Edward is as good as his word and "New Moon" suffers as a result. Constrained by
the plot of the novel, the film keeps the two lovers apart for quite a spell,
robbing the project of the crazy-in-love energy that made "Twilight," the first
entry in the series, such a guilty pleasure.
"New Moon," which has been grandly titled "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" in honor
of that first episode's huge success, marks the franchise's entrance into the
self-protective, don't rock the boat phase of its existence, which is inevitable
but a bit of a shame.
In place of "Twilight" director Catherine Hardwicke, a filmmaker of intense,
sometimes overwhelming and out of control emotionality who seemed to feel these
teenage characters in her bones, "New Moon" has gone with the more polished
Chris Weitz.
A smooth professional whose credits include such adaptations as "The Golden
Compass" and "About a Boy," Weitz makes the vampire trains of Melissa
Rosenberg's capable script run on time, but he almost seems too rational a
director for this kind of project. This lack of animating madness combined with
the novel's demands give much of "New Moon" a marking time quality.
Yes, I know, "New Moon's" emotional energy is supposed to come through Bella's
putative attachment to newly buff best friend Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). But
though audiences gasp when Jacob uses his shirt to staunch Bella's blood (don't
ask) and reveals a torso that would make Charles Atlas swoon, the connection
between these two is so self-evidently non-romantic that it turns out not to be
much of a diversion.
More interesting is Jacob's discovery that as a member of the fierce Quileute
tribe he is prone to turning into an exceptionally large wolf at a moment's
notice, a wolf whose main objective in life is to safeguard humans from
vampires. In addition to pining for Edward, Bella suddenly finds herself in the
middle of age-old and bitter enmities. This is one hard-luck young woman.
