protective, fatherly, passionate, and thoughtful -- Jacob is a bit more down-to-earth. He is young, naiive, eager to please, and (in my opinion) a lot easier to spend time with. Jacob is a lot more REALISTIC than Edward is. They are polar opposities. Warm and cold, young and old -- and this is as it should be. Even their body shapes depict that difference. There really should be no "better guy" between these two because it's sort of because of one that the other exists. Bella needs both yin and yang in her life. She cannot truely love Edward without experiencing a different love first. So while Jacob can be a little bit forward and headstrong, this is something Bella -- and the plot -- needs. This movie really pushed that idea.

Jacob was Bella's only source of happiness when Edward left. Jacob later became a part of her secret and a part of who she is. I am glad Jacob is seen in such a positive light in this movie... which leads me to my number one reason why this movie was so great...

1.) You probably saw this one coming from a mile away, but Taylor Lautner really converted me to Team Jacob, purely because of his absolutely amazing body. I would like to publicly thank Stephanie Meyer for creating a character who must be shirtless for over half of the movie!! I always was a huge Rob Pattinson fan -- I think he even was up to number four on my list at one point. But man, Lautner really grew up. Apparently, in order to keep the role, he had to get that buff within a matter of months. I deeply congratulate him. Number 1 at this point, for me.

Yes, there's the near eight-pack and the broad shoulders, but we can't forget the gleaming white teeth, the perfectly proportioned lips, and the boyish ears. Lautner has a unique bright (canine?) smile that lights up the screen. Excellent casting. I'm glad they had faith in him.

I don't understand why no one liked the long hair. It made him look particularly Native American, and that was kind of hot. But, of course, the short hair definitely makes him look older, and the whole idea of this movie was to show that Jacob's not just a kid anymore, but a man.

All my roommates commented that seeing Edward shirtless at the end of the movie was kind of a letdown after so much Lautner... but, as I already stated, they both have very different beauties about them. With Edward, there's this stone quality. This man is unmoveable, unshakable in his devotion, and silently powerful. With Jacob, the warm, welcoming life that every girl really wants (how Bella is able to constrain herself when she hugs him in her bedroom is absolutely astounding to me). My point in saying this is that, while Lautner's physique definitely made the movie, Pattinson is not left that far in the dust. And we must all remember: In the end, Bella does not just base her love off of appearance. Good for her.

OH SO FINE!!!

I hate to make such a big deal about such a... well... shallow part of the movie. But I tried to add in more intellectual stuff before and, I admit, hot bodies are definitely something I think of often. Live with it.

I guess I could quickly list some of the things about this movie I didn't like:

1. I almost forgot Edward existed halfway through the movie. Whenever he appeared in Bella's mind, or whenever he was mentioned, I suddenly would remember that HE'S the main character. So while the emphasis on Jacob was good, perhaps the emphasis on Edward could have been better?

2. I already mentioned Dakota Fanning's eyes. They tend to overemphasize the red eyes sometimes.

3. Kristen Stewart is far from an amazing actress. Granted, her skills have improved, but I really don't think she's acting much in these movies. I bet she acts the exact same way in real life. Even in the most dangerous and traumatic of circumstances, she seems to exude this apathetic, glazed-over look. Doesn't work for me.

4. Of course, there are the problems I have with Stephanie Meyer's writing. It's hard to create an absolutely AMAZING movie out of a blah book. I applaud the directors for how much substance they actually were able to pull out of this series. Once again, Stephanie Meyer has a way with amazing movie-worthy plots. NOT character development, NOT mythological accuracy, and NOT descriptive and impressive language.


I should probably mention that New Moon was my favorite of all the Twilight Books. It's everyone else's least favorite, but I like it because of Jacob and because I can relate to the feelings Bella felt over losing her first love. Really... It's like time is a blur. The loss of interest, the hunger for distraction, the empty feelings. That's all there for a female who has lost someone like that. I believe Meyer might have had some firsthand experience with this, because she portrays it very realistically. This is the only real intellectual boon the book series has.