'New Moon' dawns on cinemas
By Gao Na Yang
"New Moon" delivers 130 minutes of half-naked as well as pale, sparkling men. Director Chris Weitz translates the story from book to film accurately, for the most part, so fans of Stephenie Meyer's books won't be too shocked. Surprising, however, are the action and effects. I must admit, there were times when I screamed aloud and looked around the dark theater for giant wolves.
The storyline is emotionally and mentally draining. Break ups and make ups between human girl, vampire boy and wolf boy were incredibly frustrating. Edward? Jacob? Vampire? Wolf? Can't keep track? It didn't seem like the characters could either.
Nevertheless, the story portrays extreme changes in teenage emotions realistically.
When Bella (Kristen Stewart) stumbles into a deep depression, Jacob, played by 30-pounds-of-muscles-heavier Taylor Lautner, is the only person who can bring her back to life. Needless to say, he falls in love with her and the messy love triangle begins. A supernatural love triangle, that is.
Weitz doesn't waste any time getting to the action. The accident that results in the vampires' absence occurs early on. The score that accompanied this scene was a terrible choice and took away its potential impact. Was it a video game or a game show? Neither. It was a good scene with light action that had horrible music.
The break up between Bella and Edward (Robert Pattinson) took on the band-aid effect.
It happened so quickly, however, that there was no time to process how sad it actually was. The audience experiences the break-up the same way as Bella. The part that brought the tissues out was Bella wandering around in the woods calling Edward's name.
Time progression in the book was portrayed through eight one-word pages that listed the four months in which Bella was mentally and emotionally detached from her world. Weitz illustrated the darkest period of her life by showing the change of seasons as Bella stared out of her window.
One thing that ruined the shot was the listing of the exact months that passed in horrible lettering. The scene without words would have had just as much impact.
The wolves are introduced when Bella is lost and broken in the woods. The effects were shockingly realistic. Wolf Jacob standing at the cliff's edge shows the eyebrow-raising effects within just a few seconds.
The action that surrounds the wolves is extremely intense. Here's a challenge: Watch the wolves in a dark setting. The guys in their human forms are very easy on the eyes, but the fangs and hairy wolf bodies are the real thrill.
If there was one thing that should have received more funding, it's the make-up. Though vampires had better contact lenses, hair products and sparkling skin than in the preceding film, the make-up was still cheap. Edward's pale face looks like it was caked on with icing. Another vampire whose make-up was horribly done was Laurent, the villain who attacks Bella. It looks like he was dragged through ashes.
Another cheesy scene was a vision that alludes to the characters' futures. The combination of characters running in slow motion would make anyone cringe.
Weitz did, however, do a good job illustrating the vampires' quick movements. Apparitions of Edward are also very well constructed. It looks as though his apparition turns into dust in the air. The jaw-dropper is the apparition of Edward in the water. Bella's hand drags through his face, triggering the disappearance.
There is a good amount of comic relief to balance the depressing tone. All but one scene which includes Bella's father Charlie (Billy Burke) provides comic relief. His sarcasm and wittiness brightens the film's gloomy mood.
Bella's sort-of-friend Jessica (Anna Kendrick) has a funny monologue after they see a zombie movie. Some may find her annoying, but Jessica's ignorance and ability to talk non-stop about the most random things is surely a talent.
Whereas the majority of the film is very gloomy, Italy added color to the mix. The palette used for the scenes were warm, rich colors. Alice's car was yellow, the buildings were a tangy orange and no one can miss all the red cloaks.
Though select details may stick out like a sore thumb, the film is worth a chance. "New Moon" isn't the typical vampire and werewolf film. It's very likely that viewers will develop a love-hate relationship with Weitz when the cliffhanger drops Nov. 20.
