Reviews: The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) Movie Review
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Our review of The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) dives into the story, the scares, and whether it truly delivers the horror fans crave.
The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) is an American romantic fantasy adventure film that is the is the sequel to Twilight (2008). It is based on Stephenie Meyer‘s novel New Moon (2006) and is the second installment in The Twilight Saga series. The movie had an estimated budget of $50 million and grossed over $709.7 million worldwide. Director Chris Weitz (About a Boy (2002), The Golden Compass (2007), Antz (1998), Cinderella (2015)) filming this movie in Montepulciano, Siena, Tuscany, Italy and in several locations in British Columbia, Canada. I found a lot of goofs in the film but here is a few: Bella’s hair is wavy when she was in the meadow, but is straight when Laurent arrives seconds later. The part in Bella’s hair changes from one side to another side while she is talking to Jacob on the beach. There are numerous scenes where Bella’s hair part changes direction. Edward’s harness under his robe can be seen in a few shots as he and Felix fight. New Moon contains graphic fight scenes that may be too intense for younger viewers.
New Moon starts by showing us Bella (Kristen Stewart - Twilight (2008), The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012), Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)) waking up on her 18th birthday from a terrible dream showing her as an old woman. Bella is dating Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson - Twilight (2008), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012), Remember Me (2010)) who is a vampire that stopped physically aging at 17 years old. Bella is not the party type and does not like a crowd, but Edward’s adoptive family throws Bella a birthday party regardless of how she feels. The movie became an intense watch from this point on as Bella accidentally cuts her finger on the gift wrapping paper as she is opening her presents. Edward’s brother, Jasper (Jackson Rathbone - The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012), Twilight (2008), The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010), The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011)) tries to kill Bella as he cannot resist the smell of her blood. Jasper is still training to resist the urge to kill anyone that is gushing blood. Edward becomes distraught over the event and decides to leave Forks, Washington with his family so that Bella will be in less danger.
Bella did not handle the breakup very well as she becomes depressed for several months. She eventually decides to start hanging out with her friends after her father threatened her that he will send her to live with her mother in Florida. Bella became a daredevil upon seeing a group of men on motorcycles because she sees Edward’s image telling her to stay away from the men. Bella loves that she found a new way to see Edward, even if it is his image and it means that she has to do dangerous things that he will disapprove of. Bella’s, friend Jacob (Taylor Lautner - The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011), The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012), Twilight (2008)) has feelings for her. Jacob began avoiding Bella, which makes her on edge, but she soon discovers why he is not returning her calls. Bella found out that Jacob is undergoing his first transformation because he is descended from a long line of werewolves. Bella does not like that the werewolves and vampires have been enemies for several centuries.
Victoria (Rachelle Lefevre - Twilight (2008), Under the Dome (2013), White House Down (2013)) is a vampire seeking revenge on Bella because Edward killed her lover, James. Edward killed James because he kidnapped Bella and attempted to kill her, but she was saved by Edward and his family. Bella does not care if she dies because she cannot be with Edward. After a few events, Edward’s sister Alice (Ashley Greene - The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012), Twilight (2008), The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011)) told Edward that Bella killed herself. Alice had a vision of Bella jumping off a cliff into the ocean and assumed she committed suicide and Edward confirmed it after calling her residence to have someone telling him that Bella’s father is preparing for the funeral. Distraught Edward does not want to live anymore as well and decides the only way he can die is if he provokes the Volturi by showing humans that he is a vampire. The movie goes on to being an extremely entertaining watch as Bella tries to save Edward and the Volturi has to agree on a verdict.
The movie overall was an enjoyable watch although a few actors performance could have been better. A few actors acting skills need improvement because they appear unrealistic in most scenes, but I must say they have improved from Twilight (2008). The special effects, cinematography, sets and music was done magnificently. I love how Jacob and others changed into their wolf form; that was one the best parts. The movie came close to the book, but I wish it captured more events from the book. I believed I would have enjoyed the movie more if I did not read the books. The movie is aimed for a certain age group amongst females, so I can understand why some people do not like it. I am a huge romance and vampire fan so I totally love this movie. I gave this movie a seven because it had minor plot holes, goofs, a few unbelievable acting scenes, slightly differs from the book, and it was a little slow paced at times. I have watched this movie along with others in its series several times and do not get tired of it. I recommend all vampire lovers that love a good romance to watch the entire series, have a Twilight marathon!
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Sources Used to Shape This Review
Insights in this review are drawn from director interviews, fan commentary, production notes, and long-form breakdowns across genre-specific platforms. Content is written uniquely and reviewed for accuracy.
- The Twilight Saga: New Moon Rating Scores
- Our Score: 7/10
- Overall Score: 5.05/10
- IMDB: 4.8/10
- MetaCritic: 4.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 2.8/10
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