In the second installment of Stephenie Meyer's phenomenally successful "Twilight" series, the romance between mortal and vampire soars to a new level as Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) delves deeper into the mysteries of the supernatural world she yearns to become part of - only to find herself in greater peril than ever before.
Following Bella's ill-fated 18th birthday party, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and his family abandon the town of Forks, Washington, in an effort to protect her from the dangers inherent in their world. As the heartbroken Bella sleepwalks through her senior year of high school, numb and alone, she discovers Edward's image comes to her whenever she puts herself in jeopardy. Her desire to be with him at any cost leads her to take greater and greater risks.
With the help of her childhood friend Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), Bella refurbishes an old motorbike to carry her on her adventures. Bella's frozen heart is gradually thawed by her budding relationship with Jacob, a member of the mysterious Quileute tribe, who has a supernatural secret of his own.
When a chance encounter brings Bella face to face with a former nemesis, only the intervention of a pack of supernaturally large wolves saves her from a grisly fate, and the encounter makes it frighteningly clear that Bella is still in grave danger. In a race against the clock, Bella learns the secret of the Quileutes and Edward's true motivation for leaving her. She also faces the prospect of a potentially deadly reunion with her beloved that is a far cry from the one she'd hoped for.
Director :
Chris Weitz
Cast :
Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene,
Rachelle Lefevre, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Nikki Reed,
Kellan Lutz, Jackson Rathbone, Michael Sheen, Dakota Fanning
New Moon’, the second instalment of the Twilight series, is darker not solely for its complex story line but also because of the minimal presence of ‘white-skinned’ vampire Edward Cullen in it. All you Robert Pattinson fans out there, New Moon, it seems, will remain one of the weakest links of Meyer’s Twilight series for this very reason, although Chris Weitz makes up for this drawback with his brilliant direction.
If Twilight was a bright and beautiful build-up of an unconventional romance between a human Bella and vampire Edward Cullen, New Moon is a dark and dangerous repercussion of that romance. Naturally, it has heartache and longing, which makes it a bitter, darker sequel of Twilight.
The film begins with Edward (Robert Pattinson) breaking-up with Bella (Kristen Stewart) fearing he’s become a danger to her. He decides to leave Forks with his family and travels to Italy to see the Volturi, the powerful vampire ruling class, expecting them to finish him once and for all. Meanwhile, Bella is left heart-broken and shattered. After a self-imposed house arrest for months, she finally finds solace in her childhood friend Jacob (Taylor Lautner). Jacob’s a complete contrast of Edward. He is warm and promises to be with Bella come what may. Bella starts getting fonder of Jacob but will she be able to get over Edward?
If Twilight was all about the strengths of vampires, New Moon is about their weaknesses. The werewolves too come to power in this installment. Bella delves deeper into the vampire world than before. Compare the two and New Moon pales in comparison to Twilight as far as the story is concerned but it scores over its prequel in the direction department. After a slow build-up, Twilight jumped to the climax which seemed absurd and that doesn’t happen in New Moon. Director Chris Weitz steadily keeps building the suspense without losing out on the pace.
Though ‘New Moon’ drags in parts, its filmmaker ensures that you keep watching... be it through the film’s mysterious background score which leaves you in a trance or its captivating cinematography. The action and special effects too make an impact. He also very smartly makes Edward make a ghostly appearance every now and then for you cannot afford to not have an Edward Cullen in a Twilight saga movie!
New Moon also works for its performances. Robert Pattinson proves yet again that he is not just another good looking heartthrob. He plays the intense and brooding Edward with utmost perfection, in spite of playing second fiddle to Taylor Lautner who is equally effective as Jacob. New Moon is Taylor Lautner’s chance to shine. Kristen Stewart too plays the damsel in distress well but her depressed character is the least interesting in the film. Dacota Fanning has a fleeting presence. Michael Sheen is terrific as the psychic vampire Aro.
If you are open to seeing a campus love story turn into a dark drama, you will like New Moon, else you could always wait for Eclipse...
