The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Teen supernatural romance ‘The Twilight Saga: New Moon’, directed by Chris Weitz (‘About a Boy’) is a second chance for Summit Films to cash in on Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling book series. Where Catherine Hardwicke’s (‘Thirteen’) interpretation of the first novel dealt with the innocent unfurling of first love, Weitz’s ‘New Moon’ starts to bear left focusing on personal and even physical metamorphoses amidst adolescent hormones straining against the bit.

This time around heroine Bella (Kristin Stewart) finds herself high and dry when her vampire boyfriend Edward (Robert Pattinson) and his family suddenly skip town, leaving her to grieve for a few months before her muscle-bound childhood friend Jacob (Taylor Lautner) steps in to bring her back to life. Adolescence in the Twilight universe isn’t merely about growing up, but about complete transformations— in Jacob’s case turning into a wolf. For Bella, the transformation is more of a dichotomy; she not only sheds her rather reserved demeanour to reinvent herself as a thrill seeker hopping onto motorcycles and jumping off of cliffs into the ocean, but also becomes more dependent on the men in her life for safety and even happiness.

The second instalment of the series, with a drastically bigger budget and slicker look actually seems a bit emptier for it, and may miss the mark for some hardcore ‘Twilight’ fans. Though there’s action in the form of CG wolves, frantic chases and even a vampire fight, Weitz gives off the impression of being less aware of the more subtle teen emotions that Hardwicke seemed to plug into. At some points, the movie even verges on a parody of itself, especially when Bella’s classmates join the mix.

Regardless of Weitz’s possible misses, one aspect which was improved on (possibly with the larger budget) is the music, featuring acts like Death Cab for Cutie among others. Despite the at times hackneyed dialogue and a plot that is somewhat limited in scope, the overall effect stays true to what, at its core ‘New Moon’ is meant to be: a film adaptation of a young adult supernatural romance. Bear that in mind when you buy your ticket, and you won’t be disappointed.

‘The Twilight Saga: New Moon’ is now playing at the Shinjuku Piccadilly and other theatres across Japan, distributed by Asmik Ace, Kadokawa Pictures.