The Beacon

Issue date: 11/19/09 Section: Living

"New Moon" delivers 130 minutes of half-naked as well as pale, sparkling men. Director Chris Weitz translates the story from book to film accurately, for the most part, so fans of Stephenie Meyer's books won't be too shocked. Surprising, however, are the action and effects. I must admit, there were times when I screamed aloud and looked around the dark theater for giant wolves.

The storyline is emotionally and mentally draining. Break ups and make ups between human girl, vampire boy and wolf boy were incredibly frustrating. Edward? Jacob? Vampire? Wolf? Can't keep track? It didn't seem like the characters could either.

Nevertheless, the story portrays extreme changes in teenage emotions realistically.

When Bella (Kristen Stewart) stumbles into a deep depression, Jacob, played by 30-pounds-of-muscles-heavier Taylor Lautner, is the only person who can bring her back to life. Needless to say, he falls in love with her and the messy love triangle begins. A supernatural love triangle, that is.

Weitz doesn't waste any time getting to the action. The accident that results in the vampires' absence occurs early on. The score that accompanied this scene was a terrible choice and took away its potential impact. Was it a video game or a game show? Neither. It was a good scene with light action that had horrible music.

The break up between Bella and Edward (Robert Pattinson) took on the band-aid effect.

It happened so quickly, however, that there was no time to process how sad it actually was. The audience experiences the break-up the same way as Bella. The part that brought the tissues out was Bella wandering around in the woods calling Edward's name.

Time progression in the book was portrayed through eight one-word pages that listed the four months in which Bella was mentally and emotionally detached from her world. Weitz illustrated the darkest period of her life by showing the change of seasons as Bella stared out of her window.

One thing that ruined the shot was the listing of the exact months that passed in horrible lettering. The scene without words would have had just as much impact.

The wolves are introduced when Bella is lost and broken in the woods. The effects were shockingly realistic. Wolf Jacob standing at the cliff's edge shows the eyebrow-raising effects within just a few seconds.

The action that surrounds the wolves is extremely intense. Here's a challenge: Watch the wolves in a dark setting. The guys in their human forms are very easy on the eyes, but the fangs and hairy wolf bodies are the real thrill.

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