A visually stunning, yet careless adaptation of the book

Rating: 5/10 (23 November 2009)

I'll start by pointing out the obvious: The choice to hire Melissa Rosenberg for screenwriter of this saga was total fail. She bears no true sense of style when attempting to capture key moments between Edward and Bella. She doesn't seem to understand the true depth of their relationship. Her handling of their scenes is SO incredibly weak that it ultimately means the actors - Rob and Kristen - are left up to the task of re-establishing the connection between the characters. Moreover, she doesn't seem much interested in the Cullen family as a whole. Where was the airport scene that reunited them towards the end? Its absence made the voting scene seem like a major WTF? moment. Why was The Truth chapter scanned over as if it meant nothing? Edward's decision to leave and his suffering without Bella made total and complete sense at this point in the book, whereas in the movie, it's barely touched upon. Honestly, why did Melissa choose to tackle this story if she completely takes it for granted???
People are going to great lengths to cheer on Jacob Black after watching the movie. Ironic, given that more than half the fanbase previously stated their HATRED for New Moon and their complete boredom of it, especially with the middle part where you learn more about the werewolf aspect of the story. Let me guess ... Taylor Lautner's buffed-up body have anything to do with this newfound love you have for the guy? Oh please, save yourself time and just own up to it. The first shirtless scene he had included most of the back of the theatre getting all hot for him. Made me wanna shout out "HOW GROSS! HE'S UNDER-AGE, REMEMBER?" but why bother when apparently, a character's strength is determined by how he looks. Too bad, given that the character I'm familiar with in the books is immature/temperamental/self-serving (etc) but Melissa conveniently chose to give him more depth and show his innocent/loyal side. Why?? Oh yeah *eyeroll* -
The Love Triangle. Or more to the point - THE LOVE TRIANGLE THAT WASN'T IN THE BOOK BUT APPARENTLY EXISTS IN THE MOVIE FOR THE SAKE OF APPEALING TO A WIDER AUDIENCE AND GIVING TAYLOR A REASON TO JUSTIFY HIS CONSTANT HALF-NAKEDNESS. Anyone who knows anything about these books will recall New Moon being a Romeo and Juliet-based story, focusing on Bella's depression over her true love's departure and months later having her spirits lifted by 16 year-old Jacob who becomes her best friend. Does he want more? He's a teenage guy, of course he does. Does she? No, she wants Edward. Take note: Melissa's the one who invented this whole "dreamcatcher" thing. It WASN'T in the book. She created it to get you invested in the idea of a possible J/B romance. She went above and beyond to develop Jacob and Bella's bond in this movie when she did no such thing for Edward and Bella in the first movie. Shouldn't time be better spent on including moments that remind the audience why they should be MISSING EDWARD like they did whilst reading the book?? Sad considering Robert Pattinson is by far the superior actor of the 2 guys, playing Edward with deep intensity and subtle charm.
Taylor Lautner only shines in the earlier scenes. When his character is forced to transform beyond the boyish stage into a vicious werewolf, his amateur acting skills fail him. This guy can't pull off a look or line of intensity without making you cringe for him. And to top it off, JACOB IS A CARBON-COPY OF EDWARD. Read between the lines to see how much he reflects him: Sees girl, spends time with girl, wants girl, can't have girl, struggling with inner demons around girl, can't lose control with girl... Catch my drift??? There's nothing original about Jacob Black. Sure, he's more easy-going and carefree. But he hasn't had to live through what Edward has. He hasn't found his soulmate in Bella like Edward has.
Kristen Stewart gives a fair performance, particularly shining in the depression-related scenes. You actually feel her yearning for Edward through the way Kristen sells the character. This is her I'm crediting, not Melissa. You completely buy into her still loving Edward during Jacob's many advances, again thanks to Kristen's telling performance. Her and Robert together just sell it, plainly and simply. Yes, they have chemistry. (Still.) Yes, you should still be feeling that Bella belongs with Edward when you walk out of the movie. If not, then why bother watching the rest of the movies?
On the plus side, I'll give props to Michael Sheen, Edi Gathegi and Michael Welch as charismatic supporting actors. Sorry to say, the guys playing wolves with the exception of Chaske Spencer are one-dimensional and at one point, sit around a table doing nothing except being shirtless. They serve no real purpose when not in wolf form. The journey to Volterra fills you with the exhilaration that you just didn't feel throughout the rest of the movie. Also, the references to the Meadow are beautifully constructed, with a romantic score to fulfil that sense of longing for Edward and Bella to be united again.
The movie's biggest weaknesses? Script doesn't serve justice to the book. ~ Perhaps more voiceovers would have helped this, who knows. And from a marketing point of view, allowing the story to be a simple overkill of "will teen girl end up with vampire or werewolf?" makes it seem cheap and takes away from what made Twilight a hit in the first place.