When I reviewed the original Twilight film, it was screened in a small cinema with a group of Melbourne film writers (ie the majority were middle aged men). Despite being in the centre of an audience that was largely unattracted to the film, I loved it. The 15-year-old teenage girl in me got sucked right in. Pardon le pun.
This evening when I viewed the next installment,
Twilight: New Moon, I was amongst the ideal audience for such a screening – breathless teenage girls, Twi-mums and Molly Meldrum. They chattered excitedly in their seats before the lights went down and cheered as the curtains drew back. It certainly elevated the experience from a vaguely enjoyable outing to a squeal-inducing hype fest.
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New Moon picks up where
Twilight left off. Bella and Edward are deliriously shiny and in love, but an unfortunate incident at a birthday party (ie Edward’s brother tries to eat Bella instead of the birthday cake) causes unrest in the Cullen family. Edward decides to leave Bella and their hometown of Forkes forever – he’s sacrificing his own happiness for her safety, you see. * SWOON *
After Bella moodily stares out the window for three months she renews her friendship with Jacob. And my, my, hasn't Jacob developed QUITE the tidy body between films one and two?
“Does anyone need some cheese grated?”
It’s the introduction of Jacob and His New Stomach that triggers most of the audience participation. Every time Jacob appears without his shirt (which makes up a decent portion of the film), the audience begins to shriek and giggle. This is something that Jim Schembri et al did NOT do.
Anyway I digress. Bella and Jacob strike up a friendship, but it turns out that he too has a secret … one that could put her in even
more danger.
Cue dramatic hamster (again).
As I was leaving the cinema I listened to the comments of my fellow audience members. The general consensus was that this film is even better than the original
Twilight. I think this enthusiasm can be partly attributed to the audience’s growing affection for the characters and the actors that play them. It was as if they were catching up with beloved old chums – they sniggered when Bella’s dad made cheesy gags and hooted when the old high school gang was back together.
Credit must also go to director Chris Weitz. He has played it smart, here. He’s stayed true to the style that Catherine Hardwicke set in the first film and as a result he doesn’t jar the passionate teenage audience with heavy-handed changes. Visually it is still shot in mossy hues, the soundtrack is one of thrashy teen angst and the performances all echo the style of the first installment. As a sequel it’s pleasingly cohesive.
Where he has really excelled is in the action scenes. Admittedly the cinema I was in was blessed with cracking sound and a whopping screen, but the auditorium actually seemed to shake when the fights took place. Weitz certainly capitalised on these scenes with his shuddery camera work and special effects. The action scenes are a standout.
Unfortunately I still find Kirsten Stewart incredibly wooden as Bella. As Michael K on
D-Listed continually points out, her acting technique tends to revolve around hair flicking and lip biting. But as I conceded in the first
Twilight review, the character of Bella is described as a fairly insular teen in the novels. Maybe Stewart is actually a barrel of laughs in real life and deserves an Academy Award for the closed way in which she portrays Bella.
One thing that also jars every now and then is Stephanie Meyer’s dialogue. While some of the lines from the novels are certainly dear to die-hard fans, they come off as gauche and painful when delivered on the screen. When Edward uttered the line “you give me everything just by breathing”, I wanted to stab myself in the eye with my Coke straw. But at the same time I was aware of a gaggle of girls behind me swooning.
And I think that’s the point. This film does what it’s supposed to do – it continues the heady saga that has caused so much hyperventilation. If you’re looking for thought-provoking cinema with Oscar worthy performances and witty repartee, you’ve come to the wrong place. But if you want your annual installment of sparkly vampy action, you won’t be disappointed.
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Our preview session of
New Moon exited at 9pm and we filed past women of all ages in Twilight garb who were waiting for the midnight premiere. Their shared excitement was palpable. And while it’s often so easy for us, the people who may not be knee deep in the Twilight hysteria to poke fun at the fans, there was something rather charming about these mothers and daughters uniting at midnight to coo at a bloke’s six pack and gasp at the heart wrenching drama.
Sometimes cinema is a wonderful thing indeed.
New Moon opens in Australian cinemas today (November 19).
You can view the extended New Moon movie trailer here on TheVine.