If you’re a Twilight fan, then I really want you to read this review because I’m going to attempt to explain why traditional movie fans don’t like the Twilight movies. It’s not because of the sappy love story or the refusal to acknowledge traditional vampire lore, it’s because the movies are just very poorly made. But as upset as I am at how bad these movies are, true fans of the books should be livid. By getting second rate directors and amateur screenwriters to handle the beloved books, Hollywood is basically telling fans that they don’t care and they have no interest in making quality films from Stephenie Meyer’s novels.
When I sat down to watch THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON, I had high hopes. I couldn’t stand the first one, but I thought replacing Catherine Hardwicke with Chris Weitz was a step in the right direction and I hoped that some of the problems that plagued the first one would be fixed in the second. But alas, I was wrong. Weitz didn’t make many improvements and the long, drawn out scenes, meaningless dialogue and overall poor direction permeated throughout the film, just as they had in the original TWILIGHT.
The single biggest complaint I have with the film is with the acting, and I’m not so sure it’s the fault of the actors involved as much as it is the direction they’re given. I’ve seen Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Michael Sheen and Dakota Fanning excel in other films, why were they so bad here? And someone needs to tell Kristen Stewart that she needs to find a way to say her dialogue without making weird breathing sounds before and after. The moaning and heavy breathing is irritating and annoying. I don’t know if she’s trying to be sexy or if she needs an inhaler, but she sounds ridiculous. Again, I’ve seen her do fine in other movies, I don’t know why she’s so incompetent here. And let’s not forget that Anna Kendrick was nominated for an Oscar.
And no review of NEW MOON would be complete without touching on the story. The story is something you either love or hate and I know there are so many people out there that can’t get enough of the Twilight series. Being a Star Wars guy, I totally understand what it means to like something that other people don’t understand. But when it comes to NEW MOON, there were some major issues with the story. Bella was devastated when Edward left and that part I understand because we’ve all had failed high school romances. But Bella went into a deep depression and had ferocious nightmares for months after the breakup. Why? After asking the question to someone that read the book, they told me that Edward and Bella have some kind of special connection and that them being apart was like “not breathing” for them. Well, I NEVER got that from the movie, not once. Perhaps the single most important aspect of the series (the connection between Bella and Edward) is never fully explained or explored, yet we as an audience have to buy into all the events that happen because of their connection.
It’s rare that a film fails on every single aspect of filmmaking and still manages to be successful, but that’s somehow what NEW MOON managed to do. The acting, screenwriting, directing, editing, music, settings and cinematography were all failures. I freely admit that I don’t like the story, but if the basic filmmaking aspects were done properly, I think I could appreciate the films.
BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: The 2.40:1 video presentation was decent, but the film quality still seems below average. I have to assume it’s the film quality and not the Blu-ray, but again, that’s something they need to fix in the future.
Audio: I had no complaints with the DTS-HD audio, although I didn’t think it was used utilized as well as it should have been.
Commentary with Chris Weitz and Peter Lambert: Chris was great in this commentary and I almost feel a little guilty for trashing his film. But he gives a much better commentary than he directs a film. But there were times when I thought that even he didn’t like the film. He didn’t come out and say it, but he made a few jokes here and there and it was clear he didn’t take it too seriously. There were a few long pauses, but overall I think fans will enjoy this.
The Journey Continues: The Making of The Twilight Saga: New Moon (65:24): Oh man, Twilight fans are going to love this. This is a 6-part documentary that covers everything you want to know. I intended to skip over this, but I couldn’t stop watching. Twilight fans are crazy, but I can’t look away. For the record, I enjoyed this waaaayyy more than the actual film.
