Not as bad as everyone is saying, but undeniable room for improvement.

Rating: 5/10 (28 November 2009)

To fans of the Twilight series: This is definitely NOT as bad a film as the reviewers and others are saying! You shouldn't let their negative comments stop you from seeing this movie. That being said...There is absolutely room for improvement!
I think the problems really start with the trailer. It makes people who watch it (who have not read the books) think that this is another Vampire action fantasy with some romance, when in actuality it's neither. The film is, like the novel, mainly and angst ridden story about a teenage girl dealing with loss. There is some romance and some action and of course fantasy, but 80% of the film is angsty dialogue.
Another big problem carries over from the first film.... line delivery. It is possible that some of the actors are too inexperienced to play rolls that are so dependent on portraying extreme emotions, mainly inner turmoil. But either way, I do think that these are incredibly difficult characters to portray, and pretty much impossible to pull of successfully with this script and short amount of time given. Also, there's absolutely an issue with character development, especially in this installment.
And, that brings me to chemistry; Stewart and Pattinson have none! I know what the tabloids say, but give me a break! I feel as though Stewart has much better chemistry with Lautner in New Moon than she's ever had with Pattinson, which is one of the reasons I liked this installment! In this film, as in Twilight, I just kept wondering... "Why do you like him (Edward) so much?". It just seems so awkward between the two of them. Never romantic, or sexy, but tense and uncomfortable. And, that's bad! There are awkward moments in the novels, but it's more an "I want to be with you, but can't because I might kill you, but still love you more than anything." awkwardness, rather than an "I can't touch you, or look at you, or smile at you because I'm concentrating on blinking." awkwardness.
All that being said, there are some great moments in this film. From the relationship development between Bella and Jacob, to the introduction of new and exciting characters, to the general sticking to the actual plot... again, it's definitely worth seeing!
A general caution: If you have not read the books or seen the first movie, you will be completely lost and most likely hate this film! At least read the cliff notes!