The Twilight Saga: New Moon - 2009

Imprint Entertainment, Summit Entertainment, Sunswept Entertainment

Directed by Chris Weitz

Cast:

• Bella Swan – Kristen Stewart
• Edward Cullen – Robert Pattinson
• Jacob Black – Taylor Lautner
• Charlie Swan – Billy Burke
• Angela – Christian Serratos
• Alice Cullen – Ashley Greene
• Jasper Hale – Jackson Rathbone
• Aro – Michael Sheen
• Jane – Dakota Fanning

Story: Summer has ended and Bella is back to school, and so is Edward. The subject of his immortality has come to bear on Bella, and she is wanting to be turned. But Edward does not want to be the cause of her fall from grace, for he fears he is damned for all eternity for being what he is. After an incident where Bella is at the Cullen's home for her birthday party and accidentally cuts her finger, Edward decides it is best for Bella that he leaves. The Cullen's depart, and Bella falls into a deep depression. When she comes up for air, she discovers whenever she is in a dangerous situation, Edward appears as a spirit. She is so desperate to see him she continues to take risks, until she jumps off a clif into the sea and nearly drowns. Since Alice cannot see what has happened, Edward believes she is dead and no longer wants to live, so he travels to Italy to ask permission of the Volturie, the leading council of the vampires, to die. Bella arrives in the nick of time to save his life, but the only way Bella can be allowed to live is by becoming one of them.

Review: Yes, I know. I started with Breaking Dawn Part 1 and haven't even touched upon Twilight yet. My bad, I guess, but I find this second installment of the series much more intriguing than the first. Here we have actual drama, as real as a story about vampires can be, and real conflict. Bella is a teenage girl who acts like a teenage girl, and both Jacob and Edward act like teenage boys...which is sort of a real contradiction in Edward's case. I mean, after a couple of hundred years, don't you think a man might have some modicum of maturity? But maybe being a vampire retards your common sense in favor of your hormones. Hmmm. Wait a minute, what hormones? He's dead! Oh well, I could go on and on with the contradictions in this film, but who am I to rain on anyone's parade? This is a Romeo and Juliet set in the fantasy of seclusion and passion, a love that was written in the stars. The special effects are great, especially the transformation sequences with Jacob and the rest of the tribe. After all, you knew they were werewolves, right? And the addition of Michael Sheen as Aro, the head of the Volturie and Dakota Fanning as Jane, the evil inflicter of pain with a devilish smile, brings a new dimension of mystery to the story. Rated PG-13 for violence and dramatic action, this one is safe for the teens and even the 10 year old girls who are lovers of romance. Collectible if you have the original, and my wife and daughters own all four and are anxiously awaiting the fifth. (There you go, ladies, I reviewed it.)