General improvements over the previous film.

Rating: 5/10 (25 March 2020)

This film was based on a series of "best seller" books about the romance between a vampire and a young human. I never read the books (nor do I intend to) to know what they are like, and I'm willing not to talk about them, but if Edward and Bella's love story was supposed to be epic something didn't work. Despite this, and just like the first film in this tetralogy, this film was a box office champion, teenagers consumed it well and the studio rubbed its hands in satisfaction.
The plot is easy to summarize. After realizing that Bella was in danger with him, Edward leaves her, wishing she would forget him and live a normal life. But she falls into depression and seeks to put herself at risk in the hope that he will appear through visions that she has whenever she is in danger. At the same time, she approaches Jake, who is in love with her and wants to have a chance. It turns out that he also changes: he belongs to a tribe of werewolves and, somehow, it activates and he starts to be able to transform into a giant wolf. From there, the animosity between him and Edward grows, given that vampires and werewolves are natural enemies, and is linked to the competition for the love of young Bella.
Despite the change of director, little changes. Chris Weitz seems more capable as a producer than as a director. The film is going on without us feeling connected to what we are seeing. With the exception of some very concrete scenes, there is no involvement or depth, everything seems futile and a deep and dramatic love, capable of transforming a person's life, ends up just looking like a childish crush. The sudden ending of the film would, I think, have the intention of provoking a "wow effect" in the audience, but in me it only caused the sensation that the final part of the film was cut.
What I said about the actors in the first film applies perfectly to this one. There were some casting errors that didn't help. Kristen Stewart is a weak actress with no presence or expression, and the same can be said of a dull Robert Pattinson, who seems to be more dead than his character. Both were poor casting choices and the romance between them never convinces by the absolute lack of chemistry. In spite of everything, comparing the two films directly, I think Stewart took advantage of the previous experience and did a better job here, which may be the result of some critical spirit and the ability to face mistakes and try to do better. Better than them, Taylor Lautner is more intense and palatable, and that intensifies a lot here. Together with Billy Burke and Ashley Greene, they are the best interpretations of the film. The Volturi manage to appear cold, calculating and threatening, especially Dakota Fanning, Jamie Campbell Bower and Christopher Heyerdahl. Michael Sheen seems polite, even aristocratic, but he based his character on a thousand stereotypes about European noble vampires and looks like a caricature and not a credible character.
Technically, the film shows improvements compared to the previous one, perhaps the result of a stronger financial investment by the studio. CGI wolves are excellent and are the most striking and interesting visual resource. Alexandre Desplat's soundtrack stood out more and this is worth it because it is one of the best technical notes in tetralogy. Editing and post-production work were poor. Good scenery, props, good large-scale images of cold and cloudy landscapes and a beautiful city of Volterra complete the technical work.
Overall, I feel that this film represents a slight improvement over the previous one. We continue to face a dull story, but the introduction of truly threatening characters and the greater role given to more emotional characters and capable actors gives it a bag of breathable air that its predecessor does not have.