New Moon (2009)

All I have to say about the latest installment of “The Twilight Saga” is OMG AWESOME. By that I mean that New Moon is a very appropriate and entertaining adaptation of the second book in the four-part series. It sticks to the original material quite faithfully, using interesting visuals to convey Stephenie Meyer’s addictive (albeit wholly silly) fantasy world of brooding undead and friendly shape-shifters.

Here is what happens: Edward leaves, Bella dies a little, Jacob is hunky. Edward is a drama queen, Bella leaves, Jacob is sooooo sad. Vampires and werewolves, etc. Teenagers—lol!

And as a serendipitous addition to this already guiltily pleasurable emotional rollercoaster, Kristen Stewart actually improves upon the Bella from the books, trading obnoxious whiney inner thoughts for a more compelling and nuanced melancholy moodiness. While the other actors stick to Meyer’s original characterizations, Stewart goes the extra mile of making Bella all the more believable and therefore more emotionally-investable as a character.

New Moon is an obvious must for any follower of Meyer’s books, but is also delightfully engaging for any fan of hyperbolic romance served up fantasy style. You won't regret seeing it on the big screen.