New Moon: Pel’s Review

Summit has just given the fansites permission to post their reviews of the New Moon. Most of us saw the movie at the premiere or a pre-screening. To keep this spoiler free for people who don’t like to open their Christmas presents early the review is below the cut. If you click, be forewarned that various plot points and details will be discussed.

OK first off we are a fansite not the LA Times. To me this means we’re actually tougher than the LA Times, because we are the target market. If there’s a fatal screw up, we’re going to know. On the other hand, obviously we have a bias that tends to liking the project, so take this review in context. So here it goes:

The Good:

  • From the credits, you know Chris Weitz did his homework because it truly starts with an image of a New Moon.  AKA–the moon disappears!
  • Melissa Rosenberg’s script is a compelling adaptation. Obviously things need to be left out, but we weren’t left feeling like there were gaping plot holes. Little moments of deviation like the fight in the Volturi’s lair work,attempted emails to Alice or how Harry Clearwater dies, add to the story, they don’t detract.
  • Camera angles much improved. For most of Twilight I personally felt like a hand-held camera was practically up peoples’ noses.  No wonder Kristen kept blinking. In this, the shots are exactly what is needed.  Wide for vistas and close up on tender moments. The blue filter is gone. You feel like you are watching people’s lives.
  • Make-up and hair are brilliant. You don’t notice that major wigs are in place.  It’s seamless. The make-up on the vampires is spot on and consistent. In Twilight it looked like Peter Facinelli jumped into a vat of Revlon pancake #4 in his opening scene. You wanted to ask if he was a cross dresser in his spare time because the make-up was so heavy.  No worries in New Moon, the make-up doesn’t take you out of the shot.
  • The effects are vastly improved the wolves look so real it’s amazing, and I have to agree with Stephenie, the way the earth shakes when they move is stunning.  If I didn’t know that the high school exterior was CGI I never would have known. Edward’s sparkles are more compact and believable, and mercifully he no longer has a chiming sound like Tinkerbell on crack. Being sucked into the Volturi painting and having it come alive–kudos to Melissa for the idea and Chris’ team for the execution.
  • You can see perfectly how (as Stephenie Meyer has said) Bella falls in love with Jake during New Moon though she is mostly unaware of this. The scenes between Taylor and Kristen are the best in the film.
  • Alexandre Deplat’s score is beautiful. The stand out section is the race against time section to Volterra.
  • The performances given by Kristen, Rob, and Taylor are completely believable. However, without question, and in a really good way, THIS IS TAYLOR LAUTNER’S MOVIE. He rocks it. Every moment, every scene that subtleties he plays are stunning. I had to keep reminding myself that he is only 17.
  • While I’m talking about performances the minor characters live up to the expression “there are no small parts only small actors”. Billy Burke and Graham Greene are able to say 1,000 words just with their facial expressions. Mike Welch and Anna Kendrick are stand outs. Anna Kendrick’s rambling after the movie night is more stunning when you realize a lot of it was spontaneous and ad libbed.  Mike Welch as the third wheel date at the movies–holy cow. Hat’s off to Kristen and Taylor for fighting for Mike to have this scene.
  • Of the newcomers there are two standouts: Michael Sheen  and Chaske Spencer.  Michael, I think , will forever replace the image of Aro I have in my head. He is deliciously manipulative, commanding, and truly funny. Chaske is able to deliver a multi-tiered performance: the powerful leader, but he’s equally tender with Tinsel and lighthearted when teasing Bella.
  • The pacing is right where it needs to be. You feel Bella’s sloth of the months and depression, and then you feel like you’ve been shot out of a canon in Volterra. It’s a wild ride.
  • The ending of the movie, different than the book, but it totally works. (Won’t spoil it)

The Bad

These are minor when you consider the whole, but perhaps more noticeable because everything else was so good.

  • The CGI of the cliff diving where Bella first sees the guys looked faked.  It wasn’t (in my opinion) on par with the rest of the film.
  • Alice’s costumes are DREADFUL. Fasionista Alice, save for her party dress, and the brief glimpse at the vote outfit look dumpy.  I didn’t know it was even possible to make Ashley Greene look dumpy. She looks like she ransacked last season’s sale rack at Sears and just threw things together. Even her Italy ensemble screams “I raided my grandmother’s 50-year-old church scarf” rather than Hermes.  Everyone else’s costumes are an improvement or on par with Twilight, Ashley’s are worse.
  • The the wolfpack (save for Chaske) are a bit uneven performance wise. They are at their best in the muffin scene.
  • The Volvo reads black no matter what the stock color says. Edward drives a bright silver sports car. People have the words “Stupid Shiny Volvo Owner” tattooed on their bodies, written on walls, framed around license plates. Granted the model in the novel is no longer in production; however, other sports models exist, and unless I’m uninformed there is no shortage of bright silver paint. It’s hard for a girl to be swept off her feet in an SUV. Iconic cars like the Batmobile, the General Lee, James Bond’s Aston Martin, The Torchwood SUV…I could go on… need to be what they are, that’s why they are by definition iconic.  I don’t know if it was Summit or Volvo being insistent about a black SUV being fine, but this is marketing stupidity right up there with inventing New Coke.  A simple test market question would have given them the answer they needed. What’s even more laughable is that the Volvo appears in two scenes and is utterly forgettable, clearly not what Volvo wanted.  The dark color doesn’t pop against the other cars in the parking lot scene.  The overhead evening shot is so dark that for all I know Edward could be driving a Chevy.  So all-in-all in this vast movie is the car memorable? No…and that my friends is the point when we are talking iconic vehicle. Congratulations, guys, you killed the Batmobile.
  • Some sort of dialogue from Victoria. She seems like the kind of obsessive who would talk to herself. Mostly mute Victoria didn’t work for me especially since Rachelle can wickedly turn a phrase.