New Moon Movie Review - Advance Screening In Vancouver, BC

Videos

Twilight New Moon Official Trailer HD

see larger video

sourced by amyellensoden

• 

  Created by amyellensoden | add comment

• 

  Created by amyellensoden | add comment

• 

  Created by amyellensoden | add comment

Last night I attended the advance screening of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” in Vancouver, BC and let me tell you, it was Twi-hard crazy! When my best friend and I arrived at 6:30pm for the 10:00pm show, there were no fewer than 100 fans already in line before us. We were told by fellow Twi-fans that people had been in line since 7:00am that morning. This was just the beginning, over the following two hours hundreds of fans continued to line up in a crowd that snaked down two levels below the theatre.

The electricity in the air was palpable; many of the fans around us were in full on "Twilight" mode with their magazines, clothing, and mp3 players with “New Moon” tunes. I witnessed some pretty intense fan behavior: some girls were watching the first "Twilight” film on their laptops while others snacked on Edward Cullen "Twilight" chocolate bars. The great thing about “Twilight” fans is that they’re unabashedly passionate for this story about Edward, Bella, and Jacob. There’s a genuine enthusiasm for Meyer’s novels and the film adaptations that reaffirms my belief that this isn’t just another bandwagon people are hopping onto. We met some really friendly people in line who, like us, weren’t into the screaming and crying hysteria but definitely invested in the story and the movies. It was exciting to be in the line and counting down to the opening credits of “New Moon.”

Prior to the film, the trailer for Robert Pattinson’s next film entitled “Remember Me” was included in the previews. This definitely got fans excited and was the perfect opportunity for Summit Entertainment to preview their next dose of Pattinson for the many “Twilight” fans in attendance. Once the “New Moon” title treatment appeared on the screen, the theatre became hushed and everyone sat on the edge of their seats waiting for it to begin.

I really enjoyed the film overall, it had many great things going for it such as the CGI wolves and special effects in the Volturi fight scene. The visual dynamics of the film itself seemed to be a big improvement on the first one which had a notably smaller budget. I wouldn’t credit the film’s superior quality entirely to the increase in funding, however. Director Chris Weitz (“The Golden Compass”) clearly had a vision for this film and added what I can only describe as a magical quality to “New Moon’s” story of heartbreak. He creates a world that seems so real yet still exists beyond the realms of reality what with the gigantic werewolves and the ethereal thousand year old Volturi vampires in Italy. I would say that the soundtrack and score composed by Alexandre Desplat also brought a great deal of sensitivity to the film.

One of the film’s biggest successes, in my opinion, is that Bella’s sadness from losing Edward is real. The raw emotions that are prevalent in “New Moon” came across without being over the top and this is undoubtedly a credit to Kristen Stewart who is a driving force throughout the film. She brings Bella to life in a way that other girls can identify with her. Bella is a quiet and ordinary girl, but her passion, sense of self, and ability to keep on loving in the face of adversity make her extraordinary. I’ve loved Kristen’s portrayal of Bella from the first moments of “Twilight” and she continued to blow me away in “New Moon.”

I was pleasantly surprised with Taylor Lautner’s performance as Jacob, who has a much bigger part in “New Moon.” He truly becomes a likeable character and the best friend for Bella. I felt that Lautner brought the perfect blend of confidence and sensitivity to Jacob’s character. It’s difficult to conceive of how exactly a teenage boy struggling with unrequited love and a werewolf transformation should be played, but Lautner makes it look easy. After reading several reviews and interviews, however, it’s clear that he worked extremely hard for this movie to make a physical and emotional transformation – and he definitely pulled it off. It was great to finally see Jacob’s wolf pack brothers and the evil Volturi vamps come to life. Chaske Spencer who plays wolf pack leader Sam Uley, and Michael Sheen who brings to life the Volturi leader Aro were two of my favourite newcomers simply because I felt they were authentic in terms of the written characters. Dakota Fanning’s performance, though brief, was chilling and eerie as Volturi member Jane. Her red contacts and wide-eyed stare commanded the viewer's attention.

It’s hard to nitpick at what could have been better in "New Moon" because I loved it so much. The CGI wolves looked incredible, but I did find myself wondering why they were as enormous as they were. Perhaps they could have been scaled down to look a little more realistic. Also, there seemed to be some halting moments in speech and a few unnecessarily long pauses. This was undoubtedly to serve the purpose of creating an atmosphere throughout the film, and a way of channeling the slow progression of Bella getting back to herself with Jacob’s help.

My favourite scenes are easy to choose, there’s just so many of them. I loved the transition from September to December, a small moment in the film that has the camera circle around Bella as she sits in an emotional stupor. It shows the changing of the seasons and life going on outside her window as she sits still, unable to move forward. I also enjoyed the action scene in the forest where the wolves chase Rachelle Lafevre’s Victoria at top speed. There were tender moments between Jacob and Bella that pulled at my heartstrings as they push and pull at each other. I also thought the Edward apparitions were clever, as he appears almost like a spirit to guide Bella. Robert Pattinson did an excellent job of creating a ghost-like version of Edward that is present but missing at the same time.

The final scenes in Italy (that were actually filmed there) brought the intensity of the film to a breaking point. The chaotic scene of Bella rushing to save Edward, and the chilling moments underground with the Volturi had me completely engrossed until the end. As the film came to a close I found myself once again wanting more, wishing it were longer. That’s the sign of a successful film though, if it leaves you stunned in your seat during the final moments, hoping for just one more scene. 

I hope that gave you glimpse into the film adaptation of "New Moon" without giving too much away. It looks like the second installment of The Twilight Saga is already breaking multiple box office records with $26.3 million made throughout North America at last night's showings. This officially makes "New Moon" the number one movie for midnight release box office grosses to date. "New Moon" is expected to make over $100 million during the entire opening weekend and I have no doubt that it will continue to bust box office records in the following weeks to come.