New Moon Review

I feel wrong even calling this a review, because in reality, it is just going to be my opinions, which have little to do with any knowledge of film making, and a lot to do with feelings (yeah, I know, feelings can be a touchy topic). So here it goes, my feelings on New Moon:

Let me start out by giving you an idea of my overall feelings about the Twilight franchise: I'm not super into it. I watched the first movie last summer because I wanted to find out what all the hype was about. As much as I know this will upset certain people (Meagan), I actually found I liked it a lot. I cannot even explain to you why, but I loved the first movie. As corny as it sounds, I guess it moved me - I felt something when I watched it. The combination of the indie look, soundtrack, and story just fit together in a way that worked for me. After watching the movie, of course I had to read the books in order to compare (they were decent, but certainly not the best things I have ever read). And that is how I got somewhat sucked in to the whole Twilight frenzy. Now back to New Moon.

From the reviews I read and the people I heard talking, New Moon was way better than Twilight. I knew that most people hated Twilight, and so in their minds, it could only go up from there, but I was still skeptical. After seeing numerous New Moon trailers and preview clips, I was not sure how I felt about the movie. The more I saw, the more uncertain I became. To be honest, I think I got bored of seeing the same thing over and over in every single trailer. But of course, I had to go to the theater and see for myself.

I tried to be optimistic as I watched New Moon. I wanted to agree with the reviews I had read. I wanted it to be better. But alas, as usual, my feelings on the film were the opposite of those held by my peers and other fans of the series. I didn't like the movie at all. New Moon was probably my favorite book in the series, due a lot to the fact that Bella's heartache and pain are so strong and come through so strongly in Stephanie Meyer's writing. It was a very powerful book emotionally, and I was hoping that the movie would capture that. It was in vain, however, because director Chris Weitz and writer Melissa Rosenberg barely portrayed Bella's emptiness at all. And while I appreciate the attempt to add a few laughs (those moments exist in the book, and should in the movie as well), many lines that were meant to be serious just came off as corny.

Even the soundtrack, which was so perfectly chosen for Twilight was a flop for me in New Moon. When Bella is drowning after jumping off the cliff, Grizzly Bear's "Slow Life" just sounded wrong. There were other moments in the movie when I found myself saying "what is this song, and why is it playing?" Whereas in the first movie the music was mixed in so effortlessly, in New Moon, it was as disjunct as the pacing (which was also a source of confusion for me), and I definitely didn't leave the theater remembering any of the music in the film.

Overall, New Moon didn't move me the way Twilight did. When I finished watching Twilight, I immediately wanted to watch it again (I know Meagan, it's repulsive). When New Moon ended, I was glad it was finally over. When I watched Twilight, I felt something, and when I watched New Moon, I just didn't.

This series is entirely about the fans. The movies are about the fans. So if they liked New Moon, then I guess it was a success. I personally did not care for it in the least. But I don't consider myself a fan either, so I guess they don't have to please me.