By Tiffany

Opens today November 20, 2009 | Runtime: 2 hr. 1 min.
PG-13: some violence and action

Be ye Twihard, Twilighter, Twilover or Twichotic, you are going to be over the moon thrilled with the latest chapter in the Twilight saga.

The kinks and awkwardness of the first movie seem to be worked out. The acting, I am SO happy to report, is infinitely better. Kristen Stewart finally got the blinking and stuttering under control. That Taylor kid is excellent. Just WOW – and I’m not just talking about his six-pack either (though HELLO… wait, he’s the same age as my son… ewww… never mind!) He’s convincing, sympathetic and sincere. Perfect casting. Excellent young actor. Dakota Fanning totally embodies Jane; she is pure evil. Brilliant. The Volturi are appropriately frightening and European (which can also be frightening!) Unfortunately, RPatz still looks constipated; hopefully they’ll up his fiber intake by the time the cameras start rolling on Eclipse.

Can I just say how much better I thought this one was than Twilight? I’ll admit it, I loved Twilight despite thinking it wasn’t a really great movie. It’s almost uncomfortable to watch, like an indy in inexperienced hands. You can see and feel the potential, but its not quite there. Though, I think that in itself is actually part of its charm. It FEELS like the teen angst it’s portraying. So, in that sense, it works. But the acting. OMG. Blink. Stutter. Blink. Stutter. Think Real Hard. Grimace. Blink. Stutter. Thank goodness New Moon isn’t just part two of the same.

New Moon feels like a real movie. It flows so much better.The editing is amazing. The way some of the sequences are spliced together adds such a depth to what could otherwise have been long and boring scenes. It’s over 2 hours, and yet it moves with a beauty and precision that makes it feel much shorter. There’s also a richness to it I’m finding hard to describe. Twilight almost felt like it was filmed on a set. New Moon feels vast and real. The cinematography is stepped up, you can feel the cold and wet of Forks right through the screen. As well as the green and earth and ocean. It’s just more THERE.

The things I didn’t like about Twilight are what I do like about New Moon. The rough patches have been smoothed over and it’s quickly becoming a well oiled machine. If they keep going in this direction, Eclipse is going to be amazing and Breaking Dawn will blow us all away.

My overall review: Awesome. Duh! If you love Twilight, you’ll love New Moon. If you don’t get what all the fuss is about, go see 2012!

The Twilight Saga: New Moon movie website

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