Summit Entertainment. 2009.
Screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg
Novel by Stephanie Meyer
Run time: 130 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Film Annotation
In the second installment of the Twilight saga film adaptations, Bella celebrates her 18th birthday with Edward and his family. When the Edward and Cullen’s leave Forks soon after, Bella is bereft. Only her friendship with Jacob Black seems to restore her happiness.
Cast
Kristin Stewart, Bella Swan
Robert Pattinson, Edward Cullen
Taylor Lautner, Jacob Black
Billy Burke, Charlie Swan
For full credits go to IMDb at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1259571/fullcredits#cast
Plot Summary
In this movie, based on the novel by Stephanie Meyers, Bella is left desperately depressed in the wake of the departure of the Cullen’s from Forks, Washington. For several months Bella stares out the window, ignoring the world around her. Desperate, her father recommends that she return to her mother rather than remain where the memories of her lost love haunt her. Bella does not want to leave, so she forces herself to reestablish contact with her friends. She discovers accidentally that she will have visions of Edward when she is in danger. From this moment she pursues dangerous situations so she might see him. She brings to motorcycles to her friend Jacob Black. Together they rebuild the bikes. While Bella has been sulking, Jacob has been growing – muscles mostly. He is now a buff teenager who still harbors a crush on Bella. However, Jacob begins to withdraw from Bella too. He has his own supernatural issues to deal with. One afternoon Bella climbs to the meadow she and Edward had once visited. Unfortunately she meets the vampire Laurent. Just as he is about the dispatch her, five very large wolves come out of the woods and attack Laurent. Jacob comes to Bella and begs her to remember a story he once told her. That night she dreams about werewolves. With her new knowledge she pursues Jacob and discovers that the five wolves she saw, were all members of the Quileute tribe, and Jacob is one of them. Putting herself in harms way becomes Bella’s pastime. After she cliff dives and nearly drowns, Alice Cullen arrives. Convinced that Bella has perished, Edward decides to provoke the Volturi into ending his existence. Bella and Alice arrive in time to save Edward, but not without consequences. Bella is to become a vampire because she knows too much. When they return home safely, Edward and Jacob face off in a battle for Bella but she stops them both. Edward tells Bella that he will only transform her if she agrees to marry him.
Critical Evaluation
Like most movies based on books, New Moon has both good and bad moments. The storyline follows the basic plotline of the book, but leaves out most of the detail. Jacob Black, was supposed to have grown very large with the beginning of his transformation. The actor, Taylor Lautner became muscular yet not as big as described in the book. The original casting of Kristin Stewart as Bella, and Robert Pattinson as Edward remains a mystery. There are moments of dreadful acting between the two. During the scene where Edward tells Bella he is leaving, Stewart can only manage to bat her eyes and barely move her lips while talking. Pattinson seems to mumble most of his lines in the movie, and there is little chemistry between the actors. The chemistry between Lautner and Stewart is subtler, and for a few moments it seems that ice queen Stewart may succumb to Lautner’s charm and washboard abs. The best moments of the film are all centered on the werewolves. The computer generated images (CGI) special effects are absolutely phenomenal. The transformation from young men to wolves is instantaneous and seamless. It is utterly believable. The newest villains in this film, the Volturi, are suitably creepy. We can only hope that the acting for the next two movies improves, and comes up to the standards created by the CGI technology.
Information about the film
You can find out more about the film at IMDb, the Internet Movie Database at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1259571/fullcredits - cast
Genre
Drama, fantasy, horror, thriller
Curriculum ties
None
Challenge Issues
None. This film is not currently in DVD release.
Challenge defense ideas
There are no apparent challenge issues associated with this film. In the case that a challenge comes up, there are some things that you can do to start. You could watch the film and become familiar with the content. Refer to the library collection development policy, and get reviews from reputable sources and teens that have seen the film.
Why I included this title
The books and earlier film are very popular with young adults.
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