Far from being the best of 2009, regardless of what the MTV Movie Awards might say

Rating: 4/10 (26 June 2010)

The first Twilight film, I didn't think was all that bad: in some ways, I actually liked it better than the book. The film adaptation of New Moon, on the other hand, doesn't really work, on multiple levels.
The story itself doesn't flow very well: there are some scenes and dialogue fitted in quite awkwardly, so it feels fragmented. Unlike in the first film, there are occasions where the music really doesn't click with the scene (e.g. when the werewolves are chasing Victoria). And the special effects used with the werewolves are pretty poor compared to other films these days.
The characters are a mixed bag: for example, the werewolf pack are a breath of fresh air compared to the Cullens – they're more proactive and fun, and are pretty enthusiastic about their special powers. On the other end of the scale, while Bella Swan wasn't exactly an all-time-great heroine in the first film, here she's barely tolerable. She becomes ridiculously depressed after Edward leaves her (to the point of screaming in her sleep as though she's being tortured), her interactions with Jacob are unstable to the point that you feel she's leading him on, and when Alice Cullen reappears on the scene, Bella's desperation that she not immediately leave again seems pathetic and needy.
Aside from the werewolves, Bella's school friends, and the always brilliant Michael Sheen as the leader of the Volturi, the acting in this film is bland, bland, bland. Robert Pattinson barely seems to be trying anymore as Edward: he fails to convey much emotion in any of his scenes. Kristen Stewart is just as dull and flat as she was last time. And while Taylor Lautner has some good moments as Jacob, he's not terribly impressive either.
All in all, New Moon is a generally bland film, and unless you're a real fan of the books, I wouldn't recommend it.