Definitely worth the time

Rating: 7/10 (21 November 2009)

Let's start this off with the facts. I read all four books, and I saw the first movie. The books were, in my mind, pretty good. In no way am I obsessive about them, merely a fan, because how often do love stories have any decent action sequences? The world created was immensely interesting, and the characters have some depth. But I'll be honest: It's a cult novel set, and will be remembered as such.
The first movie, Twilight, was abysmal. The plot was hard to follow for anyone who hadn't read the book, and the actors who shined (no sparkly puns intended) were more often than not the supporting characters. But this is a New Moon review, so I'll move on.
Two friends invited me about a month prior to go with them to the midnight showing, and they paid for my ticket in exchange for rides home (at 2:30 in the morning!). So while I can't truly say that this was worth the money, it was definitely worth the 3 hours I sat in a theater with a bunch of swooning tweens.
Something to keep in mind when reading all these poor reviews is this series is driven by dialogue. Don't bother getting into it unless you enjoy conversation. I found a few of the deliveries somewhat stilted, but for the most part I found they were witty and made sense. Good job screenwriters, tsk tsk Kristen Stewart.
Again, supporting characters were great. Charlie is still a bumbling yet lovable father, Jessica is still self-centered and annoying (in a funny way). Alice is every bit the 'dancer' she's described as in the books, and Jasper finally has some personality! The Cullens in general should've gotten more screen time, but they didn't get much page time in the book, so this is just my way of saying the acting was more than decent.
The wolf pack was also great, despite being on screen (in person) for less than five minutes. It had been a fear of mine that the CGI counterparts to these actors would be corny or ridiculous, but even they were believable and intimidating. Kudos to Chris Weitz for putting money towards the wolves; it definitely showed.
I laughed a lot more during New Moon than I did during Twilight, which I think is a key point here. With all the angst and drama, the humor brings the story down to earth, and I buy sarcastic Bella much more than in-love-with-Edward Bella.
The highlight? Jacob, aka Taylor Lautner. I was glad they decided to keep him on, even more glad now that I've actually seen him act. This movie made me convert in terms of 'teams': I went from a solid Team Edward member to on-the-fence Team Switzerland. Lautner's performance was brought down mostly by Stewart's. If you can look past her, you'll enjoy the film for its details.
All in all, I see what lacks in this movie, but I'd still pay money to see it again. Twi-hards will love it, and as they are the target audience... I feel completely comfortable with giving this a 7/10.