Film Review: The Twilight Saga - New Moon ***
For now, New Moon is a brooding study of shifting hormone-charged sands, with the switch to Italy making you wonder where Tom Hanks has gone from The Da Vinci Code.
Not learning all of the lessons from The Golden Compass, director Chris Weitz has again made an adaptation with unconvincing special effects animals. The oversized wolves here seem to be arthritic. Either that or their animatronics have rusted in the woods.
Though lacking the facial luminescence of the first film, New Moon is a better-looking picture, shot with care by Javier Aguirresarobe (The Others) who is working on the next instalment too.
The score by double Oscar nominee Alexandre Desplat (Benjamin Button/The Queen) works hard to fill in the gaps left in the weak script by Melissa Rosenberg (Step Up), who is unfortunately adapting the entire trilogy.
Although New Moon lacks pace and is 20-minutes too long at 130 minutes, the women and teenage girls who make up the vast majority of the Twilight fan base will enjoy the fact there’s so much eye candy in view.
Ridiculous amounts in fact, given that the male actors keep stripping to show off their bulging six-packs.
But for red-blooded chaps and boys, even the presence of the lovely – but fully-kitted – Kristen Stewart (Adventureland) will mean that New Moon puts the test of patience into their testosterone.
Original Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke is set to make a new version of Hamlet for 2011, starring Emile Hirsch (Milk/Into the Wild).
Clearly, she’s preferring to do something she can really sink her teeth into. Eclipse is being directed by David Slade, whose uncompromising Hard Candy movie in 2005 suggests there might yet be a really dark twist. Bring it on – the series needs one.
Website: www.newmoonthemovie.com
